The better my diet the worse my PMS. Anyone else?

[Breakingmad]

I nearly started this thread last month too.

I consider myself to have a good/very good, balanced, healthy diet most of the time. Mostly home cooked and all of that. When I go through periods when I’m busier with work, though, I might buy a sandwich and crisps for my lunch or grab McDonald’s on my way home.

I have suffered from anxiety for the past few years (since my pregnancy) and one of the reasons I mostly try and eat well is to try and keep it under control. I have also suffered from PMS since pregnancy, mostly characterised by awful moods. The recommendation for that is also the old healthy eating.

Yet in April and May when I was so busy at work and grabbing whatever food was to hand (I lived off a dinner of crisps and sweets for a couple of weeks) my PMS was barely noticeable. This month and last I have been an emotional wreck, when everything has been as healthy as can be.

Tonight I am craving a bag of Sports Mixture so badly I’m considering driving to the 24 hour Tesco. I know it will improve my mood immensely, in a way none of the sweet potatoes, natural yoghurts, berries or fruit I’ve got in the house will be able to. But all the advice is to resist the cravings and stick with a good diet to make symptoms improve.

But they don’t improve with a good diet - they improve when I eat junk. What is going on?? Should I just eat Walkers and Haribo for the two weeks before my period and be done with it?

Sorry Op, I have no answers, but I’m v interested in the answers, as I have this with a different health complaint.

When I’m eating crap and having several sugary/processed/salty/fatty treats a day (think a doughnut, plus crisps, plus biscuits, plus chocolate all in one day, with not particularly healthy meals), I have no trouble with bowel function. Go regularly every morning like clockwork. When I occasionally try to clean up my act, cut out the crap, eat a lot more fruit and veg (ie really up my fibre intake), I start getting constipated.

It’s incredibly frustrating and hard to find the motivation to eat healthily. I know I’m going to feel worse and, frankly, no doughnuts AND piles doesn’t seem a life worth living!

Why are our bodies doing this??!

It really is frustrating, you have my sympathies. I can understand the cravings, but I just can’t understand how the cravings ease the symptoms, against all medical advice.

Though PMS is in the distant past for me, I ate all sorts of junk in the days before my period. Plain chocolate digestive were about as healthy as it got.

Ever since having kids it's been horrible. I never noticed PMS before. Used to sail through the month, always feeling myself. Now though, it's like a dark cloud descends for at least half the month, it seems to be getting longer all the time. I couldn't cope with it if I had to stick strictly to healthy eating.
Everything goes out of whack. Angry, sad, on the verge of tears, anxious, depressed, cursing (I rarely use bad language normally) headaches, bad dreams, trouble sleeping. I struggle to find the motivation for anything. If I didn't indulge in the eating of chocolate and all that is sugary and delicious I would probably kill someone.
Only suggestion I was ever given was, try evening primrose. That did diddly squat.

oh wow just reading these comments and found them interesting. Sorry about the experiences and difficulties people are havinv finding a solution for pms. I also experience pms sometimes two weeks before my period so that would be from ovulation if i do ovulate...i have had horrible pms symptoms with terrible swollen painful breasts, cramps, cravings, bloating nausea fatigue, the lot... I have been having constipation, pains in my left side and horrible bloating currently as i am due af next week. I honestly have no idea if diet worsens or improves my symptoms and it doesnt help that i have ibs also. I hope yall find something that works for you to ease your symptoms...in some way exercise or being active helps relieve bloat for me but i am not consistent and life is busy with work and all...i try not to make excuses but lack motivation at times to exercise.