The Best Food For Period Cramps and Menstrual Pain

Ouch. Dealing with painful period cramps when “Aunt Flo” comes to visit is never fun. Luckily, enjoying a few healthy snacks might be the delicious answer to calming these aches down.

Carlie Beaucejour, a registered dietician and nutritionist, kindly shares expert tips on her Instagram page to help us feel our best. In a recent video, she focused on three simple ways we can eat and drink our way to avoiding period pain. And hey, who doesn’t love an excuse for a little extra noshing while we wait for our monthly visitor to finally leave?

Take a look:

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It’s #nutritiontiptuesday ! Today’s topic is for my ladieeeessss. Every month we have a visit from our aunt flo and the bloating, cramping, and pain is no fun. Checkout these three nutrition tips to help relieve some of your menstrual symptoms next time around. * * * * #womenshealth #blackwomenshealth #nutrition #nutritiontips #menstrualcycle #menstrualcramps #periodproblems #healthandwellness #healthyliving #healthylifestyle #registereddietitian #dietitiansofig #dietititansofinstagram #blackdietitian #blacknutritionist #nutritioncoach #foodfreedom #nutritioncoaching #virtualdietitian #tiktok

A post shared by Carlie|Dietitian Coach (@mindfuleatingdietitian) on Aug 4, 2020 at 6:49am PDT

Stocking up on calcium-rich foods (like yogurt, cheese, tofu, spinach), fiber-rich fruits (especially bananas!), and drinking plenty of water definitely sounds like easy enough ways to stay pain-free during our periods.

As Beaucejour explains, the calcium helps soothe muscle spasms which cause cramping. The same can be said about the potassium in bananas, plus they have fiber to help us avoid feeling “backed up.” And water is obviously important all the time, but being dehydrated will make already awful period pain feel even worse.

We know it might be more tempting to snack on things like chocolate and potato chips when our periods hit, but fueling our bodies with healthier options like these will help us a lot more. That’s not to say you can’t chow down on at least a couple squares of chocolate — just make sure it’s dark chocolate (at least 65 percent cacao). According to experts at Kotex, the magnesium level in dark chocolate can help with cramps while also boosting our endorphins to ward off blue moods. Of course, don’t go overboard on any of these snack options!

And although it probably sounds like the last thing we’d want to do while on our period, hitting the gym can also help kick cramps to the curb. A recent study found that hopping on a treadmill three times a week helped their participants significantly lower their period pain levels over a span of six months.

Here’s hoping we can all feel happy and healthy even when “that time of the month” rolls back around!