PMS.  You dread its arrival.  You know you will suffer from bloating, cramps, fatigue, water retention, headache and tender breasts.  You know others around you may suffer as well because you will be irritable,  prone to mood swings and willing to bite off the first head that offends you.   There are steps you can take that will help reduce those disagreeable affects, however. Keeping a healthy level of essential fatty acids in your system is one of them.

PMS and What Not to Eat

PMS is the single most common complaint of women who are premenopausal.  For years it was believed that because PMS symptoms usually occur when progesterone levels are normally high, progesterone must be the instigator.  In the last few decades, however, it has been recognized that excess estrogen, rather than progesterone,  is the more likely troublemaker.

PMS is a problem that needs to be addressed from several levels, including managing stress and estrogen dominance control, but  researchers have also learned that PMS is affected by what you eat.  One of the main reasons your diet effects the severity of your PMS is because of  your prostaglandins.  Prostaglandins act like hormones and help regulate each of the cells in your body.  Their job is to keep your body balanced.  If the prostaglandins themselves become unbalanced, though, conditions like heart disease, pain, immune system dysfunction and PMS are more likely to occur.  Chronic inflammation, which aggravates PMS, is a common result.  If your prostaglandins are unbalanced, your blood gets thicker, which raises your risk of heart attack or stroke.  Estrogen dominance also has that effect, so the combination of excess estrogen and unbalanced prostaglandins can be a lethal blend.

So what causes prostaglandins to get out of balance?  One of the main culprits is foods that contain hydrogenated oils, or trans-fatty acids, and the way those fats disrupt essential fatty acids.   Foods like margarines and most cookies, cakes and chips.  If you look at the ingredients list on the labels of those products, you’ll probably see it listed as “partially hydrogenated”.  These are synthetic oils and block the effect of natural oils.

Other causes of imbalanced prostaglandins include too much sugar in the diet, stress and/or zinc deficiency.  Zinc, along with vitamin C and some B vitamins, is necessary for converting unsaturated oils into the essential fatty acids that our bodies need.

Treating PMS with Essential Fatty Acids

One of the goals in fighting PMS is to keep your prostaglandins balanced while keeping sufficient essential fatty acids in your system, but how do you do that?  One way is to avoid foods that provoke imbalanced prostaglandins, the foods high in hydrogenated oils, and eat foods that help supply you with essential fatty acids.  This includes fresh organic fruits and vegetables, whole grains and raw nuts.  You should also eat fish at least once or twice a week to raise levels of the essential fatty acid Omega 3 and Omega 6.

Eating properly is normally enough to keep the prostaglandins happy and essential fatty acids existing in healthy amounts.  There are also supplements available such as evening primrose oil, flax seed oil and borage oil that raise levels of essential fatty acids.

There is no instant cure for PMS but keeping the levels of essential fatty acids in your body at a normal level is a good  first step.

Related posts:

1. Getting Your Prostaglandins in Control
2. How to Heal PMS
3. Foods to Avoid to Balance Your Hormones

Balance your Hormones through Diet

Eating foods that help you balance your hormones should not be thought of so much as a diet for yourself, but rather as putting estrogen on a diet that restricts its over development.  This is not a plan that limits calorie intake or is meant to reduce your weight, though that can be a happy side effect.

There are many foods you eat that naturally encourage estrogen to multiply and many more foods that contain xenoestrogens, or f aux-estrogen, that trick our bodies into believing they are the real thing.  These are the foods you want to avoid.

Xenoestrogens – Chemicals that Mimic Estrogen in Food

One of  the biggest contributors to estrogen dominance is xenoestrogens, which are man made chemicals that mimic estrogen.  These chemicals are polluting our food and water supplies,  flooding our bodies everyday  with  estrogen-like substances.

Pesticides, fertilizers, herbicides, and fungicides carry xenoestrogens into the soil. Then rain runoff from landfills and agricultural lands wash them into our water sources.  In return fish, animals, and crops absorb the chemicals. When we eat those food products we ingest the xenoestrogens, causing hormonal havoc within our bodies.

How do we avoid xenoestrogens when they are so abundant?  The best way is to avoid commercially prepared beef, chicken and pork, canned foods, commercial dairy products, and processed foods.  Many meat producers give their livestock xenoestrogens to make them grow more quickly and help fatten them up, resulting  in greater profits.

Food cans have plastic linings, another source of xenoestrogens, and processed foods often contain additives that are xenoestrogens.  Even fruits and vegetables have been tainted with pesticides that have xenoestrogens.

Plastic is heavily laced with xenoestrogens as well.   Cooking or storing foods in plastics  should be avoided.  Do not cover food you are microwaving with plastic wrap.

Dairy Products are a Rich Source of Estrogen

According to the Harvard School of Public Health, dairy milk is a leading source of estrogen.  In fact, it may account for up to 80% of estrogens consumed.  One reason is because most cows are dosed with growth hormones and are ripe with xenoestrogens.  Another possible reason is that cows are often milked when they are pregnant, when estrogen levels are at their highest. A better option is to choose a non-dairy milk such as rice or almond milk.

Other Foods to Avoid to Balance Your Hormones

You should not drink alcohol if you are estrogen dominant.  Estrogen must be metabolized in the liver and drinking alcohol can cause the liver to become overworked, allowing estrogen levels to build up in your body.

Other foods to avoid include sugar, processed, and fast foods.  These foods have been linked to magnesium deficiencies, which in turn have been connected to high estrogen levels.

Chocolate, tea, coffee and other sources of caffeine and foods high in fats also contribute to estrogen dominance. Too much unfermented soy in your diet can lead to high levels as estrogen as well.

What Food Should You Eat to Help Balance Hormones?

Think organic.  Choose foods that have been grown without the use of chemicals and select hormone-free meats.   Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables that are certified organic.  A diet rich in fiber also plays a big part in maintaining a healthy hormonal balance. Eat plenty of whole grains and cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, collard greens, and turnips.

Eating the  right foods and avoiding the wrong ones can make a major difference in balancing your hormones.  Although it may cost a little more and require more careful shopping and food preparation, your efforts will be rewarded with a healthier life.

Related posts:

1. Xenoestrogens and their Role in Estrogen Dominance
2. Estrogen Dominance in Men
3. Five Natural Ways to Lower Your Estrogen Levels