I remember when I was studying Nutrition when I was told about the different forms of PMS moods. There was one for anger, depression, cravings and all I could think of was, “Check, check and check.” I was amazed that people could actually fit into a certain category when I felt every one of those things throughout the day. I’d snap and want to rip off the heads of everyone around me one moment and then open my fridge, eat everything and then cry myself to sleep out of self-loathing. And this would happen every month and anyone who I dated would know to stay clear. I always figured, “This is totally normal! So deal with it!” But here’s the reality, it’s not normal. Common maybe, but certainly not normal and it’s why that I created my free PMS guide that you can download now. Once I began to focus on my health and really take radical responsibility for how I felt, others around me would no longer have to be expected to suffer. So in this weeks’ video, I’m going to breakdown to you:
How to stop PMS mood swings.
Did I mention that there’s a cookie recipe included in all of this?
Oh girrrrrrlllll, I got your back!
Okay so let’s discuss why this happening (because there are several reasons for it):
PMS mood swing reason #1: Nutrient deficiencies
There are two main areas you’ll likely want to concentrate: vitamin B6 and magnesium.
Vitamin B6 can be considered a mood-regulating B-vitamin and it’s often deficient from those who are eating the Standard American Diet, taking the birth control pill or who have recently taken a course of antibiotics. However you are better off taking a full B-complex and from AOR or Thorne where the b-vitamins are in their active forms, so they’re more bioavailable to the body versus purchasing poor quality, discounted supplements from Costco. B-vitamins are also necessary to promote liver detoxification, which is important because if your liver isn’t able to do it’s job, then hormones like estrogen be in excess promoting feelings of anger and frustration.
Then with magnesium, look for magnesium bisglycinate which is the most bioavailable form of magnesium available. This muscle-relaxing mineral will help to promote a state of calm and even help to relax the uterine muscles which may also help with cramps. For the most part, I’ll include magnesium in most of my protocols because roughly 70% of people are deficient in it. Medications like acid-blockers and oral contraceptives deplete magnesium along with beverages like coffee and alcohol. I remember having just one cup of coffee per day and I was struggling with TMJ from grinding my jaw. Once I removed the coffee (and now only keep it to the weekends), the jaw pain and grinding became obsolete. An excess consumption of caffeine and alcohol are two major reasons that PMS will go out of control.
PMS mood swing reason #2: Blood sugar irregulation
Many women I see in practice are either waiting long stretches to eat and then eating poor quality foods when they do. Consuming carb rich breads on the go or after you haven’t eaten for hours is simply going to spike your blood sugar and then make you crash shortly after leading to feelings of being hangry (angry+hungry). Truthfully this can happen at any time of the month, but if you suffer monthly with horrible PMS moods you’re going to want to pay special attention to your blood sugar at this time.
PMS mood swing reason #3: High estrogen to progesterone ratio
I see this is a lot in practice and there are several reason why women have an imbalanced ratio between these two hormones. The first is the consumption of commercial dairy, meats and fats. You’ll always want to consume organic because toxins and hormones are stored in the fat tissue of animals. The other reason is due to plastic exposure, so you’ll want to avoid drinking from plastic bottles and storing your food in plastic containers (glass is a much better option). And lastly, a huge factor are being in a constant state of stress (which frankly most of society is in). After a while your stress hormones will begin to compete with your sex hormones, namely progesterone, which will set off what’s known as the progesterone blues. So stress management techniques like meditation, adequate amounts of sleep and even proper water intake (which can reduce stress levels) is key.
Okay now onto one of my favourite parts about this week’s post – cookies!
These cookies are made with cacao which is rich in magnesium. I’ve also used avocado as a base because it’s a healthy (and yummy) fat that helps to balance your blood sugar to keep you feeling full. I’ve added even walnuts here for some added fats and together, this winning combination will be a PMS cookie that you are going to adore.
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup avocado flesh, very ripe
- ½ cup coconut sugar
- 2 eggs
- ½ cup cacao powder
- 1 x 85% dark chocolate bar
- 1/2 roughly chopped walnuts
- 1 tsp organic vanilla extract
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350° F.
- In a bowl using a hand mixer (although a food processor works better), mix together avocado and coconut sugar until smooth. Add in the egg.
- Mix in the cacao powder, cinnamon, vanilla extract and baking soda.
- Stir and fold in chocolate chunks and walnuts
- Using two spoons place dollops of cookie dough in a baking sheet with parchment paper. It'll look like blobs but that's okay!
- Bake for 10 minutes or until the cookies don't stick as much to the paper as they did before baking.
- Cool down. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
