GGS FREE 5-DAY MENSTRUAL CYCLE COURSE
Day 2: Menstrual Cycle & Nutrition Cheat Sheet:
Top 10 Nutrition Practices for Menstrual Health
Here are the 10 most common and potentially high-impact changes to try if
you want to improve your menstrual symptoms.
Each woman will have a different experience, so take notes about what you
discover about your unique body!
Treat the following practices as nutrition experiments, not nutrition rules.
Rather than overhauling everything at once, try making one or two small
changes for a few weeks and seeing if they make any difference to the
menstrual and premenstrual symptoms you normally experience.
If the changes help, great! If nothing happens… well, there’s always next
month to try something else. And the silver lining? These nutrition strategies
can all boost overall health regardless.
Pro Tip: Take Notes
Recording what you eat and how it affects you can be a great way
to see links between particular foods and any menstrual symptoms
you experience.
You can track this in several ways, such as:
o Simple pen and paper note-taking.
o Using an app.
o Taking pictures of what you eat and drink.
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LOOK FOR CONNECTIONS
The goal here isn’t necessarily to assess the nutritional quality of
what you eat and drink (though that’s helpful, too).
Rather, you’re looking for connections between what you consume
and how you feel or function across your menstrual cycle.
Connections like whether a certain food — or food type — affects:
o Menstrual symptoms (e.g., cramps, migraines, overall
inflammation and pain).
o Digestive symptoms (e.g., bloating, constipation, diarrhea).
o Mood (e.g., anxiety, mood swings).
Often, some simple changes and substitutions (such as drinking a
little less coffee if it makes you irritable) can help a lot, once the links
are discovered.
TRY TO SPOT TRIGGERS
As you track and review the data, look for trigger foods.
Some women can eat everything just fine, with minimal menstrual
symptoms. Other women find that some foods — or food types — are
triggers for things like migraines and cramps.
Some of the most common ones our GGS community members report
include:
o Dairy intolerance.1,2,3,4
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o Gluten intolerance or wheat intolerance.3,5
o Histamine intolerance, most often fermented foods like pickles or
aged cheese, or fermented alcoholic drinks like wine and beer.6,7,8,9
None of these foods are “bad” — in fact, for some people, they may
be “good”. (For instance, dairy is often linked to fewer cramps,
because of its calcium and magnesium content.10)
However, for people with specific sensitivities, some foods may
trigger inflammation that contributes to menstrual symptoms.
Tracking your food and symptoms can be a way to identify food
triggers you may have otherwise missed.
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
If you’re a coach and your client complains of premenstrual symptoms, consider asking her if she would be open to an experiment. In
the two weeks before her next period, invite her to track both her
food and drink intake as well as any symptoms she experiences.
After she’s done this, you two can review the data and see if you can
identify any connections or patterns.
Of course, if you’re doing this for the benefit of your own health, you
can use the same approach.
Practice #1: Consume Enough Energy
Women’s bodies are uniquely sensitive to energy deficits (in other words,
eating fewer calories than burned). This is particularly true for very active
women, who need much more energy (calories) for both exercise and
recovery.
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When women don’t eat enough calories to support their needs, they may
have irregular periods or lose their period altogether, as the body protects
itself from potential famine. While many athletic women might appreciate
a break from having their periods, the long-term effects of this can harm
hormonal health and recovery.11,12,13,14
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
If you’re experiencing irregular periods or amenorrhea (loss of a menstrual period), speak with your doctor.
Add a little more energy if needed: If you’ve been restricting calories or
have been on a strict diet, consider increasing your intake. A great way to
ensure adequate energy intake is to consume carbohydrates, proteins, and
healthy fats at each meal. Throughout this Top 10 list, you’ll find suggestions for portion sizes to use as a starting point.
Try a few extra bites: Throughout the second half of your cycle, eat an
extra 3–5 bites more than you normally would at each of your main meals.
During this luteal phase, your calorie needs go up as your body uses extra
energy to build the uterine lining.
These few extra bites can support this process — while also preventing
you from getting overly hungry (which can lead to “snaccidents” or eating
a bunch of processed foods you weren’t planning on eating). If you’re a
coach, you can encourage your clients to try this and see if it helps!
