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For most women, the symptoms associated with PMS start in their teens or early twenties, and can continue up to their thirties and forties. So—do you just have to put up with it or are there, for example, foods to eat that can help minimize PMS?
It is estimated that 3 out of every 4 women experience some form of PMS (PreMenstrual Syndrome). For most women, the symptoms associated with PMS start in their teens or early twenties, and can continue up to their thirties and forties. For some women, these symptoms can continue into the perimenopausal phase of their lives!
These symptoms can include anxiety, irritability, emotional ups and downs and physical symptoms—such as joint and muscle pain, headaches (including migraines), fluid retention, breast tenderness, acne and either constipation or diarrhea.
So—do you just have to “put up with it” or are there, for example, foods to eat that can help minimize PMS. Yes! There are! First off, as a tip, eat smaller meals throughout the day—this is sometimes called “grazing”. You want to avoid that feeling of fullness. It can also help if you have a problem with overeating—if you are never really hungry, that tendency to overeat may be avoided! You should also avoid sugary foods, caffeine and alcohol—they tend to make the symptoms of PMS worse.
So—do you just have to “put up with it” or are there, for example, foods to eat that can help minimize PMS. Yes! There are! First off, as a tip, eat smaller meals throughout the day—this is sometimes called “grazing”. You want to avoid that feeling of fullness. It can also help if you have a problem with overeating—if you are never really hungry, that tendency to overeat may be avoided! You should also avoid sugary foods, caffeine and alcohol—they tend to make the symptoms of PMS worse.
Read more: Signs and symptoms of menstruation
Another general tip is to make sure you are drinking plenty of water! It may seem strange, but very often drinking enough water can reduce the feeling and the symptoms of swelling associated with PMS. It may have something to do with flushing metabolic by-products and toxins out of your system, but drinking enough water (usually considered 8-10 glasses a day) can help!
One rule of thumb is to drink, in ounces, half of your weight in pounds. So, if you weigh 150 pounds, drink a total of 75 ounces of water. If you weigh yourself in kilograms, drink the same number of ounces of water—so, if you weigh 70 kg, drink about 70 ounces of water (or about 2 liters).
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