Healthy Menstrual Recipes

The core principle of a healthy menstrual diet is not at all the "avoid ice and all warm and nourishing foods" spread across the Internet. Instead, it takes your own physical feelings as the core and gives priority to the three points of "relieving menstrual discomfort, replenishing lost nutrients, and not increasing the burden on the body." There are no foods that must be eaten, and there are no taboos that cannot be touched at all. All requirements must be adapted to your physique and tolerance.

Damn, I have fallen into the trap of one-size-fits-all before. When I first entered college, I followed the standard menstrual diet on the Internet. I didn’t dare to touch ice for a whole week. I couldn’t shake off two cups of brown sugar ginger tea every day. As a result, my body was prone to getting angry. On the third day after drinking it, I developed two ulcers in my mouth. I also became constipated. My belly felt even more uncomfortable than before. On the contrary, my roommate who had a cold body drank ginger tea for two days every time he had his period. His waist was no longer sore and the pain was relieved. It was then that I realized that there is no one-size-fits-all recipe. What works for others may be a burden to you.

In fact, the different opinions about menstrual diet are all reasonable, and no one is right or wrong. If you go to see a traditional Chinese medicine doctor, you will most likely be told to avoid raw and cold foods and eat more warm foods to avoid problems such as dysmenorrhea and blood clots caused by stasis of Qi and blood. This is really useful for sisters who are afraid of cold and suffer from stomachache and diarrhea when eating cold foods. My roommate used to take painkillers every time he had his period. Later, he insisted on not eating ice during menstruation and drinking more hot soups. Now he basically does not need to rely on medicine. But if you ask modern nutrition doctors, most of them will tell you that as long as you don’t feel uncomfortable after eating iced drinks, you can eat them. The iced drinks will quickly heat up to the same temperature as the body temperature after entering the stomach, and will not "freeze the uterus" at all. My colleague who works in design must order iced American style when he has his period. He said that he would have a headache and nausea if he didn't drink it, but it makes him feel better after drinking it. He has not had any problems for so many years. To put it bluntly, the starting point of both statements is to make you comfortable. Which one you choose depends entirely on your own body's tolerance.

When it comes to what to eat, there is no need to be so complicated. Just adjust it according to your own condition. For example, if you wake up in the morning and feel that you have lost your appetite and your waist is heavy, don't bite the cold bread from the refrigerator. Spend 5 minutes cooking millet and yam porridge, throw in two pitted red dates, take it out of the pot and sprinkle some dried osmanthus, drink it warm, and your stomach will be so soft. Every time I eat like this, I won't feel sick for half a day. If you drink too much, you will always feel dizzy after sitting for a long time on the second and third days. Don’t just rely on drinking brown sugar. To be honest, there are only 2mg of iron in 100g of brown sugar. If you drink three large cups, it will not be as rich in iron as a mouthful of pork liver. If you can tolerate animal offal, make a spinach and pork liver soup. Or braise a small piece of beef liver and cut it into small slices for snacks. After eating it for two times, the dizziness will be relieved. If you don’t like to eat offal, don’t force it. Fry a red amaranth egg and eat an orange after the meal. Vitamin C can increase the absorption rate of plant iron several times, which is more effective than taking miscellaneous supplements.

Who is still craving for food during menstruation? When I was writhing in pain, I wanted to eat a cream cake. However, the pain was not relieved after eating. Instead, my stomach was bloated all afternoon and I had two acnes. Later I learned that high sugar can aggravate the body's inflammatory response, which may make menstrual cramps worse. Now when I'm craving for food, I'll eat a box of sugar-free yogurt, throw a few blueberries in it, or nibble on a soft peach just taken out of the refrigerator. It's sweet enough but not too salty, and it's very satisfying to eat. If you really want to eat hot pot or spicy food, it’s not impossible. As long as you are used to eating spicy food, you won’t have stomachache or diarrhea after eating it. It’s perfectly fine to take two moderate bites. You don’t have to endure it and make you feel irritable. The impact of bad mood on the body is much greater than a few bites of spicy food.

I have been trying for so many years, but I have never given myself any fixed menstrual diet. When I feel pain in the first two or three days, I eat more warm and soft foods. There is really no need to be bound by the "10 foods you must eat during menstruation" and "5 things you must not touch during menstruation" on the Internet. Your body knows you better than any recipe. Just do whatever makes you feel comfortable.