Health

Coping with PMS Cravings – 5 Healthy Ways to Suppress Your Appetite

By Dr. Eman Kasim from the Saudi Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society (SOGS)

Have you ever felt like Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) may be sabotaging your weight loss efforts? Does your willpower tend to decrease right before that time of the month? Do you find it difficult to tame your unrelenting appetite when you are PMSing? If you have answered yes to any of these questions, fret not! You are certainly not alone.

There is a reason why you find yourself hitting the fridge more often than usual, right before menstruation begins – and it all boils down to hormones. When you are PMSing, your cortisol levels skyrocket and your serotonin levels drop (cortisol is your main stress hormone while serotonin is your happy hormone). These hormonal fluctuations stimulate your appetite and sometimes trigger intense, hard-to-resist cravings for foods high in sugar and fat.

So what’s a girl to do? Well, the good news is that there are different ways that you can stop yourself from caving into your PMS cravings.

Leading feminine hygiene brand Always has, since its founding, remained dedicated to helping women feel as comfortable as possible all month long, especially when they are ‘PMSing’.

That is precisely why we have rounded up top tips designed to help you curb your PMS-driven appetite. Here they are:

Eat a protein-packed breakfast. This can help improve appetite control and keep you full for longer.

Keep healthy snacks, such as dried fruit and nuts, handy. This ensures that you will stick to the good stuff and won’t reach out for the bad stuff.

Keep unhealthy food options out of sight. Don’t keep unhealthy food in the fridge at all: this is the best way to beat junk food cravings. Out of sight, out of mind!

Take healthy supplements including Vitamin E, B6, folic acid, calcium, and magnesium. These help improve energy levels, enhance metabolic function, and reduce fluid retention, cravings, and feelings of anxiety.

If you can’t help but indulge in junk food, it is not a big deal. Complete abstinence from unhealthy foods is not always realistic. Just try to exercise portion control and not overindulge.