Yoppie, the pioneers of personalised menstrual care, has found that while 70% of women will be dieting this January, the majority aren’t aware that their diet could help reduce the intensity and length of their monthly flow.
With January now in full swing, 71% of women surveyed by Yoppie said they would be implementing some form of diet for the month ahead after an overindulgent festive period.
While weight loss and healthier living are often the goals, what we eat can also have a big impact on our period.
For example, increasing your iron intake and eating more meat, beans, nuts, seeds, greens or seafood can help fight period pains and 59% of women are aware that their diet can help combat PMS symptoms.
However, 55% of women surveyed by Yoppie weren’t aware that adapting their diet could reduce a heavy flow, with 66% also unaware that it could help reduce the length of their monthly bleed.
While half of women surveyed by Yoppie described their monthly flow as regular, a third said that they experience a heavier flow and so a few small tweaks to what they eat could help them manage it.
What causes a heavier flow?
A heavier than usual flow is caused by an imbalance of hormones, with a higher level of estrogen and a lower level of progesterone causing the lining of the uterus to thicken resulting in a bigger bleed during menstruation. This is called menorrhagia and while it’s usually nothing to worry about it can be inconvenient, to say the least.
How can food help?
Menstruation is incredibly unique to each woman and so there’s no definitive plan to reduce a heavy flow, but there are a number of foods that have been scientifically proven to help.
One thing we’re all generally a little short of is magnesium, a nutrient that is thought to help regulate our blood flow. Nuts, seeds, avocados and whole grains are all rich in magnesium and so upping your intake could help reduce your heavy flow. But it’s not all health foods and veggies, 80% cocoa dark chocolate is also rich in magnesium so Indulging in a bar or two might not be a bad idea when it comes to your period.
Vitamin E is also widely believed to reduce blood flow so increasing food items such as vegetable oils, almonds, sunflower seeds and green veggies like broccoli and spinach could also help.
Alternatively, adding supplements to your diet could also ensure you increase your intake of both Vitamin E and Magnesium and, while it won’t reduce the intensity of your flow, it’s important to stay hydrated with four to six glasses of water a day to combat the impact of your monthly bleed.
Shortening the length of your period
This isn’t always possible but there are certain nutrients that could help reduce the length of your menstrual bleed. B6 is the big one and is known to increase progesterone levels, reduce estrogen levels and improve pituitary gland function to help balance hormones.
B6 is widely found in foods such as eggs, fish and poultry but it’s also believed that fennel, ginger and raspberry leaf can help as well.
Find out more about how food can impact your period at https://yoppie.com/blog/foods-period-heavier
Founder of Yoppie, Daniella Peri, commented:
“A heavier flow, or even a lighter one for that matter, isn’t usually a cause for concern unless it has dramatically changed from a more regular bleed and then you may want to look into it in more depth. More often than not, it can be down to a wider change within the body, with a lighter flow, for example, often following a period of dramatic weight loss.
While you should always consult with your GP if you have any particular concerns, you may well find that a few tweaks or additions to your diet could help set things straight. What better time to give it a try than in January when we’re already making dietary changes having consumed 14 boxes of Quality Streets during the Christmas break.”