Notice any resistance: If you or your client have been on caloriecontrolled diets for years, or the notion of eating more energy feels scary,
consider checking out the GGS free five-day course on Disordered Eating.
It may also be prudent to schedule a visit with your doctor if you’re
struggling — or recommend your client do the same.
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Practice #2: Consume Enough Carbohydrates
Many women notice more carb cravings in the second half of their cycle.
However, it’s important to eat enough carbohydrates throughout the
menstrual cycle — and especially during the luteal phase — to signal to the
brain that there’s enough energy for normal hormonal function.
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
Try to eat a cupped handful of carbohydrate-rich foods
at most meals; more if you’re active.
For ideas of what types of carbs to consume, see
Practice #3.
Vegetables = Fist
Fruit = Cupped hand
Practice #3: Choose Slower-Digesting, Higher-Fiber
Carbohydrates
Fiber helps feed our gut microbiota, which also contributes to hormonal
health — plus better digestion. We can help out this friendly gut bacteria
by consuming slower-digesting, higher-fiber carbs whenever possible (and
realistic).
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
Include slower-digesting, higher-fiber carbs such as:
o Fruits (such as raspberries, blackberries, kiwis, pears & passion fruit)
o Vegetables (such as kale, brussels sprouts, artichokes, and broccoli)
o Whole grains (such as oats, quinoa, popcorn, and bulgur wheat)
o Beans and legumes (such as split peas, lentils, kidney beans, and
chickpeas)
o Starchy tubers (such as potatoes, sweet potatoes, yuca, and cassava)
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Again, we typically suggest eating a cupped handful of carbohydrate-rich
foods at most meals; more if you’re active.
Practice #4: Consume Enough Protein
Building a uterine lining is hard work! So help a girl out with plenty of
protein for tissue building blocks. This also helps tell the brain that you’re
getting enough food for hormonal health.
Adequate protein also gives your brain the raw materials for neurotransmitters (aka brain chemicals) that can help balance mood.15
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
Build meals around protein: Choose protein sources such as meat,
poultry, fish and other seafood, eggs, and high-protein dairy (such as Greek
yogurt and cottage cheese.) In some cases, protein supplements (such as
protein powder) may also be useful.
If you or your client are a plant-based eater, you may have to get a bit more
creative to ensure adequate protein intake.
o Combine a number of foods that contain protein in one meal. For
example, make a salad with quinoa, chickpeas, and hemp seeds.
o If appropriate, try plant-based protein powders to boost your protein
intake. You can use them to make a protein shake or add them to
oatmeal to make protein oats.
Aim to consume a palm-sized portion of proteinrich foods at most meals, and a half-portion at
most snacks.
Protein = Palm
Protein = Palm
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Practice #5: Go Less-Processed Where Possible
This one’s a double win.
Minimally processed foods, like fresh fruits and vegetables, contain all
kinds of wonderful vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients,
like phytonutrients (aka plant nutrients), that can help lower inflammation
and give your body all that it needs to support healthy menstruation.
Minimally processed foods (which people sometimes call “whole foods”)
are, well, minimally processed. These foods are either almost completely
unchanged from their origins (e.g., fresh-caught fish, a piece of fresh fruit)
or modified only slightly (e.g., pasteurized milk, dried herbs).
Some examples include:
o Fresh fruits and vegetables
o Lean beef, pork, poultry, and wild game
o Fish and seafood
o Eggs
o Whole grains
o Beans and legumes
o Nuts and seeds
o Less-processed dairy products (e.g., milk, cottage cheese, yogurt)
o Herbs and spices
Note that “minimally processed” is a continuum. Some foods, such as soybeans, are lightly processed to make them safe or digestible. Some foods
may require cooking, such as whole grains. Some foods, like cold-pressed
oils, may not look like the foods they used to be but have only undergone
one or two simple steps.
