7 Super-foods to Stop PMS

PMS sucks. Ammaright or am I right? The bloating, the headaches, the mood swings, the cramps. Seems like more and more people struggle with PMS, but did you know that PMS really shouldn’t be considered “normal.” The body is not designed to go through that kind of crap each month. But we live in a very toxic, malnourished world which has sent a lot of woman into a spiraling pit of despair each time their “Aunt Flo” shows her ruddy little head.

Hey you with the PMS! Pay attention.

Along with these natural menstrual cramp remedies, it’s really important to take a look at the food you eat. Today I’d like to talk about 7 super-foods that can help stop PMS for good. You may be surprised to learn what’s on this list.

I have never had severe PMS (thankfully!), but I also wouldn’t say that my periods were really… um… graceful. I’d be moody. I’d feel bloated. I’d get some cramps. I always hated the world a tiny bit during those 5 – 6 days. But then I made some major changes in my diet and life and most of my PMS symptoms just sort of vanished (and the ones that didn’t go away completely diminished a LOT). I figured it had to be related, but that wasn’t confirmed until I read Lauren Geertsen’s phenomenal book, Quite PMS. It’s loaded with both useful and fascinating information on the many factors that play into our body’s ability to have hormonal balance and health and ultimately quit PMS.

She confirmed my hunch: Food does play a vital role in whether we experience good or bad days during our period. So… here are 7 super-foods that you should definitely consider adding to your diet if you want to stop PMS for good.

 7 Super-foods to Help Stop PMS

1. Dairy

Dairy-haters listen up:

I know it’s pretty “cool” these days to ditch all diary… and if we’re talking about the homogenized, pasteurized, stripped-of-nutrients milk that is commonly sold in most grocery stores, I’d agree. But as I’ve mentioned before: Not all milk is created equal.

“The calcium content in milk plays an important role in metabolic hormone homeostasis (source).” Calcium from dairy along with enough magnesium bring about an anti-stress factor that keeps your metabolism healthy… which is important to keeping PMS at bay. Plus, dairy has pro-thyroid and pro-progesterone properties.

I like milk because it’s a whole food, providing protein, fat, and quality carbohydrates. I choose raw milk from a trusted farm. Raw milk contains enzymes, minerals, and is easier to digest than pasteurized varieties (among other things.) (Learn more about milk as a healthy real food here.)

So if you don’t actually have a diary issue, you might consider adding it to your diet to help stop PMS.

2. Salt

Don’t believe the low-sodium propaganda. Real salt is essential to good health. It’s also vital to hormonal health as it’s an anti-stress agent, can calm rising levels of adrenaline, and leads to lower blood cortisol levels.

Plus, among other things… having appropriate salinity in the extracellular fluid can “help disable estrogen receptors and combat estrogen dominance (source).”

(Learn more about why I love salt, and what salt is best here.)

3. Liver

Yep. I know it still turns a lot of people off, but this super food is another great addition to beating PMS. It is THE highest natural dietary source of vitamin A. It’s been known to support the hormonal system, boost the libido, and help bring increase energy. (Learn more about why I love liver and how I take it here and here.)

4. Raw Honey

But isn’t sugar bad? Not in proper context (learn more about that here). And raw honey is a pretty impressive food. It boasts a nearly 1:1 ratio of glucose and fructose, the perfect fuel for the liver to build glycogen which is key to stabilizing stress and thyroid hormones.

5. Gelatin

I’ve talked about this super food before (read that here). Because gelatin combats a stress response by balancing dietary amino acids, it’s a great food to include in your diet,especially if you struggle with PMS.

Here’s another great read about the health benefits of gelatin.

6. Coconut

The awesome chemical makeup of coconut make it a great food to help boost metabolism and balance hormones. Like all great foods, however, quality matters. Learn how to decipher coconut oil labels here.

7. Eggs

The incredible edible egg has been up and down the “what food should you eat/avoid” roller coaster for years now. But eggs are a great addition to your diet especially if you are trying to stop PMS. They provide a concentrated source of hormone building blocks like protein, cholesterol, B vitamins, fat-soluable vitamins, and minerals. Don’t fear the great egg. Embrace them and stop PMS.

But there’s more than food to this equation!

Including these foods in your diet will add a level of nourishment and metabolism balancing goodness to your life. And while I believe eating the right kinds of foods is the number one place people should start when dealing with issues like PMS, it’s not the full answer. You’ll also want to consider the kinds of foods you shouldn’t eat, specific environmental factors, and other aspects of the PMS equation to get to the root problem. And it’s just too much information to pack into one post… besides, the real expert on this subject is Lauren. If PMS is something you struggle with you definitely need to get your hands on her book: Quit PMS.

Learn more about her book and how you can end your PMS misery for good here.

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