If pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) is a familiar hell for you, have you ever watched your lifestyle habits during that period? In this article you will find tips on how to reduce PMS symptoms, with food, drink, and stress reduction.

if you want to reduce PMS symptoms, you need to take care of your gut. When your body is stressed, we become inflamed. When our gut is weak or the lining of the gut is damaged, it can become ‘leaky’, with small holes forming in the lining which is otherwise supposed to be sealed tight.

When the gut is leaky, we can have higher levels of inflammation in the body as food particles are making their way into the blood stream (and, they shouldn’t be).

Similarly, some foods will have more inflammatory effects – mostly things like fast-food, heavily processed packet foods and seed oils, but also sometimes deli meats. We are all different in the foods we tolerate, but for most people, these can be problematic.

If taking an anti-inflammatory lowers your pain, then it’s safe to say that the pain stems from inflammation, and inflammation is something we can deal with through diet and lifestyle if we want to reduce PMS symptoms.

Furthermore, if stress causes inflammation, and fast-food causes inflammation, then perhaps it’s a good idea to lay off the junk foods prior to your period’s arrival. Your body is more vulnerable during that time, and if you already have a diagnosed condition associated with your reproductive organs (fibroids, PCOS, endometriosis as examples), then your body is already telling you that something is wrong.

Creating a healthier diet filled with nutritious whole food is therefore something should start working towards (and yes, it really can be that simple).

Personally, I have period pain if I eat flour during my period, or too much sugar (and I’m not talking about fruit sugar here). Those foods just aren’t good food for me. If I ate fast-food, I’m sure that would also be unhelpful, but I don’t eat it, so it’s hard to say.

Most women I coach see vast improvement in pre-menstrual symptoms when they clean up their diet and lower their stress. The body just functions better.

Food companies have a lot of money to lose if we start eating healthy, so if you’re waiting for the mainstream to start admitting that their food is making us sick, you’re going to find out too late.

Inflammation is a large contributor to almost all disease states, so clean up your diet, and if you find this hard, seek support – there are so many amazing health coaches out there and making this kind of change will uplevel your life for the better and the resulting changes will stretch far beyond your reproductive system.

For more information on food, check out Nourish & Flourish – Nutrition and Flexible Dieting for Women

For more information on stress, check out the Nervous System Reset.

I hope this article has brought clarity, I know it’s super practical, but the most practical advice is often the fastest way to feeling better.

Jen x