Here’s Why Cravings during Periods are Real.

The tick-tock clock is spinning faster every minute to that time of the month. You have been expecting your periods for a couple of days now, ordered your sanitary pads online, and have managed to cajole your mind in a rather conniving manner to give in to your sugar cravings. Yes ladies we all know you can’t wait to bite into that sinful chocolate pastry. Ever wondered what the secret behind your sugar cravings during periods are?

Surprisingly, you are wrong if you think that you only crave during your periods. Food cravings also creep in when you are stressed, anxious, sad, or perceive extreme mental or physical exertion. Even pregnant women experience especially strong cravings, and this is all due to hormonal changes that have the ability to tamper with your taste and smell receptors.

However, as far as your sugar cravings during periods are concerned the following are some reasons as to why you might be biting for your favourite bag of crisps, or tending to your sweet tooth.

Feeling Unusually Low, Irritable and Stressed

Periods affect your emotions just as they have an impact on your physical health. While you can tame the latter by pampering your vagina with organic sanitary pads, it is harder to soothe the mood fluctuations. Periods tend to have their way with the mind- forcing cortisol (stress hormone) levels to spike and serotonin (the”‘mood balance hormone”) to dip- leaving women feeling a host of unpleasant emotions. This is usually when we turn to their idea of ‘happy foods’ to uplift our dampening spirits. However, replacing these sugar-filled treats with period foods like naturally sweetened dates or fruits should always be the preferred alternative for a healthy period.

Body Runs more Energy during Periods

While the exact reason for food cravings has not been determined yet, they are studied to have possibly been caused by the body’s requirement for energy. During periods our hormones run in several directions and we expend energy as our body prepares us for menstruation. Sugary, fat-laden foods are a rich source of calories and when our body generates an urgency for energy, we begin craving those foods. It is therefore important to not wait until you get severely hungry, but eat timely meals to avoid overeating. There are plenty of healthy period foods that one can indulge in. Some examples of these can be whole grains, lentils, beans, etc. Apart from eating healthy period foods, meditation and yoga can also help in controlling cravings by preserving energy.