Diet according to your menstrual period: Develop a diet plan for your menstrual cycle

Many women know that they should pay more attention to food, clothing, housing and transportation during menstruation, otherwise their period will get angry. But did you know that in addition to menstruation, the other three stages of the menstrual cycle - follicular phase, ovulation phase and luteal phase - all require your special care. The four stages of the menstrual cycle each have their own characteristics. Eating right can help you regulate menstruation, replenish blood, nourish your skin and fight aging, and live in harmony with your period!

Phase 1: During menstruation

【Time】 1~7 days after the start of menstruation

【Key words】Blood discharge + Qi regulation

The menstrual period is also called the menstrual period. The onset of menstruation represents the end of the last menstrual cycle and also means the beginning of this menstrual cycle. Therefore, the menstrual period is a process of alternation between the old and the new.

During the menstrual period, blood discharge is the most important physiological phenomenon. "If there is any turbidity left, it will affect the new birth." Therefore, the most important task at this time is to promote the smooth discharge of menstrual blood and excrete old waste from the body. If menstrual blood is not discharged cleanly, the residual blood stasis can easily lead to uterine diseases.

Modern women are under great pressure at work and in life, and many of them suffer from varying degrees of liver qi stagnation, accompanied by dysmenorrhea and irregular menstruation. Therefore, during menstruation, we should also focus on regulating qi and blood circulation, and then regulating the body.

【Dietary recommendations】

1. Choose appropriate blood-activating foods

When the menstrual blood is not much, you can drink some grape wine or red wine in moderation, which can promote blood circulation, warm the yang and replenish the blood, dilate blood vessels, and also relieve dysmenorrhea.

Fruits and vegetables such as oranges, shepherd's purse, coriander, carrots, bergamot, ginger, etc. have the effect of regulating qi and promoting blood circulation, and are a good choice for vegetarian food during menstruation.

2. Eat warming and nourishing foods

Eating raw and cold food during menstruation can easily damage the yang energy, leading to internal cold, which will cause menstrual blood to flow poorly, resulting in too little menstrual blood or even dysmenorrhea. Therefore, the diet during menstruation should mainly focus on warming and nourishing foods, such as lamb, chicken, tofu skin, coix seed, milk, brown sugar, motherwort, angelica, longan and other foods. Fruits such as jujube, cherry, lychee and peach also have the effect of warming the meridians and dispersing cold, promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation.

[Recipe Recommendation] Brown Sugar Ginger Tea

The body will lose a variety of nutrients during menstruation. Brown sugar can just replenish the nutrients the body needs and has the effect of replenishing blood and qi, while ginger has the effect of dispelling cold. Drinking more brown sugar ginger tea during menstruation can promote blood circulation, invigorate blood circulation and remove blood stasis, making menstrual blood flow smoothly.

Method: Put dates and ginger slices into a stewing container, add water and cook for 10 to 20 minutes; finally add brown sugar and cook for another minute or two.

Stage 2: Follicular Phase

【Time】7~14 days of menstrual cycle

【Key words】Yin nourishing and blood replenishing + anti-aging

The follicular phase is also called the postmenstrual phase . In the early postmenstrual period, after a menstrual period, the body's blood sea is empty and the growth of yin fluid is very slow. At this time, you should pay attention to nourishing the yin fluid and help it recover.

When you menstruate, your body loses some blood. The main components of blood are plasma protein, potassium, iron, calcium, magnesium and other inorganic salts, so some protein and inorganic salts will be lost every time menstruation comes. Therefore, in principle, within 1-5 days after the menstruation is over, nutrients such as protein, minerals and some blood tonics should be supplemented. During this period, foods and medicines that can benefit the skin and beautify the body and have the effect of replenishing blood and activating blood circulation become the first choice.

Due to the effects of estrogen and progesterone in the body, the condition of the skin will be different during different physiological cycles.

In the 7 days after the end of menstruation, estrogen and progesterone will undergo relatively drastic changes. This is the time when the skin metabolism is fastest and the nutrient absorption is best, so this is the golden period for women to fight against aging.

【Dietary recommendations】

1. Eat more foods that nourish yin and blood

The seven days after menstruation is the golden period for blood replenishment. Since iron, protein, inorganic salts, etc. are lost during menstruation, it is advisable to eat more foods rich in iron, calcium, magnesium and protein. Common foods that nourish yin and replenish blood include:

Meat: Fish and various animal liver, blood, lean meat, egg yolk and other foods are rich in iron. It has high biological activity and is easily absorbed and utilized by the human body.

Grain foods: You can often eat black rice, black soybeans, sesame seeds, sweet potatoes, etc. These foods can nourish the kidneys and essence, promote blood circulation and moisturize the skin, nourish yin and moisturize dryness.

Vegetable foods: Eat spinach, lotus root, mushrooms, black fungus, white fungus, etc. regularly. They are rich in starch, calcium, phosphorus, iron and various vitamins, which can nourish yin and moisten dryness, and replenish blood.

2. Nourish the ovaries

In the later period of menstruation, in order to prepare for ovulation, the leucorrhea will be more abundant and thicker, so you should pay attention to replenishing yang while nourishing yin. At this time, eating more fruits and vegetables such as wolfberry, yam, and fungus can nourish the yin fluid, and effectively nourish the ovaries, providing a good living and development environment for the follicles, and promoting their perfect development and maturation.

3. Anti-aging diet

This stage is the time of the month when the skin is in the best condition and absorbs the best. In addition to daily skin care, you can also eat more foods that can improve skin activity, nourish the skin and resist aging, such as broccoli, carrots, milk, tomatoes, kiwis, etc.

