A study suggests that changes in levels of hormones estrogen and progesterone cause cravings for high-carb and sweet foods before your period. Your hormones may not be the only driving force behind your desire to eat all the goodies in your pantry before Flo comes to town, though.
Eating all the foods can also help you combat all the feels that accompany the premenstrual stage of your cycle. Your body releases serotonin when you eat starchy foods and sweets. Serotonin is a chemical that boosts feelings of happiness. Compulsive eating and food cravings before a period may also be signs of premenstrual dysphoric disorder PMDD , which is a more severe form of PMS.
PMS is still the probable cause. Sure, pregnancy cravings and hunger are common, but so are aversions to certain foods. This means being totally put off by the mere sight or smell of certain foods, including those you loved prepregnancy. Food aversions are common in pregnancy, but not in PMS. Pregnancy is also likely to cause other symptoms long before the cravings kick in, like:. All that said, PMS and pregnancy do share similar symptoms. Period-related cravings usually start around 7 to 10 days before your period starts.
This is also when other PMS symptoms tend to start, like changes to your bowel habits hellooo period poop and farts , headaches, acne, and bloating. Have too many and you could end up feeling even more sluggish. Instead of simple carbs, like chips, bread, or pasta, choose complex carbs that increase serotonin but make you feel better longer. These include things like beans and lentils, brown rice, and oats.
Tempting as it may be to eat an entire bag of Oreos when your sweet tooth is begging for satisfaction, too much sugar usually leads to a pretty unpleasant crash. Go ahead and have a cookie or two if you feel inclined. However, there are other ways to satisfy a sugar craving. Dark chocolate has been found to promote muscle relaxation , which can help with cramps and soreness. It can also help you reduce pain by boosting your endorphins. Dark chocolate contains omega-3 and omega-6 as well as magnesium, which can help improve your mood.
Dark chocolate can potentially lower your stress level while boosting your mood. There are some studies that have found that dark chocolate has the ability to improve your skin in some cases.
For many women, their period also brings about unwanted breakouts or worsened acne. It is possible that dark chocolate can help benefit your skin. If you feel particularly fatigued during your period, dark chocolate may be able to help with that too. There is a good amount of iron in dark chocolate, and a lack of iron is one of the common reasons that women feel tired when they are on their period.
Eating dark chocolate can help make up for the iron you are missing and help you feel more energized. Enjoying chocolate in moderation should not cause any major side effects or worsen the symptoms of your period.
Food cravings are up there with the most commonly reported behavioral PMS symptoms, along with mood swings, irritability, anxiety and tension, and sad or depressed mood. Researchers find that cravings can occur during that premenstrual time period in normal, healthy individuals without a diagnosis of PMS or other disorder. Research data confirm women tend to eat more during the luteal phase of the menstrual cycle, compared to the follicular phase that leads up to ovulation.
With or without the diagnosis of PMS, this increased food intake can be as high as extra calories per day. What foods are women reaching for? Carbs and fats and sweets. No surprise there. And although the existence of any craving is similar across women with and without PMS, the craving itself may differ depending on if you have the diagnosis of PMS.
In one study, women without PMS increased their intake of energy and fat, while women with PMS showed increase in total energy and all macronutrients. One idea is that women are unconsciously using food as a pharmacological therapy. Many studies show that women in their luteal phase crave more carbohydrates compared to during their follicular phase. Eating carbs turns up levels of serotonin , a neurotransmitter in the central nervous system, which contributes to a general sense of well-being and happiness.
By increasing carb intake, women may be self-medicating with food to cause that serotonin bump in order to feel better. Another possible explanation for food cravings suggests that women intentionally turn to food for physical and psychological comfort.
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