Is my raw salad causing myPMS symptoms?

In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), warming foods are believed to help balance the body's internal energies and promote overall health within our body, including hormonal balance. Warming foods are believed to stimulate circulation, support digestion, and strengthen the body's qi (our vital energy). So whilst of course it won’t be entirely the fault of your salad but it might be a contributing factor.

Our western society has created a real buzz around the benefits of raw salads and smoothies. 2 things that when eaten in the right conditions are of course really beneficial to the body but eaten in the wrong can cause more harm than good. In TCM all foods have a thermal temperature based on their energetic properties and effects on the body's internal balance. The temperature can be altered by the preparing and cooking process.

Incorporating warming foods and drinks into your way of eating especially towards the later half of the luteal phase, our inner autumns and during our bleeds and inner winters may help alleviate some symptoms we experience and support our overall well-being. Here are some methods for avoiding both physical and mental PMS symptoms by incorporating warming foods into your diet.

~ Include Warming Spices: Incorporate warming spices such as ginger, cinnamon, cloves and black pepper into your meals and drinks. These spices have been traditionally used in TCM to promote circulation, support digestion, and warm the body from within.

~ Incorporate Nourishing Soups and Stews: Consuming nourishing soups and stews using warming ingredients such as root vegetables, beans, lentils, and warming spices. Slow-cooked, warming foods are easy to digest which is especially important for the later part of our cycle when our bodies are holding on to a lot internally before releasing.

~ Focus on whole foods: Choose whole, unprocessed foods whenever possible. This includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, good quality proteins and of course healthy fats. Avoid processed and refined foods where ever possible, as they can disrupt hormone balance and increase PMS symptoms.

~ Emphasise protein-rich foods: Include protein-rich foods such as meat, fish, eggs, tofu, tempeh, legumes, and nuts in your diet. Protein helps stabilise blood sugar levels and provides sustained energy, which can help alleviate mood swings, anxiety and cravings associated with PMS. To learn more about proteins help with this balance head to this blog.

~ Choose warming vegetables: Opt for warming vegetables such as onions, garlic, carrots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash. Root vegetables will always bring their rooted grounded energy within. These vegetables are believed to nourish the body's yang energy and supporting kidney function, which is so important for hormone balance, reproductive and fertile health.

~ Consume warm drinks: Drink herbal teas such as ginger tea and cinnamon tea through out the day both to bring warmth within. Drink room temperature water. I have a big water filter on the side in my kitchen for this reason, even in summer I try to avoid drinking cold water.

~ Limit cold and raw foods: This is really important towards the end of our cycles. Minimise the consumption of cold and raw foods (raw foods are cold in temperature), instead focus on cooked, warming foods that are easier to digest. Cold foods bring restriction within and unbalance the natural flow, they introduce excess yin energy into the body disrupting hormonal balance and bringing on PMS. If you do eat something more cooling balance it with a warming tea after.

~ Listen to your body: I mentioned before limiting the cold foods towards the end of our cycle but lean in to what feels good to you at the other points too. Pay attention to how different foods make you feel and adjust your way of eating accordingly. Everyone is unique, so it's important to listen to your body's messages and make the choices that support your individual needs.

Of course PMS can be a symptom of a deeper imbalance within but making changes like this can go really far into improving any symptoms we may be feeling around the end of our autumn and into our inner winters. It may even be the root, start incorporating it within the ways you eat and see if it brings about positive changes.