Why chocolate cravings during periods

No one needs more uncomfortable cramping, and the extra sugar would likely make you more emotional as you deal with PMS mood swings. A mix of the stimulant, the sugar and the caffeine can really heighten your unhealthy cravings at a time when you do not need it. Instead, try a calcium supplement to tide you over. While sugary chocolate can knock you off-balance, you can find some comfort in dark chocolate.

With fewer sweeteners and more cocoa, it satisfies your desire for a dose of magnesium, without the sugar high and subsequent crash. It also helps your muscles relax, which can ease your cramps, and reduces other pains by boosting endorphins. It can even improve your skin and boost your iron levels, giving you more energy. In short, small doses of sugary chocolate may help you to feel better in the short term, but opt for dark chocolate if you really need a fix.

It may help you to cope with some of the other downsides of PMS. Disclaimer: This information aims to answer some of your questions or concerns. If you are worried about your health, talk to your family doctor or your gynecologist for professional medical advice. What are Always sanitary pads made of?

Food aversions are common in pregnancy, but not in PMS. Pregnancy is also likely to cause other symptoms long before the cravings kick in, like:. All that said, PMS and pregnancy do share similar symptoms. Period-related cravings usually start around 7 to 10 days before your period starts.

This is also when other PMS symptoms tend to start, like changes to your bowel habits hellooo period poop and farts , headaches, acne, and bloating. Have too many and you could end up feeling even more sluggish. Instead of simple carbs, like chips, bread, or pasta, choose complex carbs that increase serotonin but make you feel better longer. These include things like beans and lentils, brown rice, and oats. Tempting as it may be to eat an entire bag of Oreos when your sweet tooth is begging for satisfaction, too much sugar usually leads to a pretty unpleasant crash.

Go ahead and have a cookie or two if you feel inclined. However, there are other ways to satisfy a sugar craving. Some sweet and healthy ideas:.

Consider these 19 foods that fight sugar cravings. Chocolate is one of the most common foods craved by people before their periods. Lucky for me — er — you, there are benefits to chocolate. Stick to dark chocolate if you want to reap the health benefits of this craving.

Sadness, mood swings , and weepiness are common symptoms that can extend a few days into your period. Wanting to eat more than usual before your period and having cravings is pretty common and not usually anything to worry about. Pica is more common in pregnant people and children but can also develop in people with certain conditions.

One woman may crave chips or fries, while another has a strong urge for chocolate. Since experts have found that the symptoms recurs in a predictable pattern, you can find out that you always crave these specific foods while menstruating.

This means the answer is yes, it is normal to crave chocolate, chips, or other foodstuff during that time of the month. There is a theory that women crave chocolate because it somehow helps with their cramps. Because of this, you will find multiple women rushing to stock this food without verifying the credibility of this theory. Sorry to burst your bubble if this theory has already convinced you. Unfortunately, there is no definitive evidence to prove that this specific food can help with cramps during that time of the month.

This means that this is one of the many menstruation myths and misconceptions. Many women, therefore, have these food urges because of something more.

Knowing this, what is the meaning of chocolate cravings during PMS? Rule out this theory and join us as we explore scientifically backed-up reasons behind your monthly chocolate cravings.

As you may have learnt by now, most food cravings send you a specific body message. For example, a persistent egg craving may signal your body of an underlying vitamin D or vitamin B deficiency.

So, you must always listen to your body and research any persistent and underlying food urge. For the longest time now, most women who have hormone hypersensitivity have been known to crave chocolate. It has almost become a trend that every such woman will always tend to crave chocolate.

But is your body trying to tell you something more than just satisfying this sweet tooth? Does it signal an underlying health condition? Well, let us demystify this concept to understand better what this chocolate desire signifies.

For men, this physique entails having a masculine body shape with a chiseled chest and ripped abs. On the other hand, the ideal physique for women is a tiny waist, broad hips, and well-defined butt. In light of this, you will find most people camping out in the gym or killing themselves with home workouts trying to get such body shapes. If one is not looking to shed belly fat, another is trying to tone their butt or increase muscle mass.

The thing is, to attain such a body shape, you must also focus on good nutrition. So, during that time of the month, most women use this period as an excuse to indulge in such foods. According to WebMD, it means that such a craving arises because of the culture-bound construct where such foods have been categorized as unacceptable, harmful, or taboo 1.

Looking for a way to break the vicious cycle of weight loss and tone up all the jiggly parts? Watch the extra pounds fly off and your muscles firm up with the BetterMe app! This brings us to another highly debated concept, and that is the beneficial aspect of chocolate. Chocolate is healthy but can pose various health risks depending on the amount you consume. According to Medical News Today, consuming chocolate may help you reap the following benefits 3 :.

What must happen is that women must be educated on the recommended limits, especially if they want to attain a specific body shape. The other reason women crave chocolate during that time of the month is changes in the serotonin hormone.

Although most of us may consider it a hormone, scientists acknowledge that it is more of a neurotransmitter found in our brains, platelets, and bowels It is considered a neurotransmitter because the body uses it to convey messages between different nerve cells Medical News Today also denotes that serotonin plays an integral role in various bodily functions, such as digestion, mood, appetite, and emotional control During PMS, women tend to experience a drop in serotonin levels.

The reduction is associated with different food cravings, specifically carbs cravings since your body uses carbohydrates to make serotonin 4.

If it so happens that cortisol levels are high and serotonin levels are low, you will likely crave fats in addition to carbs 4. Of course, chocolate contains a simple carb sugar that women tend to crave during PMS mostly. Even though chocolate has various health benefits, food experts advise we go easy on it.