Anti-inflammatory diet to alleviate period pain

What we eat and how it affects is underrated most of the time. Many foods can cause inflammation in our bodies and this is what causes pain.

What is inflammation?

Inflammation is the body’s immune response, it is the body's attempt at self-protection to remove harmful stimuli and begin the healing process. When people have inflammation it often hurts.

Inflammation during your period?

Chemicals called prostaglandins are made from traces of fat stores in cell membranes. Prostaglandins promote inflammation, controlling muscle contractions, blood vessel contraction and blood clotting (which make us feel pain). Endometrial cells in the uterine lining produce a large number of prostaglandins in the days leading up to your period.

During menstruation, the cells break down and chemicals are released. There are ‘good’ and ‘bad’ prostaglandins and through proper nutrition, we can increase the good prostaglandins and decrease the bad, thus reducing contractions that lead to pain.

Anti-inflammatory diet

If you have period pain (dysmenorrhea) or painful diagnosed conditions (such as endometriosis, adenomeiosis,) or would just like to lead a healthier lifestyle by eating better, then this diet is for you. I personally try to eat most of these foods all the time, but I am most strict about it for a week before my period (before prostaglandins are released) up until it ends to ensure I am not in pain.

An anti-inflammatory diet also contains increased amounts of antioxidants, which are reactive molecules in food that reduce the number of free radicals. Free radicals are molecules in the body that may damage cells and increase the risk of certain diseases. Anti-inflammatory diets should be followed for at least three months for best results.

What foods to eat:

· Dark leafy greens (spinach, kale)

· Blueberries, blackberries & cherries

· Dark red grapes

· Nutrition dense vegetables (broccoli/cauliflower)

· Beans & lentils

· Avocado & coconut

· Olives, extra-virgin olive oil

· Nuts (pistachios, walnuts, pine nuts & almonds)

· Cold water fish (salmon & sardines)

· Green tea

What foods to avoid:

· Processed foods (meat, snacks, crisps, crackers, sugar)

· Sugary drinks

· Trans fats, found in fried foods

· White (processed) flour- bread, pasta

· Gluten

· Soybean & vegetable oil

· Desserts, such as cookies, sweets & ice cream

· Alcohol & caffeine

· Too many carbohydrates

· Dairy

Research suggests that people following a vegetarian diet have higher levels of plasma AA, a marker of overall health that is associated with lower levels of inflammation and heart disease.