7 Foods that Make Cramps Worse
There are many reasons for painful periods. While period cramps are definitely common, that doesn’t mean that they are normal. Any sort of pain is a sign from your body to investigate that something is not working properly or something is out of balance. Though many women love to curl up on the couch with a certain comfort snack to help cope with the pain, many of these beloved snacks actually may contain foods that make cramps worse, and your overall period experience worse. While you can definitely enjoy these foods, it’s important to understand which foods may make your cramps worse so you can make connections between the foods you eat and the symptoms you experience.
Here are 7 foods that make cramps worse:
1. Salty Foods
Salty foods are one of the foods that make cramps worse. Now many of us may be tempted to grab that bag of potato chips to satisfy our salty tooth, but unfortunately, foods with a high sodium intake can do more harm than good. High salty foods contain lots of sodium which increase water retention known as bloating. During a normal period, many women already do have higher water retention while on their period so increasing that more will make cramps worse.
Source: 29783972
2. Sugary Foods
Another one of the foods that make cramps worse are sugary foods like cookies, icecream, soda, juices, and white breads and pastas. These foods contribute to blood sugar imbalances when eaten frequently, in high amounts, or eaten alone. These blood sugar imbalances can contribute as one of the reasons for painful periods. This is because when you have unstable blood sugar with intense peaks and drops, you run the risk of insulin resistance. Insulin resistance occurs when the cells do not accept insulin when it tries to input glucose into the cell. This causes a hyperglycemic state as well as a high insulin state. Period pain can worsen with blood sugar imbalances because insulin will stimulate aromatase, which is the conversion of testosterone into estrogen. The increase in estrogen is a factor for exacerbating the symptoms of period pain.
Source: 3322018
3. Dairy
For some people, dairy can be one of the foods that make cramps worse. Reducing dairy can be one of the ways for how to treat PCOS acne without birth control. Dairy cows are treated with artificial hormones that will transfer into the meat and milk especially which can throw off our own hormone balance and trigger worse cramps. Growth hormones are naturally found in milk and could also affect our hormone balance. Try removing or reducing dairy to see if it helps you to prevent acne before your period. I like to say to try removing dairy as an experiment for 2-4 weeks to see if this is a possible trigger for your cramps. The only times I say to remove a food group is if you have a specific reaction to the food, it makes you feel better, or it helps your symptoms.
Source: 26258087
4. Inflammatory Oils
Inflammation occurs when your white blood cells sense an invader or an area of injury in the body, so they release chemicals to surge the area as well as increase blood flow there. Inflammation will stimulate the production of prostaglandins which cause the uterus to contract resulting in cramping. These prostaglandins also induce hormone balances that cause period cramps.
Oils that contain omega 6s are proinflammatory and are a component in foods that make cramps worse, but omega 3 fats are anti-inflammatory which can balance out prostaglandins. Most Americans are consuming a ratio of 20:1 for omega 6 to omega 3, but it should be 1:4.
The best-absorbed forms of omega-3s are called DHA and EPA that are found in fatty fish like salmon and sardines and fish oil. While there are plant foods that contain omega-3s like walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and flaxseeds, these contain the form called ALA which does not convert to DHA and EPA that well. Since we need these essential nutrients, for vegans or those who don’t eat fish you can get enough by taking an algae-based omega-3 supplement which is a plant-based alternative for fish oil. To use omega 3s as one of the supplements for menstrual cramps, include fish like salmon or sardines at least 2x/week or include an omega-3 fish oil or algae-based supplement.
FREE PAIN-FREE PERIOD 5-DAY MEAL PLAN:
5. Coffee
Another one of the foods that make cramps worse is coffee due to its high caffeine amount. Caffeine can increase the stress response in the body to promote inflammation and imbalanced hormone levels. Studies have found that caffeine consumption is linked with increased estrogen levels which can lead to estrogen dominance, slower estrogen detoxification and period pain. In addition, in a study of college students they found a significant correlation of caffeine consumption with painful periods. A possible mechanism is that since caffeine can raise your blood pressure, this main induce an inflammatory response causes pelvic pain during menstruation.
6. Alcohol
Alcohol is one of the foods that make cramps worse too. This is because removing alcohol is an easy way to lower estrogen naturally. Alcohol can change the way our body eliminates estrogen, which can be what causes high estrogen when we over-consume alcohol. Studies have shown that this relationship is due to the fact that alcohol can decrease or slow the oxidation process of estrogen which inhibits the ability for it to turn into its preferred form to be eliminated. By removing the alcohol, the progesterone levels can increase again, and which will lower estrogen naturally. Additionally, alcohol can greatly dehydrate the body which can make cramps worse because you do not have enough fluids causing the body to be imbalanced. This is why too much alcohol is one of the reasons for painful periods.
Source: 11022013
7. Certain Packaged Foods
This one is more broad, but foods that are highly processed and come in a box, bag, or package are also foods that make cramps worse. This is because typically, packaged foods are preserved by adding sugar, salt, and inflammatory oils to keep them shelf stable. Combined all together, you can see how these foods would worsen period cramps. Now this doesn’t mean that these foods are inherently bad, it just means that there are many other types of foods that are nutrient dense and contain components that will help fight cramps vs promote cramps.
Take away message:
There are several types of foods that can make cramps worse. While I never say to avoid a certain food completely, it is helpful to know which foods may be driving your symptoms. If you’re looking to understand the root causes of your cramps, check out my hormone testing packages HERE.
