What foods should you avoid during your period?

Doctors say that drinking one cup of coffee daily is not harmful to health. Coffee invigorates and helps you concentrate. But many are not limited to just one cup of coffee, and during menstruation, many of the fair sex feel weak and try to cheer themselves up again and again. So is it worth drinking coffee during menstruation, when the body is already weakened?

Dairy

You may have heard that calcium helps prevent cramps. “But this, unfortunately, does not apply to calcium, which is found in large quantities in dairy products,” says Isabel Smith, dietitian, nutritionist, and founder of Isabel Smith Nutrition and Lifestyle. - This is because they still contain arachidonic acid, which stimulates the synthesis of prostaglandins - hormone-like substances. They tend to increase muscle cramps during menstruation. Thus, milk, cheese, yogurt will not be the best choice. Consider other foods rich in calcium, such as leafy greens, nuts, chia seeds, and edamame beans. If before and during critical days you are drawn to ice cream, replace it with cold desserts that do not contain milk.”

Coffee

During menstruation, women lose some iron along with their blood. That is why they often complain of weakness and fatigue during menstrual periods. Many people try to cheer themselves up with caffeinated drinks. Bad idea! “Caffeine causes blood vessels to constrict, including those that feed the uterus,” says Isabelle Smith. “This in turn causes painful contractions in her muscles. Try to avoid drinks that contain caffeine on critical days - coffee, tea, energy drinks. Keep in mind that caffeine is also present in chocolate, as well as chocolate- and coffee-flavored snacks. If you cannot completely give up coffee, during your menstrual periods, switch to one that does not contain caffeine. This is especially important if you have painful periods."

Is it possible to drink coffee during menstruation?

The answer to this question is not as clear-cut as it might seem. More precisely, there is no single correct answer. It all depends solely on your well-being and pressure. If your blood pressure is low, a cup of coffee will definitely help and you will feel better. And with high blood pressure and migraines, coffee will only make things worse, and you should avoid it. How to determine whether you can drink coffee during your period if you don’t have a tonometer at hand?

• If you feel dizzy , have nausea, or general weakness, your blood pressure is low, you can confidently drink a cup of strong coffee.
• If your temples are throbbing , your head hurts, bright light is annoying - most likely you have a migraine and your blood pressure is high, it is better to drink tea and water, and if you cannot concentrate without coffee, brew chicory.

Salty food

For many of us, the main problem of this period is not pain, but severe swelling of the face and body. The reason for this may be a love of too salty foods. “Before your period, your body already tends to store sodium and water,” says Isabelle Smith. — A large amount of salt in the diet aggravates the situation - even more fluid is retained in the tissues. If you can’t completely give up such products, combine them with those that have diuretic properties, for example, asparagus, parsley, beets, ginger.” Don't forget to drink plenty of plain water. And try to find an alternative to your favorite delicacies - products that taste similar, but with less sodium.

Coffee during menstruation: benefits and harm

Benefits : coffee accelerates blood circulation, increases blood pressure, which improves performance, oxygen supply to the brain, and increases concentration. Women who drink coffee regularly tend to experience lower levels of stress and depression, so that they feel calmer during their periods than non-coffee drinkers or occasional coffee drinkers.

Harm : the body already loses many useful substances and minerals, and coffee additionally destroys vitamin C, which reduces the resistance of the immune system. To correct the situation, it is necessary to additionally take vitamin complexes or at least vitamin C tablets during this period.

Carbohydrate products

A couple of weeks before your period, the hormonal levels in the body change. “And this forces the body to actively accumulate water,” says Alisa Rumsey, nutritionist, nutritionist, healthy eating consultant, founder of Alissa Rumsey Nutrition and Wellness PC. “To avoid severe swelling, it is recommended to give up salty foods, but not only. Foods high in carbohydrates also contribute to fluid retention in tissues. You should, first of all, give up simple carbohydrates: white bread, pastries, sweets.” Products containing sugar are also harmful because they can affect the level of hormones - estrogen, testosterone and serotonin. In addition, fast carbohydrates cause spikes in blood sugar, which affects not only the physical, but also the emotional state. You get tired faster and feel irritated. Critical days are already a difficult period. Is it worth creating additional difficulties for yourself by eating improperly?

How to donate blood for hormones?

Murzaeva Irina Yurievna

Endocrinologist, Preventive Medicine Doctor

December 13, 2011

It has become good practice to check your hormonal levels even before any health problems begin. Below I will talk about the rules for taking tests; to make the search easier, we will “divide” the hormonal levels into systems.

