Super Foods for not so super PMS and Periods!

Ever wonder why some of us women get the worst PMS symptoms and others skate on by pain free? Well according to Chinese Medicine it has a lot to do with your individual make up, whether there is too much or too little Qi or blood flow but movement, diet and stress can play large roles as well.    If you tend towards having low back, rib side and breast pain with your PMS along with being emotional, angry (honesty time ladies!), feeling hot, getting temporal or tension headaches and sugar cravings then you may have an excess of Qi and blood or stagnation.  This condition can be exaggerated during your cycle almost like a pressure cooker creating tension in your body/life. If your significant other has your cycle marked on their calendar and consistently works longer hours that week, this is you. The good news is you would benefit from the following women’s cycle regime:

• Chicken, fish or lighter proteins
• Green juices
• Coconut water
• Cooked veggies especially broccoli, kale or spinach
• Almonds, chia seeds and flax
• Light flow yoga or some type of medium intensity exercise or movement
• Chickpeas (for bloating!)
• Brown rice: a great insulin and mood stabilizer

If you have a different set of PMS or period symptoms that look a little more like; extreme fatigue, dizziness, heart palpitations or anxiety, brittle hair or nails, irregular menstruation, blurred vision, paleness, craving red meat, more cramps and symptoms toward the end of your period as well as a lighter flow then you tend to be more deficient. These set of food will benefit you during the most fun week of the month:

• Bone Marrow soup
• Beets
• Kale, Spinach, Collard greens
• Yams
• Almonds
• Goji Berries
• Organic Chicken Liver or a good Organic Steak
• Molasses in hot water with agave (a great sweet treat that help cramps!)
• Light exercise or stretching, a restorative yoga class

Either list of foods is going to benefit you during your cycle so don’t be scared to combine and experiment with new recipes, just keep the knives in the kitchen and out of your workplace or relationship and everyone will be happy!