7 Reasons for PMS Food Cravings
PMS stands for premenstrual syndrome which is defined as life-disrupting physiological and psychological changes in the luteal phase of the cycle (the second half of the cycle after ovulation). Symptoms include cramps, bloating, headaches, nausea, fatigue, and food cravings. After the menstrual cycle begins, symptoms typically disappear. It is important to uncover why you have PMS food cravings.
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Why can food cravings and binging happen more in the luteal phase?
Food cravings are our body’s way to tell us that something is lacking in our body and the things we crave usually contain a component that we need to replenish. Food cravings can also come up from hormone decreases which can signal you to resort to food to help rebuild them. If you try to avoid these cravings, this restriction causes you to continue to think about the PMS food cravings more and more until you eventually give in and finally eat the food you have been craving. From over restriction, this can lead to binge episodes which are episodes of excessive consumption of food that is unrelated to hunger.
Here are 7 reasons for PMS food cravings:
1. Drop in Serotonin
A drop in serotonin is one of the reasons for PMS food cravings. Serotonin, our brain’s inner happy mood chemical, drops in the luteal phase. This results in sadness decreased libido, and Foods high in carbohydrates can give us a little serotonin boost, which is why we may gravitate towards them more. If you notice you have an active sweet tooth as one of your PMS food cravings, a drop in serotonin can be a cause.
2. Lack of Omega-3s
Cravings for foods with fat may be due to a need for fatty acids. One of the common PMS food cravings you may have when lacking fatty acids is a cheeseburger and fries, though this meal is not the kind of fat your body prefers. In fact, the body is actually wanting the fat from salmon, nuts, and seeds which is called omega 3s. This type of fat is polyunsaturated, whereas the burger and fries are mainly saturated fat. If you are not used to listening to your body, it is easy to mix up the messages and not know that you’re body is really wanting the omega 3s. PMS food cravings for omega 3s occur because they have anti-inflammatory properties and can help to balance the effects of prostaglandins – inflammatory compounds released right before your period to help shed the uterine lining.
3. Insulin Sensitivity Shifts
Insulin sensitivity decreases in the luteal phase. When you are less insulin sensitive, this means that glucose and insulin can accumulate quicker in the bloodstream which will increase fat storage of the glucose, low energy, and most importantly PMS food cravings. You may have just eaten a snack or meal, but 45 minutes later you wonder why you are so hungry again. This occurs because your bloodstream will quickly gain a lot of insulin and then it will quickly be eliminated, causing a blood sugar crash. The body interprets the drop in insulin as ‘we need to eat again because insulin is gone’. Optimally, we want our blood sugar to avoid crashes and to keep our blood sugar at a more narrow range of levels without large peaks and dips. Blood sugar crashes resulting from long periods of time between meals, not enough protein/fat, or overly restricting food can lead us to unintentionally overdo it. It’s extra important to incorporate a protein and healthy fats at meals and snacks to help keep blood sugar balanced.
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4. Stress
Stress can increase during PMS due to the shift in hormones in your body. You may be stressed because you know menstruation is in a few days, but you are starting a new job and don’t want to worry about carrying tampons or pads with you everywhere. This stress increase is closely tied into our blood sugar balance because cortisol, our stress hormone, actually triggers a process called gluconeogenesis (making of new glucose) as a way to provide the body with glucose (energy) to literally run or fight (fight or flight). This process occurs to help us maintain a constant flow of glucose into the bloodstream by breaking down lipids (fat) into glucose. This process requires a lot of energy and is not as simple as just consuming food with carbohydrates for energy. Over time, this effect can cause us to experience fatigue, low energy which will lead to more PMS food cravings.
5. Blood Sugar Crash
As mentioned before, blood sugar crashes are a huge reason for PMS food cravings. When you have large peaks and dips in blood sugar this causes you to feel low energy and much hungrier than usual. The main types of foods you will find yourself gravitating towards are high calorie and high carbohydrate foods like ice cream, cookies, cake, and cereal. To combat the low energy and never-ending hunger, try to eat smaller meals more frequently throughout the day and incorporate a carb, fat, and protein element into each meal. By adding all 3 macronutrients into each meal, it will slow the absorption of the glucose from the carbohydrate to keep blood sugar stable. It is also important to note that you shouldn’t restrict the PMS food cravings for ice cream or cookies if you really want it.
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6. Restricting Food
As mentioned before, many PMS food cravings occur for a reason. The body is trying to send you signals on where it needs more nutrients. You may find yourself avoiding these PMS food cravings because of the diet mentality, leading to restriction. This is not beneficial because when you do eat that food you’ve been craving, you may find yourself eating way more than you would have if you just honored the craving in the beginning. Overeating after a period of restriction is a normal physiological response the body has to make sure it has what it needs. Our bodies do not want to starve, and they have evolved to survive by encouraging us to eat when food is available. It is not a personal failure or anything to do with “willpower”. This is nothing to beat yourself up about! Please be kind to yourself and just start to get curious about what is driving your food cravings.
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7. Mental / Emotional Reasons
During PMS, your hormones are declining which can lead to depressed mood, irritability, sadness, and anger. Something that you wouldn’t have batted an eye at, is suddenly ruining your day during PMS. The mental and emotional response you may experience is due to the drop in hormones and can lead to PMS food cravings. Food has been a way we learn to cope, numb out, comfort ourselves, and release boredom. These emotions are valid, but it is important to uncover why you choose food to relieve them. Sometimes, it can just take a moment to ask yourself, ‘is eating going to relieve my sadness, and is eating the best option to care for my emotion?’ Other ways to cope with emotions include going on a short walk, taking a shower, journaling, talking with a friend, reading a book, and curling up in bed. Understand what the root cause of your emotion is and go from there with how you choose to overcome it.
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