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MINIMALLY PROCESSED
Fresh & frozen meat
Fresh & frozen seafood
Eggs
Pre-cut produce
Bagged greens
Roasted nuts & seeds
Dried beans, rice
ULTRA PROCESSED
Canned meat/fish
Canned vegetables
Frozen produce
Plain milk/yogurt
Natural nut butters
Dried fruit/jerky
Deli meats
Canned soups
Instant noodles
Breads/pastas
Crackers/chips
Protein bars/shakes
Frozen dinners
Frozen pizza
Cereals
Pastries
Candy
Fruit snacks
Soft drinks
While we want to increase our intake of minimally processed foods, on
the flip side, we also want to reduce our intake of highly processed foods
(think: prepackaged convenience and takeout foods). The refined sugars,
trans fats, and other ingredients in many highly processed foods can
increase inflammation, so eating less of these helps dial that inflammation
down.16,17,18,19
So, the goals here are:
11. Eat more minimally processed foods
22. Eat fewer highly processed foods.
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
In an ideal world, most of what we consume comes from minimally
processed foods.
What’s ideal, however, isn’t always realistic. A more sustainable and
realistic approach: Eat a little bit healthier than your current diet. In other
words, start with one small, sustainable step in the minimally processed
direction.
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Here’s a simple way to practice this:
Step 1: Pick a meal to makeover.
Maybe it’s the tacos you usually have on Tuesdays or the pizza you order
on Saturdays.
Step 2: Brainstorm ways to improve that meal.
Consider several ways to make your meal a little less processed.
For example, if it’s tacos, you might:
o Choose tortillas made from whole grains instead of refined grains.
o Opt for homemade guacamole instead of commercially prepared
guacamole.
o Include lots of fresh chopped veggies and herbs.
o Replace some of the queso dip you usually use with a dollop or two
of plain Greek yogurt.
Start with one swap, and add more over time.
Practice #6: Choose Healthy Fats
Some fats are involved in synthesizing (building) inflammatory molecules
like prostaglandins — yes, the same molecules that contribute to uterine
pain and other inflammation throughout the body before and during your
period.
However, other fats are involved in synthesizing anti-inflammatory
molecules. Getting more of these can help put out the inflammatory fire.
Healthy fats may also be involved in helping to stabilize mood. And bonus:
Your skin, eyes, and joints will also be happy!20,21,22
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HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
Minimize some fats like:
o Saturated fats (particularly from processed animal foods,
like sausages)
o Trans fats (from processed foods, like fried fast foods or commercial
baked goods)
Incorporate more healthy fats from:
o Nuts and seeds
o Olive oil
o Avocado
o Omega-3s from fatty fish or other marine
sources (e.g., krill, algae for plant-based eaters)
Fat = Thumb
How much is enough?
Shoot for a thumb-sized portion of healthy-fat-rich foods at most meals.
Practice #7: Eat Enough Fiber
Fiber is found in minimally processed plant foods (e.g., fruits, vegetables),
beans, legumes, starchy tubers, nuts, seeds, and whole grains. When appropriate, your client might also consider a fiber supplement.
Getting enough fiber helps us feel full (thus helping decrease food
cravings). It feeds our good gut bacteria and helps digestion, which can be
tricky at certain times in the menstrual cycle. Fiber can bind to hormones
and excrete them, which is helpful for regulating hormone levels (and
preventing constipation).
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When our friendly gut bacteria eat and ferment the fiber in healthy carbohydrates, they produce a special type of fatty acids called short-chain fatty
acids. These can also help lower inflammation, manage our mood, and
potentially even help protect us against the progression of conditions like
endometriosis.23,24,25,26,27,28
How much is enough? For women before menopause, the USDA’s Dietary
Guidelines for Americans suggest 25–28 grams of fiber per day.29
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
Choose fibrous foods. For example:
o Fruits (such as figs, avocados, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit,
pears, apples, bananas, and dried plums, aka prunes)
o Vegetables (such as carrots, kale, broccoli, artichokes, beets, Brussels
sprouts, and sweet potatoes)
o Beans, legumes, and pulses (such as black beans, kidney beans,
lentils, split peas, edamame, and chickpeas)
o Nuts and seeds (such as chia seeds, flax seeds, hemp seeds, and
almonds)
o Whole grains and whole grain products (such as oats, popcorn,
quinoa, brown rice, and whole wheat pasta)
Look for ways to “nudge” fiber intake up by making some small substitutions or “upgrades” to an existing diet.