1. Hormones of the thyroid gland, parathyroid glands. These are TSH, free and total T4, free and total T3, antibodies to TPO, antibodies to TG, antibodies to rTSH, some others - calcitonin, parathyroid hormone. They must be taken on an empty stomach (that is, “empty stomach”), or 4-5 hours after eating. Tablets (such as L-thyroxine, Euthyrox, Tyrosol, Mercazolil, etc.) are taken after the test. If you have been ill or are suffering from ARVI, ARI, it is better to get tested 4-5 weeks after recovery. These tests have no connection with the menstrual cycle.
2. Sex hormones (for women). These are LH, FSH, estradiol, progesterone, prolactin, testosterone (free and total), DHA-S, 17-OH-progesterone, androstenedione, dehydrotestosterone. It is advisable to take the test on an empty stomach, for prolactin - for 2 days, refrain from intense physical activity, drinking alcohol, or sex. Take it after the temperature drops, in the morning 1-2 hours after waking up (preferably no later). Taking medications, not only hormonal ones, is also taken into account (therefore, present a list of medications you are taking to the doctor, and do not describe their approximate appearance with words - “well, these are white, small, in a blue box, in general, I don’t remember what they are called”) FSH, LH , ESTRADIOL, TESTOSTERONE, DHA-S, 17-OH-PROGESTERONE, ANDROSTENDEDIONE, PROLACTIN - given on 2-5 days from the start of menstrual bleeding (this is the 1st phase of the cycle) with a 28-day cycle, with a cycle of more than 28 days - 5-7 days , including after bleeding caused by progesterone, on days 2-3 with a cycle of 23-21 days. PROGESTERONE, sometimes PROLACTIN is taken on days 21-22 of a 28-day cycle (phase 2), or calculated on days 6-8 after ovulation (if an ovulation test was performed). DEHYDROTESTOSTERONE is given on any day of the cycle. For men, the test conditions are the same (hormones are slightly different)
3. Adrenal hormones. (These are cortisol, renin, aldosterone, metanephrine, normetanephrine, adrenaline, norepinephrine, etc.). Take on an empty stomach, preferably between 8-9 am (daily peak secretion - more related to cortisol!). Before donating renin, aldosterone, metanephrines, etc., take some groups of medications for 2 weeks: Veroshpiron, and ACE (enalapril), B-blockers (Egilok), Aspirin and some others.
4. Hormones of the pituitary gland (the main endocrine gland). These are: ACTH, growth hormone (growth hormone). I have already told you about FSH, LH, prolactin. ACTH is given as cortisol, on an empty stomach, 8-9 am, sometimes at 13.00 (and/or 20.00) - as prescribed by the doctor. STG (ego analogue of IGF1) on an empty stomach, at any time.
5. The hormone insulin is given on an empty stomach, usually along with blood sugar. Sometimes together with a test for “glucose tolerance” (then 2 times - on an empty stomach and 2 hours after the “sugar syrup”).
6. 24-hour urine testing (17-KS and 17-OX) is not currently used; the reliability of these tests is very low. But daily urine testing for cortisol is often done! To do this, urine is collected 24 hours from 8.00 one day to 8.00 another day (the entire volume of collected urine is recorded), it is mixed and 150-200 ml is brought to the laboratory, along with a record of the allocated volume. Some laboratories ask you to bring all your urine, you need to clarify this issue in advance! The same applies to 24-hour urine a) for calcium and phosphorus, b) metanephrines c) vanillylmandelic acid (for these you need to take a special preservative from the laboratory! to collect urine). When collecting daily urine, the following are excluded from the diet: beets, carrots, bananas, turnips, citrus fruits, and calcium supplements.

In endocrinology, hormonal tests are also used, but they are a separate topic.

Red meat

As we have already noticed, during menstruation, the body loses a certain amount of iron along with the blood. This can cause loss of strength and fatigue, especially when periods are long and heavy. Many women strive to compensate for iron deficiency by including more red meat in their diet. It is truly one of the best sources of iron. However, we must keep in mind that meat, like dairy products, contains arachidonic acid, which provokes cramps and muscle spasms. If you have painful menstruation, you should avoid eating red meat. “Replace burgers, cutlets and steaks with chickpeas and wild salmon,” says Isabelle Smith. “They contain some iron and a lot of omega-3 acid, which has an anti-inflammatory effect. Green leafy vegetables will also help saturate your body with iron.”

What kind of coffee can you drink during your period?

Experts do not recommend drinking instant coffee (it has no benefits), as well as strong ground coffee. What can you eat during this period?

• Weak natural coffee with milk. This drink is a good diuretic, and in combination with milk, caffeine will help remove excess water from the body, that is, pain in the lower abdomen will decrease.
• Green coffee is almost harmless due to its minimal caffeine content, and even strengthens the body, but you should not brew it too strong.
• Chicory (although not coffee, but similar in taste) is the best option. There is no substitute for real coffee, but you can drink a lot of it. However, it will not help with general weakness and low blood pressure.

Try not to add sugar or heavy cream to your coffee during your period. The body is weakened, and this will contribute to sudden weight gain.

Alcohol

Alcoholic drinks cause the stomach to empty its contents more slowly, and this causes discomfort - bloating and a feeling of heaviness. At the same time, on critical days, for many, the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract is already disrupted. “Alcohol also contributes to dehydration,” says Alice Ramsey. “And when the body lacks fluid, it begins to intensively accumulate it. During menstruation, this is fraught with the formation of pronounced edema. If you do not want to give up alcohol, control the amount - no more than two drinks per evening. After every glass of alcoholic drink, be sure to drink a glass of plain water to prevent dehydration.”