While traveling a while back, I was on the same bus with a lady who had unbearable period cramps. She had popped a million painkillers in that moment and was so sure to have tried all the available ones. As someone who suffered from severe period cramps, there are certain things to do to lessen and or stop cramps completely. In this case, what to eat.
After conversing with the girl I realised that she wasn’t a frequent drinker of water.
When taking painkillers for something, it is of paramount importance to drink more water compared to the one cup we take with medication. Water helps with dehydration and bloating.
When you are on your periods, many a times, you are bloated. To add on to this, you can also eat bananas as they contain fiber, which will help your bowel with proper movement. To further avoid bloating, stay away from canned food as they contain too much salt, which further bloats you.
Secondly, if you are not a water lover, then a warm mug of ginger tea can improve certain symptoms of menstruation. Ginger is said to have anti-inflammatory effects, which can soothe achy muscles.
To add to it, sometimes menstruation comes with nausea, and ginger is your go to girl for that symptom.
However, be careful not to consume too much of it as it may cause heartburn and stomach aches.
During or after their periods, a lot of women are prone to yeast infections, which make it very uncomfortable to even go out in public as it is constantly itching.
If you are one of those people to get yeast infections, probiotic-rich foods like yogurt can nourish the “good” bacteria in your vagina and may help you fight the infections.
While trying hard to eat healthy in order to stop cramps, it is also vital that you know which foods to avoid. In this regard, avoiding sweet things such as sweets or fizzy cooldrinks is important. The sugar not only makes the blood flow faster, it also causes more painful cramps.
Lastly, avoid eating fatty food.
It increases the number of prostaglandins in your body and can make your uterus contract.
The contraction of the uterus will increase the cramping and will make you uncomfortable.
Even fatty meats should be avoided during the period due to saturated fats, which can worsen period pains.
Cramps are not only painful but also usually associated with fatigue and interfere with your ability to move around and go through your daily routines.
If regular medication isn’t enough to help ease your symptoms, you may want to try modifying your diet.
It is also important to remember to keep warm when you are on your periods.
However, keep in mind that cramps may differ in severity.
If they are too painful, I would advise that you see your doctor for it and not treat it lightly.
• Frieda Mukufa’s lifestyle section concentrates on women-related issues and parenting. She also specialises in editing research proposals, proofreading as well as content creation.
- etuholefrieda@gmail.com