Taking health supplements properly can double your anti-aging effects! We recommend that you take Hejian Grape Seed Anthocyanins imported from the United States. The grape seed OPC content of this product is 3-5 times higher than other products on the market. OPC is a highly effective free radical scavenger. Its anti-free radical oxidation function is 20 times that of vitamin C and 50 times that of vitamin E. It can effectively protect your skin and prevent problems such as rough skin, aging, and wrinkles.

【Recipe Recommendation】 Tremella Pumpkin Blood-Nourishing Soup

This beauty soup can replenish blood and regulate menstruation, moisturize the skin and nourish hair, and improve problems such as pale complexion and rough skin.

Preparation method: 200 grams of pumpkin, 20 grams of dried lotus seeds, 2 white fungus, 15 red dates, appropriate amount of rock sugar and 1000 ml of water. Soak the white fungus in warm water for about 30 minutes; peel the pumpkin and cut into dice; wash the lotus seeds and remove the core; wash the red dates; bring water to a boil in a casserole, add the white fungus and lotus seeds first, and simmer for 15 minutes; add the red dates and cook for another 5 minutes, and finally add the pumpkin and cook until it becomes soft.

Stage 3: Ovulation

【Time】Day 14-21 of the menstrual cycle

【Key words】Regulating Yin and Yang + Promoting Ovulation

The ovulation period is also called the intermenstrual period. At this time, the biggest physiological characteristic of the human body is the discharge of eggs through mist-like activities. At this time, the body will experience increased vaginal discharge, increased sexual desire, soreness in the waist, slight bloating and pain in the lower abdomen, or irritability and insomnia. The most important task at this stage is to promote ovulation and help the eggs to be discharged smoothly.

However, not every woman can ovulate smoothly. Due to the imbalance of yin and yang in a woman's body, there will be problems with ovulation. Therefore, it is necessary to pay attention to unblocking the meridians and harmonizing yin and yang.

【Dietary Recommendations】Foods that help ovulation

Black beans can promote follicle development and supplement estrogen. Fruits and vegetables such as mulberries, pineapples, cowpeas, chestnuts, and cabbage are also good partners for helping ovulation. They can strengthen the kidneys and help the eggs be discharged smoothly. Secondly, if you want to promote ovulation, you can add foods such as onions, beans, pumpkin, garlic, ginger, chestnuts, oranges, etc. to your diet.

【Recipe Recommendation】Black Bean Glutinous Rice Porridge

Black beans are a type of soybean, rich in protein, fat, carbohydrates, as well as nutrients such as carotene, vitamins B1, B2, niacin, and a small amount of soybean flavonoid genistein. Both of these substances have estrogen-like effects, which can regulate endocrine system, promote ovulation, and improve luteal insufficiency.

Method: 30 grams of black beans and 60 grams of glutinous rice. Wash the black beans and glutinous rice, put them in a pot, add appropriate amount of water, and cook them into porridge over low heat. Take daily.

Phase 4: Luteal Phase

【Time】Day 21-28 of the menstrual cycle

【Key words】Yang Qi supplementation + hormone regulation

The luteal phase refers to the period from ovulation to the day before menstruation, when the ovaries are affected by luteinizing hormone and secrete progesterone to maintain the thickened endometrium.

During this period, the human body is in a state of yang excess and yin deficiency, so the heart and liver qi and fire are relatively strong. Therefore, many women in this period often experience symptoms such as chest tightness and irritability, swelling or pain in the breast nipples, dizziness, headache, poor sleep, etc., which is what people often call premenstrual syndrome.

During the luteal phase, ovarian function begins to become active, luteal cells secrete large amounts of progesterone and estrogen, and the endometrium is also affected by progesterone. Various hormones in the body play an important regulatory role.

【Dietary recommendations】

1. Nutritional supplementation according to symptoms

Many women suffer from PMS, and the different manifestations are actually health signals sent by the body:

Acne on the face: zinc deficiency. You can eat some beef, pork, chicken, shrimp, pumpkin, bean porridge, green beans, bean flour, brown rice, peaches, barley, etc.

Moodiness: Lack of vitamin B6. Eat more cauliflower, carrots, bananas, salmon, chicken, soybeans, rice bran, mustard greens, lentils, shrimp, asparagus, etc. to supplement it.

Insomnia and nightmares: If you need to increase the tryptophan content in your body, you can eat more fruits and vegetables such as pinto beans, bananas, apples, and grapefruits.

2. Soothe the liver and regulate qi

"Before menstruation, regulating qi is the first priority." Before menstruation, you should pay attention to regulating qi and don't get angry or depressed easily. However, excessive pressure in life makes it difficult for many women to do this. At this time, you might as well try foods such as loofah, bergamot, grapefruit, etc., which can effectively soothe the liver and regulate qi, relieve premenstrual discomfort symptoms, and prevent the invasion of pigmentation.

[Recipe Recommendation] Black Fungus Stewed Tofu

Fungus has the effects of invigorating qi and moistening the lungs, lightening the body and strengthening the will, harmonizing blood and nourishing the skin. Tofu has the effects of invigorating qi and harmonizing the middle, promoting fluid production and moistening dryness, clearing away heat and detoxifying. Eating them together can harmonize the blood and invigorate qi, and is very effective for symptoms such as premenstrual irritability, restlessness, and depression.

Preparation method: 30 grams of fungus, 3 pieces of tofu, 7 walnuts (peeled). Add 3 ingredients to water and cook it into soup.