You know that heavy feeling you get when your period is coming. You feel like a cross between a sloth and a beached whale.
You shuffle to your closet to find a loose-fitting shirt and those high-waisted yoga pants. You tuck that protruding tummy into your pants like a sausage stuffed in casing. “Ugh,” you say back to your reflection as you sheepishly model it in the mirror.
We’ve all been there. In fact, almost all of us experience bloating every. single. month. Here’s why.
Blame the hormonal shifts of progesterone and estrogen. About a week before a woman’s period starts, levels of the hormone progesterone fall. This is what signals the uterus to shed its lining, which is what causes menstrual bleeding. At the same time, our estrogen rises.
These hormonal swings cause temporary insanity and higher water retention. The body’s cells become swollen with water, causing the feeling of bloating. To make matters worse, this coincides with the time we crave salty and sweet foods, compounding the bloat.
Progesterone increases in the days following ovulation, before dropping to cue your menstruation. This hormone can slow down digestion, and also cue you to eat more. So you may be eating more and pooping less. Uh, hello Mrs. Bloaty Pants. You may literally be full of shit leading up to your period. Fun stuff.
Here are five tips to help relieve period bloat and make that time of the month feel a little more manageable.
1. Avoid salt (yeah right). Okay, minimize salt as best you can.
Salt is made of sodium and chloride, which are electrolytes that play a role in managing your body’s fluid balance. When you consume too much salt, your body retains fluid to dilute the excess sodium.
The result is bloating, particularly around the midsection. To restore balance, drink more water, and ease back on those potato chips. I know it seems counter intuitive to add more fluids in when you feel fluid-filled. You need that H2O to restore harmony in your body.
2. Up the potassium.
Potassium is an important mineral that’s essential for many body functions, including digestion. Low potassium can mess with digestion, and cause more cramping during your period.
Load up on avocados, banana, dark leafy greens, sweet potato, cucumber and cantaloupe.
3. Utilize nature’s diuretics.
Help your body flush the bloating with foods that naturally promote urine production. Think asparagus, pineapple, peaches, cucumbers, watermelon, lemon juice, leeks, ginger and garlic. These foods will help flush that sodium through the body and ease the bloat.
4. Drink lots of water.
Water helps flush the bloat by promoting kidney function. It sounds odd that drinking water helps prevent water retention, but it’s a fact!
It also improves hydration levels, which keeps us energized, helping us manage cramps. Drinking warm water (like herbal tea) increases blood flow to your skin and can ease cramps.
5. Exercise.
I know it feels counter-intuitive to exercise when you feel like a whale-sloth, but it helps! Working up a sweat helps you shed extra water weight. And, say hello to your helpful happy endorphins that come from exercise. This can take the edge off of cramps, and make life feel a little more tolerable.
Bleeding for 5 days is already the pits, so give your body a little love and support (and a heavy dose of…you go, girl). Happy menstruating, strong mamas.