Friday Five: Guide to Peaceful Periods
Hello menstruating folx, this one's for you. Take 5 minutes for 5 ways to nourish, balance and find peace with your monthly cycle. For everyone else, we welcome you to read as well to better understand what your friends, mothers and loved ones might experience every month and for tips on how to help them!
Stay on Track
Tracking your monthly flow with notes about your mood, pain and noticeable symptoms is essential, so you can register when something is abnormal. You can keep a paper and pen period journal, or go digital with a period tracking app—we’ve vetted a few good options. Your body experiences influxes and spikes of hormones throughout the month, so learning about each phase of your cycle can help you to understand what you might be feeling.
Naturopath, Nutritionist and Herbalist Niki Cleuet explains that painful cramps, more than occasional discomfort, can point to a variety of causes that may include nutrition—such as hormonal imbalances, magnesium deficiency, estrogen excess, an inflammatory diet or perhaps a zinc deficiency. Making intentional food choices might be one way to deal with painful periods.
2. Herb Friends for Regulation
We get by with a little help from our plant friends! There are some time-honored medicinal herbs that women have relied upon for years (PDF) that are still very accessible.
Nettle
Nettle is highly nourishing and rich in vitamins and minerals and protein—the superfood of the herb world. Because cramps are often associated with mineral depletion, nettles can help replenish them.
Magnesium, in particular, is notable for its muscle-relaxing qualities and it reduces the painful prostaglandins as well. – Excerpt from The Good Witch
Ashwagandha
This powerhouse root is known for its ability to calm, relax and relieve the nervous system. Learn more about its 7 science-backed benefits here. You can buy ashwagandha as a pill, powder or tincture.
Dandelion
If you have honed some foraging skills, this is an easy one to find out in nature. You can dry the roots yourself to make tea. But of course, there are also readily available Dandelion Root tea sachets in many grocery stores. Dandelion is known for its immune and digestion boosting properties.
3. Natural Solution for Cramps
Raspberry leaf has been used for centuries to help those with a uterus through all phases of their cycle, from periods to childbirth.
“The combination of fragarine, an alkaloid in raspberries, and tannins, a naturally occurring polyphenol often found in wine, are known for treating PMS symptoms, particularly cramping, vomiting, nausea, and diarrhea. “Fragarine is known to help tone and tighten muscles in the pelvic region, thereby assisting with the cramps caused by spasms of these muscles.,”
— OB/GYN and Co-Chair of the National Preconception Health and
Health Care Initiative Dr. Diana Ramos
Sip on some tea made from a fresh blend and let the soothing smell of berries lead you into a more peaceful and calm state of being.
4. Cravings Cure?
It’s not crazy, but common for people to get cravings right before their cycle due to the changes in hormones and neurotransmitter levels happening in the body.
“A study published in 2016 by The FASEB Journal suggests that during the menstrual cycle, your level of estrogen and progesterone hormones changes and this can lead to food cravings for carbs and sugar before and during the period. Apart from this, serotonin, a chemical that boosts feelings of happiness, is responsible for craving certain foods during the menstrual cycle. Most women experience a drop in serotonin level, which triggers cravings for carbs. And your body uses carbs to make serotonin.”
— Aayushi Gupta, Do you get PMS food cravings? Here’s how to deal with it
This is a good time to enjoy some intentional indulgences; keep yourself in check by focusing on foods high in fiber or protein, but know that these cravings are a normal part of the cycle. For advice on the best foods to eat or avoid during these days, go here.
5. Comfort Snackie
Try this simple high fiber & magnesium boosting nice cream dessert to calm any ravenous cravings.
-1-2 Frozen bananas
-1-2 tbsp Cacao powder
-1 tsp Cinnamon
-½ cup Whole Oats
-Almond or Oat milk
-Sunflower Seed butter
Toppings
-Dark Chocolate
-Walnuts
-Coconut flakes
Blend all ingredients, adding milk as you go for a creamy texture.
