If you're on your period try these foods for a more painless time of the month
Have you ever wondered what types of foods you should be eating on your period, or if there are certain nutritional hacks that relieve period cramps? Co-founder of the lifestyle period brand August, Nadya Okamoto, sits down with licensed nutritionist, Lisa Moskovitz, to find out!
Video Transcript
NADYA OKAMOTO: Hello, and welcome to "Hack the Cycle." I'm your host, Nadya Okamoto, co-founder of Lifestyle Period brand, August. Have you ever wondered what you eat affects your period? Is there some, sort of, superfood out there that can stop my cramps? Which would be so nice right now because day two of my period is not so fun. I'm on my way to meet a registered dietician to find out.
[MUSIC PLAYING]
Hi, Lisa.
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Hi.
NADYA OKAMOTO: How are you?
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Good, how are you?
NADYA OKAMOTO: Good to see you.
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Good to see you as well.
NADYA OKAMOTO: What are you up to here?
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Just shopping for some healthy food for the week. How are you doing?
NADYA OKAMOTO: I'm good. Day two of my period. So I'm hungry and a little crampy.
LISA MOSKOVITZ: You came to the right place. I'm going to show you some food. First one that I love is broccoli. This is a vegetable, a member of the cruciferous family. And I love it because it has such a good source of antioxidants that fight inflammation that can exacerbate PMS symptoms. And we all know that around our period, we all tend to feel a little bit more frazzled and stressed. So we're going to put this in the basket.
The next one I'm going to show you is avocado. They're so versatile. You could add them to so many dishes. It's a great source of monounsaturated fat, which has anti-inflammatory properties. And despite that, it's actually considered a fruit. So we're going to add this as well. And then we're going to go make some really delicious healthy recipes.
NADYA OKAMOTO: Amazing.
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Come with me.
NADYA OKAMOTO: Let's do it. [CHUCKLES] This is super great. I feel like I have a better sense of what to eat on my period. What about the other phases of the menstrual cycle?
LISA MOSKOVITZ: So our cycle is actually divided into two major parts. You have the follicular stage, which is generally the first two weeks, depending on how long your cycle is. And then you have the luteal stage, which is the last few weeks, between ovulation and when you might start to bleed.
So all throughout the cycle, our body is changing a lot. Our hormones are fluctuating. We have a rise in estrogen, and then that drops off. And then a rise in progesterone, and then that drops off. So we want to support that balance by eating basically a balanced varied, very nutrient dense diet. So getting lots of fruits and vegetables, and high fiber whole grains, and anti-inflammatory fats, and lean and plant proteins. You can support a very healthy symptom-free or low symptom cycle.
NADYA OKAMOTO: What do we have here?
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Today, we're going to be making a little salmon wrap. It's got all the good stuff that will especially help you during this time of the month. So first, we have avocado. Avocado is a great source of magnesium, which studies actually show if you're a little deficient in magnesium, your PMS symptoms can be worse. So we're going to put that on the bottom of the whole wheat tortilla.
A lot of people will opt to try to cut carbs, especially around maybe the end of the cycle, when you're feeling more bloated. But it's so important that you get enough whole grains. This is giving you so much energy. And a lot of times, those cravings for sweets can be a product of not eating enough carbs. So again, we're going to do the avocado on the bottom. Thank you.
NADYA OKAMOTO: I'll eat this one.
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Yes, please. And we're going to cut the cucumber. I really like these Persian cucumbers. Also, eating vegetables that have a lot of water and fiber can help with that tummy bloat that we all feel. And we're just going to layer this on.
NADYA OKAMOTO: I thought drinking water makes you more bloated.
LISA MOSKOVITZ: A lot of people say that, and it's the opposite. Drinking more water helps your body flush excess water. So the more water you drink, the less water you retain. Next, we're going to do our wild smoked salmon. What I love about salmon is it has such a good source of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 are so important to fight inflammation.
NADYA OKAMOTO: And what is omega-3?
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Omega-3 is an essential fatty acid, and it's essential because we can't make it on our own. We have to get it in our diet. And the best sources are wild fatty fish. You can also get it in things like flaxseed, walnuts. If you're vegan and you don't eat fish, which a lot of people will say, you can take an algae oil supplement and get it in that way.
So the final thing we're going to add is sesame seeds. So sesame seeds actually contains something called lignans. Lignans help to balance estrogen. If you have worse PMS symptoms, it could be a sign that your estrogen is out of whack. So sesame seeds can help to balance it, help to produce more estrogen and excrete excess estrogen.
NADYA OKAMOTO: How many sesame seeds do you have to eat for that to actually benefit you?
LISA MOSKOVITZ: I would say about a tablespoon per day. What you could also do is, you can eat tahini. We have all of our ingredients. So we're going to put it all in the center, and then we're going to fold it over, wrap it up. And you can cut it in half. Don't worry if some pieces fall out a little bit.
NADYA OKAMOTO: It's a good wrap. It's a good wrap.
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Cheers.
NADYA OKAMOTO: Thank you so much. I can already feel my cramps going away. And do you mind if I take this for my afternoon snack?
LISA MOSKOVITZ: Absolutely. Enjoy. Thank you so much. Bye.
[LAUGHS]
