How to eat during menstruation. If you don't eat during your period. Nutrition during critical days. Criteria for heavy menstruation

Girls who strive to acquire and maintain an ideal figure should remember that the diet during menstruation should be aimed at normalizing the digestive system and harmonizing metabolic processes. Every woman should understand that a sharp weight loss before menstruation quite often causes hormonal failure and delay.

The diet during menstruation should be correct and balanced. This will not only help restore the strength of the female body, but also significantly alleviate such menstrual symptoms as pain in the lower abdomen, nervousness, irritability and increased appetite.

Essential food items

During critical days, it is recommended to include foods containing carbohydrates in your diet. They favorably affect the level of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone, which are produced in the female body. These hormones are responsible for the cycle as a whole, a change in their level after a diet leads to hormonal disorders, including a delay in menstruation.

1. Dairy products.

If you do not want your periods to disappear after a diet, you need to eat right. Various dairy products are mandatory attributes of girls' nutrition during menstruation, since calcium deficiency in the body causes such troubles as aching pain, weakness and body aches.

1. Broccoli.

Low-calorie vegetable due to its high content folic acid relieves pain syndrome. Broccoli should be present in the diet of every girl during and after weight loss, as it helps to normalize hormone levels.

1. Lentils.

Lentils are indispensable for the female body, not only during menstruation, but also when losing weight. It helps to renew the body's resources during critical days and support required level hormones after menstruation, because it contains a huge amount of essential minerals, carbohydrates, trace elements and protein.

Why does the appetite increase before menstruation?

Many girls have cravings for sweets before menstruation - this is due to the body's thirst for complex carbohydrates. In order not to gain unnecessary weight, "trick" your body with the following products:

1. Add more fruits and some honey to your diet. They will not only help restore the body, but also contribute to weight loss.
2. Drink at least 2 liters of water a day. Perfectly tones and reduces appetite during menstruation chamomile tea.
3. Switch your attention, do something pleasant, then it will be much easier for you to go through a difficult period for the body.

Harmful foods during menstruation

Diet during menstruation involves the exclusion from the diet of the following products:

1. Spicy food. Various seasonings and sauces can cause a rush of blood to the pelvic organs, which makes menstruation painful and prolonged.
2. Fatty food. During menstruation, the intestines rebel, fatty food increases flatulence, pain and malaise.
3. Sweets. Sugar is involved in fermentation processes, therefore, discomfort in the intestinal area increases. Besides, elevated level blood sugar increases appetite.

What to do if menstruation disappears after a diet?

There is nothing strange that after a long diet, menstruation suddenly disappeared. A sharp decline weight quite often causes a delay in menstruation, but before trying to normalize the cycle on your own, you need to consult a doctor to exclude pregnancy and a number of gynecological diseases.

At the beginning of the delay, you can try to normalize the hormonal background and return the menstruation on your own. To do this, you need to stop losing weight, include fats in your diet, drink a complex of vitamins and folic acid.

If the above measures do not give their results, this is a serious signal that it is time to seek qualified help. After a long diet, the body ceases to fully function, so you can’t do without consulting a specialist.

In such cases, doctors usually prescribe individually selected hormonal and multivitamin preparations that are able to restore a weakened body after a diet and return menstruation.

Diet during menstruation should primarily be aimed at restoring strength and alleviating the condition. Do not make diet more important than health!

Sometimes women feel attractive, strong and energetic, sometimes they feel lethargic, irritable and hungry (hello, PMS!) The hormonal fluctuations during the menstrual cycle are to blame. But scientists from the University of Copenhagen are confident that by adapting diet and exercise in accordance with the phases of the cycle, women can significantly improve their well-being.

There are times during the menstrual cycle when a woman's metabolic rate increases. At this time, eating more food is a very healthy decision, says Limor Baum, a nutritionist from Copenhagen. - But that doesn't mean you have to binge on cakes and fried chicken. There are other foods (including carbohydrates) that will satisfy your appetite.

Daily Mail reporters along with Dr. Baum a dietary guide for each phase of the standard 28-day menstrual cycle.

Phase 1. Menstruation (1-5 days)

With the onset of menstruation, most women experience relief, because a few days before that they suffered from PMS symptoms: irritability, bloating, pain in the abdomen and lower back, breast swelling, and so on.

What to eat during menstruation

As a rule, at this stage, appetite decreases. But keep in mind: now the body is losing blood, so food must contain all the necessary nutrients. You can replace iron loss with red meat, shellfish, beans, legumes, dark green vegetables, and sesame seeds. In addition, the diet must be balanced with vitamin C, B vitamins and calcium.

