Nutrition & Lifestyle Practices For Healthy Hormones (Part 1)
Today we're going to start talking about what it looks like to have a healthy period. Did you know, your period is probably one of the best indicators of your overall health as a woman? There are certain nutritional and lifestyle practices that are essential for your health as a woman. And by just paying attention to your period and the entire menstrual cycle, you can tell a lot about your health status the prior month. It's really quite amazing!I believe we, as women, should be empowered in knowledge about our bodies. This is what I hope to share with you here on the blog and with those of you who work with me in my 1:1 coaching. There's so much power in knowledge! And what's more important than being empowered in understanding how your body works?
So many women don't understand what goes on in their bodies each month. I was one of those women, thinking that a period was just a hassle and was actually grateful when I went for years without even having a period! I know, crazy right?I love the age we're in right now! Women are wanting to know more about their bodies, the physiology of their bodies and learn to tune into their body's great wisdom! By having a greater understanding about our bodies and, in particular, about our menstrual cycles, we're more apt to understand how to care for our bodies.
Lifestyle & nutrition play a huge role in hormone health and therefore the health of our cycles. Our bodies are affected by so much more than just the food we eat. There are so many factors that go into a person's health. And all aspects need to be tended to for a healthy body. Today we're going to talk about one factor, nutrition, that affect the health of your period as well as how you can start to implement small changes that will help to regulate your hormones for a better and healthier cycle.
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO HAVE A HEALTHY PERIOD?
Before jumping into what to do to have a healthy period, we have to address what a healthy period even is. What is the "normal". First off, a healthy period is one that doesn't have any extremes...not extremely painful, not extremely heavy, not extremely long, not with extreme mood swings, and not with extreme cravings. You may have some discomfort, some mood swings, and some cravings, but overall a healthy period should be pretty uneventful. Your life should not have to be put on hold for the 5-7 days or more of your cycle.A healthy period typically will last from 4-6 days with 2-3 days of heavier bleeding and then the remaining lighter. Bleeding is moderate and then light after a couple of days, but not so heavy that you go through 1 pad/1 tampon every hour or two. There may be some initial discomfort or slight bloating, but again, nothing extreme. You should be able to do all of your normal day-to-day activities.If you are like, hey I definitely don't have a normal period, here's a couple of things to consider first and foremost...
Is there a physical or physiological explanation? It's always important to first consult an practitioner who would be able to determine if there's something physically or physiologically going on in your body that would be causing an abnormal period. PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome), endometriosis, abnormal thyroid levels, loss of ovarian function, and pelvic inflammatory disease are all conditions that can affect the health of your period and entire menstrual cycle causing symptoms such as pain, amenorrhea (lack of a period altogether), spotting could all be related to a physiological condition going on and should first be ruled out.
Could you be pregnant or are you breastfeeding? A missed period could signify pregnancy so it would be important to look into that. If you're breastfeeding you, also, could have a missed period due to the low levels of progesterone and estrogen in the body.
Is your body stressed right now? Stress causes cortisol to increase in the body and cortisol inhibits production of gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) which is the primary reproductive hormone that starts the cascade of other reproductive hormones. Stress could be due to your job and having a crazy project due next month. Or it could be that you're exercising intensely too often that your body feels it's in danger. Or, if you're stressing your body out by not eating enough, that can also have an impact. Ask yourself if you're in a state of chronic stress. Really be introspective here because oftentimes we can get so used to being stressed out that we're used to it and don't know any different. Listen to what other people around you say as well and whether they say you always seemed stressed or not.
NUTRITION FOR PERIOD HEALTH
This is quite a large topic and could be a whole blog post on it's own, but I'll try to be concise and share specific information with you that will hopefully help you to leave here with very tangible ways of improving your health through your menstrual cycle.Cruciferous vegetables: If the days leading up to your period are full of moodiness and cramping this may be due to the excess estrogen at this time during your cycle. Cruciferous veggies are your jam during this time due to their ability to help support healthy detoxification of estrogen from the body. Tune into your body during this time and you may even find that you crave vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower, and kale.
Omega 3 fatty acids: Omega 3's, found in foods such as fish, chia seeds, walnuts, pasture raised animal products and free range eggs to name a few, help to keep inflammation at a healthy level in the body. PMS has been linked with higher inflammation in the body, so by taking in more omega 3 fatty acids around the time you typically experience PMS you may be able to decrease symptoms you experience.
Iron rich foods: Building up iron stores in the body before and during menstruation is so important with anticipating a loss of blood the week of menstruation. Iron is important for helping you feel energized and support oxygen flow through the body. Try adding more iron into your diet either through plant based sources such as leafy greens and beans or grass-fed organic red meat.
Magnesium rich foods: Magnesium is a wonder mineral, helpful for keeping us calm and feeling relaxed as well as supporting us in anti-inflammation properties. Magnesium stores are depleted anytime we're under stress, so I don't know about you but I could definitely use a bit more magnesium in my daily life! Magnesium can be found in foods such as dark chocolate (ok, you convinced me :) ), green leafy veggies, legumes, nuts and seeds. No joke, I recommend eating a bit of dark chocolate every day for this purpose...as well as the fact that it's delicious and makes people happy!
Calcium rich foods: Lastly, I'll recommend calcium rich foods due to the findings that calcium can decrease PMS symptoms. Enjoy a cup of whole organic or raw milk, yogurt, or kefir or other non-dairy calcium rich foods like leafy greens and broccoli! My preference? Some homemade hot chocolate made with raw cacao and whole milk!
EATING ENOUGH FOR MENSTRUATION
The above suggestions for particular foods to add to your diet can be so helpful and empower you to use food as a way to care for your body. But I can't list those suggestions without also mentioning that, certain foods aside, healthy menstruation HAS to include eating ENOUGH! Your body has to know that it's not in "starvation mode" and that it can trust in getting enough nutrition for a healthy pregnancy (regardless of if you're actually wanting to get pregnant that month).
So many of the women I work with are not eating enough calories for healthy hormone function. You need more than 1400 calories a day to have a healthy period. And though I don't encourage tracking calories, if you're so used to under eating you may benefit from working with someone who is knowledgeable about hormones and nutrition to help you get to a place where you're putting in enough nutrition and energy for a healthy cycle. It can be hard to do on your own if you have a history of restriction or chronic dieting, but that's where professionals can help!
It's amazing how many times when I suggest that a client eat more that they feel so much better, more energized, and just with that change they start to have more regular periods! Our bodies are not fond of starving and do not function as they are intended to with starvation whether it's unintentional or through dieting. Alright well I think this is officially the longest post I've ever written, but I hope you enjoyed and learned a lot and feel more empowered in your body! Next week we'll be talking about Part 2: Lifestyle Practices for Healthy Menstruation so be sure to look out for that :)Have a wonderful week!