For many women, menstruation is a time they wish would never come. Each cycle brings various discomforts: heavy flow that seems to pour like a faucet, lower abdominal pain so intense it makes you want to roll on the floor for relief, or backaches so severe you can barely stand straight. Naturally, women want to avoid such suffering.Therefore, pay attention to your diet before your period arrives.
What to Eat Before Your Period to Avoid Suffering
1. Foods Rich in Vitamin E
Lower abdominal pain during menstruation is often caused by excessive prostaglandins in the body, a substance that triggers premenstrual discomfort.To prevent this pain from extending into your period, consume foods rich in vitamin E before your cycle. Vitamin E helps reduce the body's production of prostaglandins. This means women should eat more foods rich in vitamin E before their period.
For example, foods like spinach, corn, buckwheat, coix seed, pears, brown rice, and bran are rich in vitamin E. Eat more of these before your period.
2. Foods rich in Vitamin B6
Consuming this nutrient helps women maintain emotional stability, as Vitamin B6 aids in synthesizing a substance that elevates mood. Naturally, when women's emotions remain balanced, their endocrine system is less prone to imbalance, thereby helping maintain a stable menstrual cycle.If women experience persistent tension, fear, or other negative emotions before their period, their endocrine system will naturally become disrupted. Once the body loses balance, the menstrual cycle becomes irregular, ultimately leading to menstrual discomfort.
Foods rich in vitamin B6 include chicken, beans, corn, lean meat, egg yolks, and fish.
3. Foods Rich in Tryptophan
Once absorbed by the body, tryptophan helps improve sleep quality, allowing the body to rest properly. Adequate rest helps maintain hormonal balance, ultimately stabilizing menstruation. Therefore, during the premenstrual period, avoid staying up late or pulling all-nighters, as these can disrupt your endocrine system.If you struggle to fall asleep, consider consuming tryptophan-rich foods before bed to promote sleep.
Foods rich in tryptophan include millet, adzuki beans, laver, walnuts, red dates, tofu skin, braised beef, sunflower seeds, black sesame seeds, and more.
Dietary Recipes for Women's Premenstrual Care
1. Adlay and Red Bean Soup
Main ingredients: Prepare 80g each of red beans and adlay, plus 10 pitted red dates, 3 grams of dried tangerine peel, and 1 slice of licorice root.
Preparation Method: The night before cooking, wash the red beans and Job's tears. Place them in a bowl, cover with water, and soak overnight. In the morning, add the soaked beans and Job's tears along with the remaining ingredients to a clay pot. Pour in water and simmer until the beans and Job's tears are tender.
Benefits: This soup is highly effective for reducing water retention. It is particularly suitable for women prone to premenstrual edema, especially noticeable swelling in the lower limbs.
2. Double Red Ginger Egg Soup
Main Ingredients: Prepare 1 free-range egg, 30g each of brown sugar, red dates, and ginger.
Preparation: Thoroughly wash the red dates and ginger. Remove the pits from the red dates (if skipping this step, opt for seedless varieties). Peel the ginger, slice it thinly, then mince finely.Place the ginger, red dates, and brown sugar into a pot. Add enough water to cover, bring to a boil, then crack the free-range egg into the boiling water. Simmer for a few minutes before turning off the heat.
Benefits: This warming tonic dispels cold. Women who frequently experience menstrual cramps due to uterine coldness will notice significant improvement in pain when consuming this soup daily for seven days before their period.
These dietary remedies are ideal for women to consume before their period. Consistent use leading up to menstruation gradually helps regulate cycles and alleviate discomfort.