• Breakfast: Oatmeal with yogurt, strawberries and sesame seeds.
• Lunch: Red pepper salad, spinach, apricots and sesame seeds.
• Dinner: Chicken with brown rice and spinach.
• Snack: Dried fruits, prunes, yogurt.

Menstruation and sports

Give your body a break, go to bed early, and choose a walk or as a physical activity.

Phase 2. Follicular (5-13 days)

Due to the increase in estrogen levels, for 10-13 days after the end of menstruation, women feel attractive and strong. At this time, the follicles in the ovaries mature and prepare to release an egg.

What to eat after menstruation

Vigorous activity during the follicular phase is usually associated with an increase in appetite. It is only natural that your portion sizes will increase. Treat your cells with capsaicin, an alkaloid found in capsicum.

• Breakfast: scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs with vegetables.
• Lunch: beef with hot peppers, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, radish, lime.
• Dinner: whole grains, tomato salad, mint tea.
• Snack: Nuts.

Follicular phase and sports

Use your energy, move more! It's time for interval training, running and swimming.

Ovulation (day 13-16)

Phase 3. Luteal (15-28 days)

At first, you will feel good, but over time, staying energetic will become more difficult. In the luteal phase, the uterus prepares for a possible pregnancy, its lining becomes thicker, estrogen and testosterone levels plummet, and the body produces more progesterone, a hormone that makes you calm and relaxed.

The toughest stage of the luteal phase is PMS. Among its symptoms are: headaches, nausea, lethargy, chest tenderness, weakness in the legs, and extreme hunger.

What to eat before menstruation

Now your metabolism has accelerated, because you crave carbohydrates. Indulge in them, but choose the lesser of evils: wholemeal pasta, fruit, dark chocolate, smoothies, natural peanut butter, honey. Magnesium, omega-3s and dairy products will help to cope with PMS.

• Breakfast: toast with jelly or peanut butter.
• Lunch: Sweet potatoes, lentils, walnut salad.
• Dinner: curry, brown rice, fish, mango.
• Snack: bananas, honey, nuts, flax seeds.

Luteal phase and sports

Leisurely walking, swimming or yoga will reduce muscle pain, give you a boost of energy and prepare you for a painless period.

Many girls are concerned about the issue of nutrition during menstruation: what not to eat during menstruation, what you can, and in general, how to eat during menstruation. maximum benefit for your health.

During the menstrual cycle, the body goes into a different kind of functioning than during the interim period. Nutrition during menstruation should be balanced, taking into account many factors, which we will discuss below.

The fact is that weight during menstruation in the first half can decrease, as the body begins to burn fat, so you need foods rich in energy value, such as:

• Whole wheat bread.
• Buckwheat, preferably not fried, greenish in color.
• Rice groats, choose unpeeled rice, as vitamins are stored there, unlike polished.
• Whole grain pasta and raw seed oil.

In general, in the diet during menstruation, food should contain a large amount of carbohydrates. This applies to the first half of the period of menstruation. Next, you need to slightly tweak and adjust the diet during menstruation. These days, the body begins to accumulate fat, so start consuming protein-rich foods, this will again be buckwheat, and nuts will also come in handy.

Use all kinds of nuts that the market offers today: almond, pine, walnuts, cashews and hazelnuts, all this will have a positive effect on your body and well-being. A few nuts a day, and you will quickly satisfy your hunger, normalize your metabolism. The main thing is not to overdo it with the dosage, otherwise it will immediately go into excess weight. More than a hundred grams of nuts is not recommended. Nuts are a kind of pain reliever for menstruation, thanks to unsaturated fatty acids. The richest source of unsaturated fatty acids are flax seeds or linseed oil.

Next, you should introduce green vegetables and greens themselves into the diet during menstruation, and it is better not to leave such a diet ever, since these foods are the richest source of vitamins, minerals and amino acids.

Eating foods like broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, dill, parsley, celery and so on, you will improve your body, increase your hemoglobin, which is important during menstruation, normalize the level of the estrogen hormone in the blood and provide a general anti-aging agent.

And minerals such as calcium, magnesium and potassium reduce pain symptoms in the lower abdomen and reduce the intensity of secretions.

