Intuitive Eating on Your Period
If you’ve ever thought “should I be eating this much?” or “all I want to do is eat chocolate - is this normal?” while on your period - keep reading because this post is for you!
Intuitive eating is all about listening to your body’s cues, but this can feel tricky when those cues are always changing. And to all the menstruating folks reading this - it’s normal for your hunger to ebb and flow depending on the time of the month.
As a menstruating person, your body will go through the four phases of the menstrual cycle (which, for some people, may be misconstrued by conditions like PCOS and endometriosis) - menstruation, the follicular phase, ovulation, and the luteal phase. With each phase will come changes in hunger, cravings, energy levels, etc.
Intuitive eating is a great fit for those of us who go through all these changes on a monthly basis because we don’t have strict rules to follow - we can listen to our body! When we eat without rules, we can tune in to our body so much better.
If you’re new here, hello and welcome! My name is Hannah and I am a non-diet dietitian here to help you improve your relationship with your food and finally find food freedom.
What is PMS?
Premenstrual syndrom (PMS) is a combination of symptoms that many women get experience about a week or two before their period. Increased hunger and cravings are common symptoms of PMS along with mood swings, fatigue, feeling bloated, and headaches. If you know, you know.
A non-diet approach to navigate PMS
Honor your cravings
If we ignore cravings, they often just get worse! How many times have you told yourself that you “shouldn’t” eat the chocolate chip cookie and then ate an apple, some rice cakes, a couple granola bars, and then had the cookie (maybe a few) anyway? You likely would have been so much more satisfied had you given yourself permission to eat the cookie in the first place!
The less judgment you have in what you eat and how much you eat, the more likely you will get the amount that feels good to your body. And if you try to cover up cravings with a “healthier” alternative, this may not work and instead result in you eating more than if you just honored the craving.
Listen to hunger and fullness
As previously mentioned, your hunger and appetite likely change depending on the time of the month. This is a result of various hormone shifts and your body’s corresponding energy (calorie) needs during different parts of your cycle.
Once you have made peace with your body and begin to accept that these changes will happen, it will feel easier to honor your hunger cues.
Be mindful about emotional eating
This one is hard! Many of us feel all the feels during our period. And emotional eating is not inherently a bad thing. It is just important that food is not your only coping mechanism. Try to find other ways to make yourself feel good that go beyond eating comfort foods.
Incorporate joyful movement, if it feels good
As we go through the different parts of our cycle, our energy levels may ebb and flow. If your body needs rest, take the rest! Other times it might feel good to do some gentle, joyful movement. Sometimes your body may even ask for more high intensity movement. Listening to your body is the key takeaway here.
It’s important to note that you should not use exercise to counteract your cravings or “make up” for any food that you ate. That isn’t really intuitive or joyful.
Curious about cycle syncing? Check out this post.
Bottom line
Ignoring or suppressing your PMS cravings is not intuitive! Instead of feeling guilty for changes in appetite, having cravings, and feeling less energetic, try listening to your body and treating it gently. You have permission to trust your body any time of the month.
Looking for more support on your food freedom journey? We’d love to guide you inside The Nutrition Reboot Membership.