Ways to satisfy period cravings without straying from your diet
You might be someone who can spend the majority of the month eating healthfully and working out frequently. Yet, during periods, all you want is your favourite flavoursome food.
Sex hormones are all over the place during periods, lowering serotonin levels and making you crave carbohydrates and sugar. Fighting these desires can be difficult if you’re trying to maintain a regular eating schedule. However, the good news is that there are some successful ways to deal with your period cravings. Here are some realistic tips on how to deal effectively with period cravings.
1. Diet Matters
It should come as no surprise that healthy eating practices are beneficial when period cravings occur. In addition to your physical health and bodily functions, it also influences your mental and emotional well-being.
â—Ź Consume fibre-rich meals, such as whole grain bread, pasta, and cereals, to maintain stable blood sugar levels and reduce mood swings and food cravings.
â—Ź Consider including complex carbohydrates with PMS-fighting B vitamins, thiamine, and riboflavin, such as barley, brown rice, beans, and lentils, in your daily meals.
â—Ź Stay away from processed sugar because it increases sugar cravings.
â—Ź Include omega-3-rich foods, such as walnuts, berries, flaxseeds, chia seeds, etc. These can decrease the absorption of carbohydrates and help stabilise blood sugar.
â—Ź Watch your salt intake because it might lead to bloating and make you want to overindulge.
â—Ź You can improve cramps, period mood swings, and fluid retention and lessen period cravings by regularly consuming foods high in calcium, such as broccoli, green leafy vegetables, and soybeans.
â—Ź Legumes, cashews, almonds, seeds, and whole grains are magnesium-rich foods that you may include in your diet to help balance your sex hormones and lower sugar cravings.
â—Ź Lastly, remember to drink plenty of water. It will keep you hydrated, fill you up, and prevent bloating, so you won’t be as tempted to reach for the candies.
2. Eat Often
A shift in sex hormones may also cause blood sugar fluctuations, which can cause hunger.
It’s not a good idea to use this increase in hunger as an excuse to eat everything you come across. However, it’s crucial to pay attention to your body and ensure it’s getting the nutrition it needs.
Make sure you eat every three to four hours to maintain blood sugar stability and healthy energy level and avoid overeating.
3. Control Your Portions
Having a limited amount of what you want is acceptable if you can’t help but give in to a craving. You can even avoid overindulging by allowing yourself a treat. However, try to limit it to 200 calories or less.
You can also satisfy your craving with low-calorie swaps. For instance, a few handfuls of mild popcorn may satisfy your craving for something salty like chips.
4. Work It Out
Although having a period might influence your fitness, staying active can also help reduce period cravings.
Exercise can lower cortisol levels and boost serotonin levels, two hormones involved in cravings. The right kind of exercise, like yoga, can also help relieve cramps. Make an effort to work out for at least 30 minutes each day of the week.
5. Don’t Stress
Indulging occasionally is acceptable, unless it does not affect your medical condition, if any. So you shouldn’t stress if you “shift” from your fitness goals. It might cause you to yearn for the comfort of unhealthy food even more.
The most crucial thing is to avoid making period cravings a daily occurrence for the rest of the month. It may be harder to get back to healthy eating if you reverse lifestyle habits like maintaining a workout routine and a balanced diet.
