by Maya Vokes-Didier

Created on: May 28, 2009

Premenstrual syndrome, or PMS, is experienced by a large number of menstruating women, especially in their late 20s to early 40s. The symptoms of PMS are wide-ranging, and vary in intensity for each woman, and include mood swings, food cravings, lasting irritability, and physical symptoms, such as bloating, breast tenderness and headaches. The symptoms generally subside once the period starts.

Avoiding salty and sugary foods, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake and taking pain-relieving medication are some of the common ways in which women deal with their PMS every month. However, a simple change in diet and eating foods rich in certain nutrients and vitamins have been found to be extremely effective in alleviating, and often eliminating, the symptoms of PMS.

Ten common symptoms and the best curative food groups that can magically alleviate PMS symptoms are:

1. Cramps
What will help: Omega 3 and Omega-6 fatty acids, zinc and calcium.
Foods rich in the above: Salmon, tuna, seafood, whole grains, offal, pulses, eggs, cheese, brewer's yeast, pumpkin seeds, linseeds and unsaturated cooking oils oils (olive, sunflower, rapeseed). Zinc-containing whole grains and cheese, and calcium-containing dairy products and sardines will further add strengthen your anti-cramp diet.

2. Bloating
What will help: Potassium, vitamin B6.
Foods rich in potassium: Cantaloupe, bananas, oranges, avocado, strawberries and apricots. Adding vegetable and fruit to every meal will ensure the required intake of potassium.
Foods rich in vitamin B6: Liver, whole grains, meat, oily fish, soy products, walnuts, bananas, green leafy vegetables, and avocado.

3. Water retention
What will help: Water, and foods with diuretic properties (that will flush out extra water from the body).
Foods rich in the above: Besides drinking plenty of water, snack on fresh celery, sliced cucumbers, red bell peppers and carrot sticks. Dandelion tea is also known for its diuretic properties, and can be consumed in moderation during the premenstrual period.

4. Irritability, anxiety, tension
What will help: Magnesium, which is classed as 'nature's tranquilizer'.
Foods rich in the above: Nuts, seeds, lentils, green leafy vegetables, eggs, peas, whole grain cereals, soy beans, seafood, figs and bananas. A herb called 'vitex agnus-castus' is also said to dramatically help reduce these symptoms.

5. Breast tenderness
What will help: Vitamin E
Foods rich in the above: Wheatgerm, whole grains like wheat, brown rice and oats, nuts and seeds,

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