To continue on with our articles about PMS and herbal treatment we thought it would be really useful to our readers to include a piece about diet changes and how they can really help the condition.
Even if you only make changes to your diet and do nothing else you should notice an improvement in your PMS symptoms. If you are unable make these diet changes on a permanent basis then just focus on them in the two weeks leading up to your period.
Here are my Top Tips –
• Increase your Fibre intake, especially foods that are in the cabbage family such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and cabbage. These foods can help to modulate rising oestrogen levels and improve clearance of hormones through the bowel.
• Eat Complex Carbohydrates -Maintaining an even blood sugar balance by eating complex carbohydrates is so important pre-menstrually. Foods that are high in sugar and are refined will increase your blood sugar more dramatically (these foods include chocolate, cakes, biscuits, white bread etc) and can influence progesterone and serotonin levels leading to mood swings. Complex carbohydrates include wholemeal bread, wholemeal pasta, brown rice, wholegrain cereals, oats, beans and lentils. See this website for more information on foods that can help balance your blood sugar levels.
• Avoid caffeine and alcohol as they both put strain on the Liver. The liver is the main organ for breaking down hormones after they have served their messenger function to their target cells. If the liver does not metabolise oestrogen properly, PMS will often result . Failure to dispose of adrenaline (the “fight” or “flight” hormone) after it has outlived its usefulness may also lead to chronic irritability and temper explosions. So if you’re stressed out avoiding caffeine and alcohol is also very important.
When we see patients for an appointment we assess their diet and will often give them an individual diet plan to follow as well as a herbal prescription.
In our next article we will be including a case study of one of our patients who had suffered with PMS for 14 years!
