Reasons for craving sweets during menstruation

Girls have several special periods. One is during pregnancy. During this period, a girl’s appetite may change greatly. Not only will her food intake increase, but the types of food she eats will also increase. The other is the menstrual period that she experiences every month. During menstruation, we cannot eat cold or raw food in order to protect our bodies. However, during menstruation, we may find that we like sweets more than usual. Why is that?

Why do you crave sweets during your period?

Before the menstrual period, I often can’t resist the desire to eat sweets and eat a lot of chocolate, cakes, and ice cream. After eating, even if I feel good for a while, I often can’t hold on for long and feel tired and have a headache again. In fact, this is a common premenstrual syndrome that occurs frequently in women of childbearing age. And this is normal.

Can I eat sweets during my period?

A common feature of various sweet foods is that they are high in sugar content. Relevant studies have pointed out that sugar will affect the body's absorption and metabolism of vitamins and minerals. These two ingredients can relieve muscle tension and make uterine contractions less intense, and they are effective in relieving dysmenorrhea. For this reason, girls should indeed reduce their sugar intake during their period.

As we all know, in order to control their weight and have a good figure, many women nowadays avoid eating sweets or eat less sweets, because sweets contain a high content of calcium and eating sweets frequently will easily make you gain weight. But many sweets are women's favorites, such as chocolate, cake, delicious candy and so on. How to solve the problem of cravings? The editor tells you that on the first day of menstruation, you can eat all the sweets you want!

But it must be mentioned that carbohydrate intake increases the level of a neurotransmitter called serotonin, also known as 5-HT, in the body. Studies have shown that serotonin does have a certain effect in relieving PMS.

It seems that the legendary saying that "eating sweets can relieve symptoms such as irritability caused by premenstrual syndrome and improve your mood" does make sense. But while PMS is relieved, dysmenorrhea does not receive the same treatment. Serotonin promotes the synthesis of prostaglandin PGE2, which is the real culprit of dysmenorrhea.

It seems that sugar has both positive and negative effects on menstruation, and it is difficult to simply say whether it is good or bad.

What else should I pay attention to during my menstrual period?

First, get enough protein: Eat more high-protein foods such as meat, eggs, tofu, soybeans, etc. for lunch and dinner to replenish the nutrients and minerals lost during menstruation.

Second, women who suffer from severe blood loss should take more high-fiber foods such as spinach, candied dates, red vegetables (vegetables with red soup), raisins, etc. to replenish blood.

Third, avoid consuming caffeinated beverages: coffee, tea and other beverages will increase anxiety and uneasiness; you can drink barley tea or mint tea instead.

Fourth, eat more high-fiber foods: vegetables, fruits, whole grains, whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats and other foods contain more fiber, which can promote the excretion of estrogen, increase the magnesium content in the blood, and have the effect of regulating menstruation and calming nerves.