Eat This if You Have Irregular Periods

Dietitian and lifestyle coach Gauri Anand shares exactly how you can deal with delayed, irregular or just super-painful menstruation.  

Jul 6, 2021
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Hate them or just tolerate them...nothing truly beats the stress caused by a delayed period. 

Dietitian and lifestyle coach Gauri Anand agrees. She says, "We women have to go through a roller coaster of hormonal changes every month. These also trigger a change in our brain chemistry, emotions, energy level, inner bodies, nature, and physiology. Understanding them and adjusting our diet and workout routine accordingly, can help us live a more comfortable and enriched life. Not only that, but in return, it will also help us in balancing our hormones and result in a more regulated period cycle and lifestyle."

Having a regular menstrual cycle is a sign of good reproductive health and happy hormones in the body. A normal menstrual cycle is usually between 21-35 days starting from the first day of the last period to the first day of the next period. Gauri cautions that there is nothing called a 28 days cycle and that you should notify your gynaecologist about your irregular periods.

So, if your monthly monster is a little late in coming, do not worry. Gauri says that irregular, delayed or missed periods is a common problem among many women. Check out her answers to your burning questions about your menstrual health:

How late a period can be?

"Missing the menstrual cycle by a day or two is normal, but there are cases of women missing their periods by 10 days or even weeks. A period is officially considered late if it’s been more than 30 days since the start of your last period. After six weeks without bleeding, you can consider your late period a missed period." 

How can diet delay your period?

"An unhealthy diet which has a lot of processed food items, refined sugar can lead to delay in periods. It’s important to have a well-balanced diet for regular periods. The uterine lining needs a flow or supply of hormones from time to time. These hormones required are supplied from the diet. Eating too much or too little can disrupt your hormones and periods, so a balanced and nutrient-rich diet is essential."

What foods must you include in your diet to perfect your menstrual health?  

"Diet plays a very important role in having good menstrual health. Eat the food that nature wants us to eat. Avoid junk food, avoid packaged food, avoid refined food." Try making the following changes to your diet:

•    Eat magnesium-rich food: It relieves menstrual cramps, improves premenstrual mood changes, especially irritability and anxiety.  It may help with muscle relaxation, muscle cramps and sleep.    

Dose: 300 mg one or two times daily (best taken at night with calcium).  The best foods that are rich in magnesium are almonds, cashew & flaxseed

•    Eat food rich in calcium: It helps with PMS, reduces menstrual cramps, fluid retention, mood disorders and food cravings. Food rich in calcium is green leafy vegetables – such as curly kale, okra and spinach.

•    Consume Vitamin B6 and B1: It helps with PMS, reduces pain, cramps and mood disturbance. Do not exceed 50 mg of vitamin B6 daily or 100 mg vitamin B1. It is best if you consume it as a multi-B vitamin, not as a single nutrient.   

•    Eat your favourite period food such as apple slices, sliced banana with a drizzle of chocolate syrup and chopped nuts, 1/4 cup hummus served with fresh vegetables or whole-grain crackers and even fruit smoothies can do wonders.

•    Cinnamon milk helps to regular the irregular period cycle: Cinnamon can help regulate insulin levels in your body, which may have an effect on other hormones and the menstrual cycle. In women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) who often have high insulin levels and irregular periods, cinnamon can cause a more regular menstrual cycle.

 

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