Here’s an example of how someone might increase fiber intake over
a single day by making some simple tweaks at each meal — often just
changing from white flour to whole grain versions of foods. Notice that
boosting the fiber (e.g., by switching from pretzels to carrots) also improves
the overall nutrition as well.30
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Original Sample
Day of Eating
Revised Sample
Day of Eating
Meal
Food
Fiber Content (g)
Food
Fiber Content (g)
BREAKFAST
Puffed rice cereal
with milk
0.2 g
Steel cut oats with
milk and blueberries
9.5 g
MID-MORNING
SNACK
White bagel with
cream cheese
1.7 g
Whole wheat bagel
with cream cheese
4g
LUNCH
White flour
sandwich wrap
2.1 g
Whole wheat flour
sandwich wrap
6g
AFTERNOON
SNACK
Pretzels
and yogurt
1.4 g
Carrot sticks and
hummus
4.7 g
DINNER
White flour pasta
with meat sauce
2.5 g
Whole wheat pasta
with meat sauce
7g
7.9 g
TOTAL
31.2 g
Building off this idea, you could take the revised sample day of eating and
make it even more fiber-rich (and nutritious) with the following tweaks:
o For breakfast: Sprinkle hemp, flax, or chia seeds plus some chopped
almonds on the oatmeal. Raspberries or some chopped figs (dried or
fresh) would provide even more fiber as well.
o For lunch: Add spinach and avocado to the sandwich wrap.
o For dinner: Add chopped bell peppers and onions to the pasta sauce.
Of course, you could go a step further and increase the nutritional quality
of this menu by adding even more protein, fruits, and vegetables.
The point here is that you can significantly improve fiber intake even with
small adjustments.
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Practice #8: Drink Plenty of Water
Speaking of fiber, it goes great with water, which helps fiber do its job.
Drinking plenty of water throughout the cycle, and especially during the
luteal phase, can actually help ease symptoms like fluid retention and
constipation. This, in turn, can help beat the bloat.
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
Try behavior cues: If you or your client aren’t used to drinking more
water, try using some triggers — such as filling up and keeping a water
bottle nearby to provide a visual reminder.
Habit stacking: Try linking a newer habit (e.g., drinking more water)
with an existing habit (e.g., brushing your teeth). Practice having a glass of
water every time you brush your teeth.
Eat water-rich foods: Along with drinking water, consume foods
that contain water. For example, smoothies that include water, fruits,
vegetables, and a protein source can help you get a whole bunch of
nutrients — and hydration — at once. Fluid-filled foods (e.g., soups), juicy
fruits and vegetables (e.g., watermelon, cucumbers, tomatoes), and cooked
oatmeal also contribute to the daily total.
Practice #9: Review Your Alcohol and Caffeine Intake
Alcohol and caffeine can both affect hydration in the body, which can then
worsen the feeling of water retention at particular times in your cycle.
Many women might also use alcohol to manage the symptoms of the premenstrual phase, such as feeling overwhelmed or anxious. Unfortunately,
this tends to have a rebound effect, and you’ll often end up feeling worse.31,32
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HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
Begin with data collection and neutral observation. Tracking alcohol or
caffeine intake, along with any menstrual symptoms, can be useful. Make
note of any patterns or connections you can identify.
Consider experimenting with some small adjustments, if you like. For
example, if you drink three cups of coffee a day, try drinking just two cups,
or making one of those cups half-decaf.
Similarly, if you typically drink two glasses of wine in the evening, see if
one glass is enough to satisfy. Or, create a lower-alcohol spritzer with a
couple of ounces of wine plus ice, citrus, and sparkling water.
Be compassionate (but realistic). People tend to have strong feelings
about their alcohol and caffeine intake! If you’re a coach, encourage your
client to observe herself and choose what matters to her. If you’re considering your own intake, be gentle and honest with whatever you discover in
your data.
Practice #10: Consider Vitamins, Minerals, and Supplements
We need particular vitamins and minerals, such as B vitamins, magnesium,
iron, and vitamin D. Many of these can be found in food. Others, like
vitamin D, might require a supplement.
