Nutrition & lifestyle support for PMS

Nutrition & lifestyle support for PMS - Part 2

Nutritionist Emma offers her top tips to support sleep

@emmatalksnutrition Nutrition & lifestyle support for PMS - Part 2 1. Caffeine vs herbal teas ? Caffeine ignites our natural stress response. If this becomes a chronic habit, there’s the risk people are running on empty, or the continued stressful or excitatory states aren’t balanced with sufficient calm. If your fight or flight mode becomes hugely dominant, your sex hormones can take a hit in this scenario, since reproductions isn’t seen as a priority when the body is under stress. Herbal teas are generally a more balanced option. Go for a whole leaf option, and the wonders of plants is that they are generally very balanced, as nature knows what it’s doing. Something like green tea is packed full of antioxidants, a little caffeine, but this is crucially balanced with l-theanine, a balancing amino acid. Research on different herbal teas for different PMS symptoms exists too – think ginger, chamomile, peppermint, raspberry leaf, cinnamon, to name a few ? 2. Reduce plastics ♻️ Food tubs, bottles are common options we can come into close contact daily. Plastic chemicals can enter your system and actually mimic oestrogen in the body, again, there is lots of research out there on this. 3. Toxic loads elsewhere ? It’s not just what we ingest it’s also what absorbs through our skin. Nail varnishes or chemicals (particularly when the nails is filed down), shampoos (your scalp is very porous) and what we breathe in too in terms of pollution, toxins, artificial chemicals, fragrances etc. This is by no means a quick fix, but it’s about trying to consider what’s entering our bodies from our local environment, ultimately your body see’s these factors are stressors - and how they can then impact our hormones. Food for thought ? #pms #nutrition #naturalhealth ♬ original sound - emmatalksnutrition

1. Caffeine vs herbal teas

Caffeine ignites our natural stress response. Some people can handle this to some degree, but it’s the risk if people are running on empty or the continued stress or excitatory states aren’t balanced with sufficient calm. In this case, your fight or flight mode risks becoming hugely dominant, and your sex hormones can take a hit in this scenario. Afterall, your body isn't keen to reproduce in times of continued stress.

Herbal teas vs stronger sources of caffeine, are generally more balanced. Go for a whole leaf option, and the wonders of plants is that they are generally very balanced, as nature knows what it’s doing! Something like a green tea is packed full of antioxidants, with just a little caffeine in, but crucially, this is balanced with l-theanine, a lovely balancing amino acid.

Plentiful research on an array of herbal teas for managing PMS symptoms exists too – think ginger¹, chamomile², peppermint³, raspberry leaf⁴, cinnamon⁵, to name a few.

2. Reduce plastics

Food tubs or containers, drinking bottles, utensils - many of us are exposed to these daily, and especially under heat, they can leach chemicals into our systems. Plastic chemicals can enter your system and actually mimic oestrogen in the body which can easily contribute to hormone imbalance and pressure on your system as your body tries to readjust.

Simply switches to more glass or metal materials can help to lessen this load.

3. Toxic loads elsewhere

It's not just what we ingest, but it’s also what absorbs through our skin. I was reading research on nail varnishes the other day, espeically if the nails are filed down - chemicals are much more readily absorbed, then chemical laden shampoos can be problematic as your scalp is very porous.

And then what we breathe in too, in terms of pollution, toxins, artificial chemicals, fragrances etc. These all put a burden on your liver, which is an organ central to maintaining and influencing our overall hormone balance.

This is by no means a quick fix, but it’s about trying to consider what’s entering our bodies from our local environment - ultimately your body see’s these factors are stressors, and they can ultimately impact your hormones. Food for thought people!