What not to eat during menstruation

Many women experience bloating during their period. Such women need to know what not to eat during menstruation. First of all, these are gas-forming products, such as: yeast bread, it should generally be excluded from consumption, since yeast has a detrimental effect. All products of the legume family: peas, beans, chickpeas and lentils. Further, you should not eat bananas, white cabbage and grapes. But greens and green vegetables will have a positive effect and remove excess gases. fennel tea or dill water handle gases very well.

When asked whether it is possible to drink coffee during menstruation, the answer will depend on what kind of pressure you have during menstruation, usually the pressure drops and many people drink coffee to increase it a little. But it is better to use herbal teas.

Swelling during menstruation

Edema during menstruation appears due to a delay in the removal of fluid from the body. Abundant consumption of greens and green vegetables contributes to the rapid removal of excess fluid.

How to lose weight during menstruation

In the first half of the period of menstruation, the body burns fat intensively. Further, many have an excessive exacerbation of appetite and cravings for sweets. If you do not go along with these sensations, but feed your body correctly, as indicated above, then you are more likely to lose extra pounds after each menstruation and heal your body, since a large amount of toxins comes out with secretions.

Compliance with the diet and the process of proper nutrition is always necessary. Regardless of your age, gender and other characteristics. In connection with individual physiological indicators, it is recommended to consider the issue of proper food intake, from the point of view of a professional approach. But what about women and girls during menstruation? Perhaps, few people seriously solved this issue, but in essence, they thought more than once. A lot depends on proper nutrition during this period. First of all, this is unloading of the body, and secondly, the actual comfort and convenience itself.

Where to start?

In order to minimize pain during menstruation and maximize comfort, doctors recommend that you pay enough attention to your diet during the premenstrual period. Usually, most women, when an unpleasant aching pain occurs, immediately take special drugs, completely ignoring their diet. At the same time, some even continue to take the same food as on ordinary days. During menstruation, along with blood, a woman loses a large amount of minerals and vitamins. In order to normalize the balance of nutrients, you should carefully study your diet. The results of most professional studies show that if you exclude just one from the diet, it is not very good. useful product, the general condition of the body during menstruation will be much better and stronger. In the period before menstruation, it is recommended to switch to the so-called carbohydrate-containing food. What could it be? First of all, fresh fruits, vegetables, rice and buckwheat. The initial task of any woman is to provide her body with a large number of such useful elements like potassium and magnesium. These substances are especially useful for the cardiovascular system. Before the onset of menstruation, it is also recommended to reduce fat intake. The normal dose in one diet is about 10%. In parallel, it is worth increasing the amount of vegetable protein.

Nutrition and nutrients

Regarding the period of menstruation itself and proper food intake during it, there are many important aspects. Some of them are general in nature, while others are purely individual. It is worth noting that nutrition during menstruation should contain a lot of proteins, but only of plant origin. Outstanding representatives are: legumes - soybeans, peas, beans. It is beans that help reduce convulsive pain. In addition, the fibers of such products contribute to the normalization of digestion, it would be appropriate to take green vegetables. These types of foods help relieve cramps and, according to specialist Susan Lark, improve mood. Green vegetables are high in magnesium, calcium, and potassium and are also considered a major source of vitamin K.

An important role in proper nutrition during menstruation, water plays. It is fluid retention in a woman's body that leads to aching pain. In order to protect yourself from discomfort, make sure that your body receives a sufficient amount of fluid. Maintaining a normal water balance is the key not only to excellent health, but also to a painless menstruation process. Of course, great benefit will bring the consumption of yogurt. This milk product, recommend eating in norms that are twice the usual (about 1200 mg).

Cereals will also be useful. This type of food is rich in magnesium. In turn, the above element helps to prevent the occurrence of spasms. The eternal fighter against pain and cramps during menstruation is omega-3 fatty acids. The source of these elements is fish, walnuts,. There is an opinion that women who often consume these products practically do not complain of painful aching manifestations.

For snacks, various dried fruits, pieces of cheese or some vegetables are perfect. Honey, sweet fruits or jam (in small doses) can act as a sweet.

Summing up, it is worth clarifying the final list of useful and necessary products:

• Sea products;
• Legumes in small quantities (in order to prevent bloating);
• Dairy: processed cheeses, good quality yoghurts;
• Fresh fruits: melons, watermelons are especially useful.
• Green vegetables: cucumbers, zucchini, salads, cabbage;
• Water;
• Certain grains and nuts.

What should be given up?