If you’re eating the types of foods listed earlier, you’ll be making great
progress toward meeting most of your nutrition needs for the nutrients
listed here.
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B VITAMINS
B vitamins like thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), and B12 can help
decrease symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), and help support
women who have heavier bleeds during their periods.33,34,35
B vitamins are also involved in helping support healthy cognition, which
includes decreasing anxiety.
And as an additional bonus, vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid) can help combat
acne, which often flares up at certain times in the menstrual cycle.36,37
Luckily, B vitamins are abundant in foods. If you’re eating a diverse,
minimally processed foods diet, you’ll probably meet your B-vitamin needs.
B12, though, is found only in animal foods, so if you are a plant-based
eater, you’ll need to supplement.
MAGNESIUM
Magnesium may help level out mood and decrease cramping, as magnesium is involved in helping to relax muscles.
Low magnesium is linked to worse PMS, and evidence suggests that getting
enough magnesium may help decrease painful periods as well as
menstrual-related migraines.34,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45
For women with PCOS, magnesium may be part of an overall nutrition plan
that helps lower insulin resistance and improve cycle regularity.46
Look for magnesium in leafy greens, beans and legumes, fish, nuts and
seeds, and tofu.
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IRON
Iron is especially important for women who have heavy bleeding, as well
as women who are endurance athletes, as losing blood from the period
along with the specific demands of endurance sports can mean low iron,
aka anemia.
Women who have a higher iron intake tend to have fewer premenstrual
symptoms, like depression, than women with lower iron.47
Grab that iron from lean dark meats and fish (e.g., tuna), leafy greens,
beans and legumes, and some nuts and seeds, like pumpkin seeds. Consider cooking with cast iron pots and pans, or using something like the Lucky
Fish (a small iron nugget developed to increase iron content when it’s
cooked with foods).48
VITAMIN D
Higher levels of vitamin D are linked to fewer PMS symptoms, more regular cycles, and less pain with the cycles.49,50,51,52,53 In fact, research suggests
that taking a large dose of vitamin D during the luteal phase before the
period can dramatically reduce period pain.54,55,56
Few foods are high in vitamin D, but leaving mushrooms in the sun for a
few hours before eating them will boost their vitamin D content. (Fun fact:
Some types of lichen contain vitamin D, and are vegan sources.57)
Most often, if your vitamin D is low, you’ll need to supplement (unless
you’re able to boost D naturally by spending a few minutes in bright sunshine each day).
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OMEGA-3S
Thanks to their effects on decreasing inflammation and opening up blood
vessels, omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA can help decrease inflammation and pain like cramps, breast pain, and back pain.34,58
Fatty cold water fish are your friends here, along with many other types of
seafood.
Nuts and seeds like walnuts, flax, and chia also contain omega-3s, but
they’re in a chemical form (ALA) that we don’t absorb readily — only about
10% of this form of omega-3 will be converted and used by our bodies (and
in some people, it hardly converts at all to the important EPA or DHA).59
Fish oil is the go-to omega-3 supplement for most people, along with krill oil.
If you’re a plant-based eater, there are algae-based supplements available.
HOW TO PRACTICE THIS
It’s important to have blood work done before taking any supplements.
Visit your doctor and ask to get tested for these key nutrients (especially
iron and vitamin D). From there, you can discuss any supplementation
with your healthcare provider to ensure it makes sense and is safe for your
unique health situation.
Bonus Practice: Incorporate the Foods You Crave
into Meals
If you (or your clients) struggle with cravings, try incorporating the
food or some variation of the food you’re craving into your meals
along with your usual protein and vegetables.
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For example, if you’re craving salty, carb-y goodness, you could bake
up some “fries” or tater tots and include them in your meal as your
carb source alongside your protein and veggies. This can scratch
your itch for salty, starchy carbs and prevent you from diving into a
bag of chips after dinner — while also making your meal more satisfying, which results in less snacking between meals.
If you’re craving sweetness, you could incorporate some fruit into
your meal, or even some chocolate as a fat source to finish your meal
off. Or, maybe you combine the two and have strawberries drizzled
with a little chocolate sauce for dessert instead of trying to resist the
craving… but eventually eating a whole bunch of candy after dinner.
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