by Debra Frank

Created on: November 22, 2008   Last Updated: January 20, 2009

My jeans are tight, my boobs hurt, and I need chocolate NOW! Sound familiar? PMS (pre-menstrual syndrome) is a cluster of symptoms that occur about a week before your period and usually stop with the onset of menstruation or shortly after.

Not every woman experiences PMS symptoms and since each of us is unique, those of ud that do experience symptoms often have different PMS problems than our girl friends. Some of the most common symptoms include:

*Abdominal Cramping

*Acne

*Bloating

*Breast Tenderness

*Fatigue

*Food Cravings

*Headaches

*Mood Swings

*Muscle Aches

Diet plays a major role in hormone levels and PMS symptoms. Paying attention to what you eat may lessen your monthly discomfort. Nutritional deficiencies have been found to be directly related to the severity of some of the PMS symptoms as well as hormone balance fluctuations. Improving your diet can improve your life during the PMS phase of your menstrual cycle.

Eating whole grains and fiber rich foods can lessen the food cravings you experience with PMS. They are also really good for your digestive tract, adding needed fiber to prevent constipation and fluid retention. Choose whole grain breads and pastas rather than the heavily processed white flour varieties to reap the benefits of eating whole grains.

Increasing your calcium consumption may reduce mood swings, bloating, food cravings and discomfort. Many foods rich in calcium such as dairy products are also rich in animal fats, which can make PMS symptoms worse, so make sure your calcium rich food choices are low fat. Calcium supplements containing calcium carbonate are a great source for your needed calcium as well. Calcium carbonate is also found in many chewable indigestion tablets.

Eating more vitamin B6 foods ease mood swings, and reduces fluid retention, breast tenderness, bloating, sugar cravings and fatigue. B6 is found in fish, poultry, cooked dry beans, eggs, nuts, and dark green leafy vegetables. Some of the green, leafy vegetables such as asparagus and dandelion greens have the benefit of having additional anti-fluid retention properties as well.

Magnesium is another nutrient that helps to control food cravings and mood swings and was found to decrease fluid retention, bloating, and breast tenderness. Dietary sources of magnesium include nuts, seeds, legumes, dried fruit, and green vegetables

Drinking plenty of liquids such as water, juice or herbal teas without caffeine helps to reduce bloating, too. Avoid caffeine in any form! Caffeine may trigger many of the PMS problems including acne and headaches. Avoid salty foods as well, as this will add to bloating and fluid retention.

PMS may be caused by hormone level fluctuation, but researchers have found that we may be able to control the severity of some of our symptoms. Women that consume a healthy diet and get regular cardiovascular exercise are less likely to experience PMS symptoms and/or lessen the severity of their symptoms.

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