Period Bloat? Could Be What You’re Eating

Of all the many side effects of having your period, one of many women’s least favorite is bloating. It can make you feel uncomfortable and even look like you’ve gained weight. For some women it’s even painful. While this PMS symptom is largely hormones causing water retention, what you eat can either help or make it worse. Here are some cool food tips to take down bloating before it starts.  

Watch Your Salt

The sodium in salt can cause your body to hold onto extra salt if you eat too much of it. This can be especially uncomfortable around your period, if you are prone to bloating anyway. Avoiding salty foods might allow your body to retain less water and improve the situation. Those processed foods and salty dishes from your favorite restaurants you crave during your period may actually be making your bloating worse.

Go Potassium-Rich

Foods rich in potassium may help to reduce period bloating because they decrease sodium levels and make you pee more. This can lead to less bloating. Foods that might help include dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, bananas, avocados, and tomatoes.

Natural Food Diuretics

When retaining water is making your body feel heavy and sluggish, getting rid of all that excess water is key. You can do this by peeing. Certain foods are diuretics, which mean that they increase how often you urinate, and can do wonders when it comes to getting rid of excess water. Foods which are natural diuretics include pineapples, asparagus, peaches, leeks, cucumber, garlic, and ginger.

Has changing your diet helped you control the bloat? We’d love to hear your story.