Wednesday, April 1, 2009

3 Surefire Ways to Avoid PMS

This one is for the ladies. Got headaches, cramps, body aches, discomfort, swelling, inflammation, bloat, puffiness, heaviness, fatigue, insatiable hunger, cravings, hormonal acne, anxiety, depression, or erratic moods? Let's put an end to it for good.

#1: Avoid ALL dairy in the few days prior to when you expect you'll get your period and throughout the duration of it. Dairy is directly related to PMS symptoms and is also congesting, something that will give you extra unwanted bloat and discomfort. Dairy includes eggs, milk, cheese, ice cream, butter, cream cheese, sour cream, and cream. Read the labels on the food you purchase! Better yet, just focus on fresh fruits and vegetables that are cleansing and natural diuretics, releasing any undesired puffiness.

#2: Drink your blackstrap molasses! Pick up a bottle of organic, fair trade, unsulphured molasses at your health food store and have 2 T per day (1 in the AM and 1 in the PM). Molasses replenishes the supply of minerals that quickly diminish during this monthly phase - potassium, calcium, and iron (and vitamin B6). Mix 1 T of molasses with 1 cup of hot water and drink while hot (sip slowly). It really tastes much better while at a higher temperature and is pretty nasty once it cools down. The heat will soothe you internally and relax your muscles too. Think of it like an internal heating pad that's loaded with minerals.

#3: Make loose leaf nettle tea! Nettles are highly alkaline, packed full of minerals and trace minerals, including the same ones found in molasses (calcium, iron), as well as beta-carotene and vitamin C. In the rockin Rawsome! book by Brigitte Mars, she says that nettles 'are more effective than spinach in building the blood. Nettles are so rich in nutrients that they help curb overeating'. This has to be one of my favorite books on raw foods. Typically I also add alfalfa to the nettles and turn it in to my Stunning Skin Medicinal Tea. If you're searching for ways to Maximize Health, Energy, and Culinary Delight with the Raw Foods Diet, this book is for you.

Bonus Tip: Green Smoothies! Pack in as much leafy green vegetables as you possibly can during this week that typically wreaks havoc on women. Bump up the amount of kale, spinach, chard, romaine, lettuce, collards, plus any weeds, herbs, and sprouts you can get your hands on. Greens are high in magnesium and calcium, minerals that calm and relax those tight core muscles. Refer to Greens For Life for green smoothie wisdom and recipes. Here's one to get you started:

Supreme Green Dream
2 -3 bananas (depending on size)
2 handfuls spinach (toss in a couple kale, romaine, chard leaves or other leafy greens)
Thick slice of fresh pineapple or 1/2 fresh ripe mango
2 dates
1-2 cups water or medicinal tea

Blend WELL (gatta love the Vita-Mix). I like mine to have a thinner consistency and it goes down much quicker than I would have ever expected! This is a very simple recipe that is not original and was inspired by Victoria Boutenko's Greens for Life book. Green smoothies such as these did not used to be a part of my routine, but now that I've found a very basic one to base the rest from, I've been experimenting and am crazy over them!

In all my years of making these suggestions, I have yet to hear that the dreaded symptoms made a presence - IF the women committed to all 3 (plus the bonus for those that really suffer needlessly) beginning approximately 2-3 days in advance of when your PMS would normally begin. Avoid it all together - you have the choice and the power is yours!

4 comments:

  1. I just got a super tip from this post, let me explain!

    I drink dandelion tea every morning, and some days I get halfway through it and wander off, only to find my tea cold and lonely after awhile.

    Now I can just throw the remainder in a smoothie instead of trying too choke it down.

    It seems the obvious way to go, but apparently I had to read the key term "medicinal tea" in a recipe so that I could make the connection.

    Thanks!

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  2. That's fabulous! You can pretty much sneak anything you want into a smoothie and have the sweet fruits/raw cacao or other ingredients cover the taste! I love that.

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  3. I have to say, since adding Green Smoothies to my daily intake 7 months ago, I have very few if any PMS symptoms and haven't had a migraine in about 4 months. Hooray! Love this blog!!! I have a green smoothie blog at www.slendarella.blogspot.com
    - where I'm going to add this blog to my reads!

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  4. That makes me so happy Cheryl! I'm finding that the more often I have green smoothies, the more balanced I feel in ALL ways.

    LOVE how you took pics as the blender was running w/ your grn smoothie creation - I've made the same one! And my dog eats it too :) Thx for introducing me to your blog!

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