It is worth paying attention to the so-called unwanted and prohibited products. Many experts recommend limiting yourself to food of animal origin during the period of menstruation. Under the taboo fall products such as butter, sour cream, fatty milk, all kinds of fatty meat. It is also not advised to eat some vegetable fats, such as: seeds, olives, avocados, etc.

Certainly, heavy foodstuffs also fell under the restriction. On such days, it is worth minimizing as much as possible, or even reducing to zero, the use of confectionery (even if it is difficult for us), various chocolates. For a sweet tooth during menstruation, there is an alternative in the form of sweet fruits: persimmon, banana, peach. Fast foods, such as chips, crackers, french fries and other fast food, also get there. Heavy food negatively affects your well-being, there may be a feeling of heaviness, a complication during digestion.

It is highly recommended not to take alcohol, as it promotes vasodilation, and hence increased blood flow. During menstruation, it is worth refusing to take foods that include a large amount of caffeine. This product tends to excite all body systems, which during menstruation are already quite irritated. Eating such foods can lead to frequent mood swings. Regarding other drinks, preference should still be given to plain water and natural fresh juices. In order to prevent mood swings, it is advised not to drink coffee, strong tea.

Particular attention should be paid to the use of salt. It is this product that contributes to the formation of edema. If a woman has a particular propensity for this process, experts recommend limiting salt intake a week before the onset of menstruation. So, summing up, unwanted products are:

• Fatty food;
• Salt, sugar;
• Caffeine;
• Alcohol;
• Fatty dairy products.

Proper nutrition during menstruation is of a special nature. But this does not mean that it is worth dealing with the issue of diet only in such periods. You should always be interested in them. Muesli with fresh fruits can serve as a healthy and quick breakfast. This will not only become a real vitamin and energy bomb for your body, but will also contribute to the normalization of the general condition during this difficult period. And most importantly - more rest and less stress. Take care of yourself. Start small and the result will not keep you waiting.

During menstruation, many women experience malaise. Sometimes the pain is so severe that you have to take painkillers. As a result of the deterioration of the general condition of the body, irritability increases, interest in life disappears to some extent, and sleep is disturbed. Sometimes, with a lack of magnesium in the body, convulsions begin in certain parts of the body.

But the most offensive thing is that not only the girl suffers morally and physically during this period - those around her also suffer from her bad character.

The need for a diet

The process in which pain is felt in the lower abdomen during menstruation is called dysmenorrhea. And it can be avoided if you eat healthy foods on such days.

Proper nutrition during menstruation can cope with some problems:

• Don't let it get better.
• Reduce the amount of blood released.
• Relieve pain syndrome.

The diet during menstruation is compiled taking into account the individual tolerance of the selected products by the body. After all, the diet should provide a woman with all the necessary nutrients, without causing harm.

For pain relief

Factors causing pain with monthly bleeding, each woman is different. That is why be sure to consult a women's consultation on what to do with this trouble. It is impossible to establish the cause of pain on your own, which means that self-treatment cannot be done.

During menstruation, pain can be caused by:

1. Muscle contraction (the intensity of contractions affects the strength of pain).
2. Disruption of the hormonal background.
3. Nervous tension.
4. Aggravated at this time, diseases of the genital organs.

But whatever the reason, you can calm the pain, even just by eating healthy foods.

It is sometimes difficult for women to change their diet, especially if they are loaded during the day. Often there is no way to run around the shops for special products and cook for yourself separately, and this is not necessary. Diet during menstruation is to control the amount of food consumed. The pain will not be severe if you increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables. These are natural antioxidants containing a large amount of magnesium and calcium. Preference is given to:

• Apples.
• oranges.
• Currant.
• Plums.
• Melons.
• Watermelon.
• Pineapple.
• Red cabbage.

Magnesium in foods perfectly relieves muscle tension. The element is rich in all legumes, nuts, grains. The menu includes:

• Beans.
• Buckwheat.
• brown rice
• Peas.
• Walnut.
• Almond.

It is worth remembering that such food causes bloating, so you need to eat it little by little and no later than 3 hours before bedtime.

Fatty acids found in fish and seafood help reduce pain. Particularly useful:

• Salmon.
• Tuna.
• Trout.
• Sardines.

Omega-3 fatty acids contained in these types of fish alleviate the pain caused during menstruation by substances prostaglandins. Flaxseed oil has a similar effect.

You can drink decoctions of chamomile, yarrow, tansy, mint. They are famous for their analgesic and sedative effects.

To reduce blood volume

The amount of blood released during menstruation depends on many factors. A menstrual diet that raises the level of iron in the blood will reduce the amount of excretion.

