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A Good
PMDD diet is the best place to start when making changes to your
lifestyle to treat PMDD. Nutrition for PMDD or any sort of health issue is
fundamental and can produce effects that are far greater in the long run than
medication can ever be.
The effects of PMDD nutrition changes
are more subtle than medication, or even herbal remedies, but the long term
effects once perceived are quite amazing not just for your mental health, but
of course for your physical health as well.
There is a certain amount of discipline that you
need to follow to get the most out of a diet for PMDD though.
It is very easy to say I am going to stick with this, but the practical aspect
of actually doing it is most people’s downfall.
Lots of things in life get in the way of spending
the time and effort to follow a good diet through to its conclusion (a
conclusion not being a stop to the diet, but make having this kind of diet
become a habit). As such, information on how to approach dieting for PMDD is
also something you might need to delve into.
The first things you will need to know is a good
list of what you should be getting more of in your diet, and the things that
you simply should avoid – or at least reduce heavily. Just a few changes week
on week will start to make you feel better I guarantee it.
A Good PMDD Diet Includes:
Fresh Vegetables – This will come as no
surprise to anyone of course, but how often do we really listen to this advice?
Most vegetables are very good for us and help our body to function through a
range of different nutrients. They also release energy gradually into our body
which is very important to keep good hormonal health (more on this below).
The FRESH part is important too because out of
convenience we tend to opt for our vegetables in processed packages to help
them last longer. This often removes a lot of the good nutrients so the little
bit of extra effort to keep fresh vegetables is well worth it!
Low GI Foods – As has been
mentioned, all sorts of low GI foods are very important. This means they are
foods that slowly break down into glucose in the body to be used to power the
body, repair muscles, and more.
High GI foods convert to energy too quickly
flooding your body which in turn must flood it further with the hormone
insulin. A lot of energy gets stored as fat which is not good, but the increase
of insulin interferes with other hormones which can produce many PMDD symptoms.
The resulting crash of blood sugar also is bad as
it hits your mood levels like an anvil causing anxiety, depression and
irritability. All these mean a Good PMDD diet should
have a lot of low GI foods.
Below
are examples of foods based on their GI.
Low
GI Foods (55 or less)
·
100%
stone-ground whole wheat or pumpernickel bread
·
Oatmeal
(rolled or steel-cut), oat bran, muesli
·
Pasta,
converted rice, barley, bulgar
·
Sweet
potato, corn, yam, lima/butter beans, peas, legumes and lentils
·
Most
fruits, non-starchy vegetables and carrots
Good Hydration – Water is the basis
for all life so they say, and it is also the basis for good health. Being even
a little dehydrates significantly effects our mood and ability to regulate our
mood. It also causes the body to function in a less than optimal way.
Making sure you drink water regularly during the
day is very helpful to reduce PMDD. Make sure this is water too – not just any
liquid, water and only water girls!
Alkaline Forming Foods – A
controversial method, but one I believe shows good prospects, is an alkaline
diet. This basically means eating foods that help your body become less acidic
and more alkaline (the opposite of acidic).
Studies have shown the body is better at handling
physical and mental health much better when it is slightly alkaline which is
what our ancestors used to be before civilisation came and then modern
industry. The resulting foods we made tend to make us more acidic without us
even realising it.
Alkaline foods are foods that are much more
natural, non-processed, and low in sugar. This goes well with the idea of low
GI foods too – you can find more about alkaline dieting here.
High Protein Foods – Protein
is a very important nutrient we get from food. It is responsible for renewing
the body and too little can make us feel tired and fatigued which will make
worse your PMDD. It has been found that many women with PMDD actually have
quite a low intake of protein so bumping this up in your diet might produce
good results, make you feel more energetic, and less susceptible to depression,
irritability, and anxiety.
Good protein foods include eggs, tofu, chicken,
lean meat, and limit amount of dairy foods. Make sure to include this in your
PMDD nutrition plan.
Eliminate These for Better PMDD Nutrition
Processed and Sugary Foods – Foods
that come in boxes, cans, jars and bags are not always processed foods – but
most of them are. These are foods that, as has been mentioned, have had many
nutrients stripped form them as they are processed and refined making them high
GI.
They are often also imbued with more and more salt
and/or sugar which just adds to the problem. Whenever possible avoid these
processed foods. Some of the worst offenders are crisps/chips, doughnuts, white
bread, many cereals, juice (except freshly squeezed) and many more.
Non-Organic Meat – Since hormonal
imbalances are the root cause of PMDD we must be careful when eating certain
meats especially with chicken. Many animals are being pumped full of growth
hormones so that they can be bigger, more meatier, and get that way quicker so
farmers can sell them to market fats for quick money.
This has caused serious issues for these animals
for one, but for us humans we are ingesting a lot of those excess hormones
every time we eat them!
These additional hormones cause havoc inside our
bodies especially for women with PMS and PMDD. Make sure to buy organic meats
as often as you possible can to avoid this.
More Tips for a Good PMDD Diet
Never Shop on an Empty Stomach –
When you shop on an empty stomach you will tend to over-purchase, and you will
most likely buy impulse items which are not the ones you really want. When you
feel well fed and go shopping the food urgency is off and you are much more free
to make informed buying decisions.
Keep a Shopping List – Simple
enough, try not to just remember what you need, write it down and keep to the
plan!
Never Buy Snacks – Even if you think you are just going to buy a
few snacks for the cupboard just in case friends drop in, or you want to reward
yourself later – do not do it!
All snacks in a house WILL be eaten and eaten soon
as soon as you feel hungry and it is the easiest tastiest thing to grab. It is
human nature, but if you do not have them this issue does not come up and you
might snack on fruit or vegetables instead!
Get Help – Do not think you can to do this Good
PMDD diet alone. Get the support of a friend, your family, your
partner or kids. There is no shame in this – it is a positive thing and you
will find everyone will be willing to help if it makes that week before the
period a much better place for everyone!
By Jane
Pritchard, who is the developer of PMDD Treatment Miracle - a self-help program
for treating premenstrual dysphoric disorder. She is an ex-sufferer of PMDD
(Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder) condition for many years.
She
spent a lot of time in finding natural methods for curing her PMDD problems. As
a result, she created this self-help guide to show other sufferers on how to
cure their PMDD problems in only 12 hours at the comfort and privacy of their
own home. For more details about this self-help guide, click HERE