Of course, it is not recommended to independently make decisions about reducing blood loss. It is better to consult a doctor. If the gynecologist does not find any pathologies, then on the second or third day you can arrange fasting days. Products are removed from the table:

• Dairy.
• Meat.
• Fried.
• Smoked.
• Fatty.
• Salty.

Plentiful drinking will also help, especially decoctions of herbs. You can brew nettle or shepherd's purse. And raspberry or mint leaves can be brewed in a teapot along with regular tea leaves. Drink like regular tea.

The menu is compiled with the introduction of products:

• apples.
• Seaweed.
• Mollusks.
• Buckwheat.
• Cocoa.
• pumpkin seeds.

Fruits (peaches, lemons, oranges) and vegetables (red peppers, cucumbers) contribute to better absorption of iron. In addition, dishes should be abundantly sprinkled with herbs (parsley, dill).

How to avoid seizures?

An acute shortage of magnesium and calcium in the body can lead to convulsions. They occur at any time of the day, especially at night, and are extremely painful. The condition is complemented by headaches along with a bad mood. In this regard, you should use:

• Bananas.
• Cottage cheese.
• Kefir.
• Yogurt.
• Buckwheat porridge.
• brown rice

With a lack of magnesium, the level of dopamine, the mood hormone, also falls. Use the right products will help maintain the balance of microelements in the body, greatly facilitating the life of a woman.

To not get better

During delicate days, women's appetite increases, they want to eat constantly and a lot. In order not to gain extra pounds, you need to regulate the consumption of fatty and sweet foods.

Since the level of sugar in the blood during this period is lowered, you want chocolate, cakes, cookies.

Doctors recommend replacing sugar with complex carbohydrates. They digest more slowly and help curb your appetite. Whole-grain bread, durum pasta, bran, among other things, contribute to the production of serotonin. As a result, the mood will improve, and sleep will improve.

You should also increase the amount of consumed unsweetened fruits (pomelos, grapefruits), vegetables (turnips, cabbage, carrots) and greens ( leaf salad, spinach).

It is more useful to split meals into small portions, and eat every 3 hours during the day.

What drink?

The diet during menstruation provides for abundant drinking, at least two liters per day. This is due to the peculiarities of the female body: during menstruation, it is prone to fluid retention. But when buying mineral water you should choose non-carbonated with a reduced sodium content.

No need to abuse coffee, tea, various lemonades and alcohol. The use of caffeine leads to narrowing of blood vessels, which can trigger a headache.

It is useful to replace ordinary tea with herbal tea or decoctions of diuretic herbs. And instead of sugar, you can add a little honey to the cup.

Prohibited Products

The designation "forbidden" is rather conditional. Nutritionists distinguish some groups of products that can increase pain and discomfort during certain periods of a woman's life.

So, what to eat during menstruation has been determined above. Now let's pay attention to what foods should be avoided:

1. Processed prepared food. Canned and semi-finished products always contain a large amount of salt. Excess salt in the body will retain fluid, which, in turn, will lead to pain in the lower abdomen.
2. Fried meals. Fried food increases the level of estrogen (steroid female sex hormones). And this is how animal and vegetable fats work. With an increase in estrogen, changes in the uterus become sharp, pronounced and cause pain.
3. Sugar. Refined sugar leads to an increase in blood sugar, which causes drowsiness and irritability. Dishes from wheat flour, muesli for breakfast, cakes, sweets, it is better to postpone better days. Sweet tooth can replace the usual sweets with persimmons, peaches, dried apricots and bananas. If you still want chocolate, it is better to choose bitter.

Foods such as:

• Chips.
• Crackers.
• French fries.
• Other fast food.

These are heavy foods containing large amounts of salt or fat.

Alcohol should be completely abandoned. Expanding blood vessels, it ambiguously acts on nervous system, exciting her. Vasodilation can lead to an increase in secretions, and irritated body systems do not need toning, but relaxation.

All food of animal origin is banned. We remove butter, fatty milk, fatty meat, sour cream, avocados, olives, seeds from our dishes. At the same time, pork can be replaced with chicken and fish, and it is preferable to have a snack with dried apricots or walnuts.

The ban does not apply to yogurt. It contains live bacteria that aid digestion. In addition, there is a lot of calcium in yogurt, and its use during menstruation should be doubled (up to 1300 mg per day).

Proper nutrition should be followed not only during menstruation, but also on other days. But with all other diets, you should be more careful not to harm the body.