The Joys of PMS

 

What's ailing you: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS)

 

Cheese

Why it's good: Studies have found that women with PMS have lower levels of calcium around ovulation than women who don't experience PMS symptoms, so amping up your intake of cheese and other dairy products is worth a shot if you're prone to cramps and mood swings.

 

Eat up! Make sure you're getting at least the recommended amount of calcium daily — experts say only 10 percent of us are getting it through diet alone! Women younger than 50 need 1,000 mg; if you're 50 or older, 1,200 mg. Aim for three servings of calcium-rich foods like cheese and yogurt daily; women older than 50 should tack on a fourth serving. If you don't think that's possible, talk to your doctor about taking a calcium supplement.

 

Pineapple

Why it's good: This fruit has three things going for it. First, it's one of the best sources of manganese, and one study found that women with low manganese intakes were more likely to experience premenstrual mood swings, breast tenderness and cramping. Second, pineapple and other water-rich fruits and vegetables (think berries, citrus fruits, melon, cucumbers, bell peppers) can help banish bloat associated with your monthly cycle because their high water content helps flush out excess fluid. Lastly, deliciously sweet pineapple is a healthy way to indulge sugar cravings, which often intensify as your period approaches.

 

Eat up! In the seven to 10 days leading up to your period, have 1 cup of fresh pineapple daily. If it's too expensive or underripe, see if your store carries frozen chunks or canned pineapple packed in 100 percent juice.

 

Almonds

Why they're good: Almonds are an excellent source of magnesium, another mineral that may provide some PMS relief. Studies have found that magnesium — in addition to helping relieve PMS headaches — can improve mood and lessen water retention in the week or two before you get your period.

 

Eat up! Enjoy an ounce of almonds (about 22 nuts) a day, and enrich your diet with other magnesium-rich foods like quinoa, pumpkin and sunflower seeds, dark leafy greens, edamame and green beans.

 

Elemental Grounding

Elemental Grounding

There are those that have trouble meditating.  They say they can’t get grounded.  There are some folks that can’t or won’t naturally ground to the earth.   There are other methods to ground, and some can be done rather quickly in stressful situations

Lets start with a little chemistry lesson… shall we?   The body is made up of Oxygen, Carbon, Hydrogen and Nitrogen…these 4 elements make up 99% of every living thing on earth. 

Oxygen-air

Carbon-earth

Hydrogen-water

Nitrogen-change/fire

Everything thing we eat is broken down into these 4 elements to produce energy.  A sugar molecule has 6 carbons, 12 hydrogen, 6 oxygen.  Protein 2 carbons, 5 hydrogen, 2 each of Nitrogen and Oxygen. Carbohydrate is 12 carbons, 22 hydrogen and 11 oxygen.   What we eat provides the emotional energy we use.  Just look what happens to a child on sugar overload, and then the big crash!  Think about what we put our bodies through eating all the nonorganic foods we do.   Btw the definition of “organic” is  An organic compound; or any substance containing carbon-based compounds, especially produced by or derived from living organisms.  

We are carbon based life forms only because carbon is the only element that can bond to itself to form large chains.  Without it we would still be single celled.  So going beyond that, we are made from the earth, all these elements are found in the earth’s crust.  I have heard we are made of dust, and so it appears it’s true.

So basically we are allowing our energy to be called back to where it came from when we ground.

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Grounding is the act of gathering your energy.  We find we need grounding when we get scattered, too many projects, and too much outside influence.  Grounded to the point of focus, and control

Fire, not a great grounding element.  Fire is an action element.   It can be used with other elements, but for now let’s set it aside.  We are looking for ways to calm the energy at this point.

Air, the gentle flow.  The breath is the beginning of all grounding.  Slow even breathing, gentle tempo, even the counting of breath will help calm the mind, ease the body and therefore sooth the soul.  Some folks are air type people, and breathing is enough to ground them to a sense of calm.   This could be done anywhere, in a meeting, at the mall, during a walk, anywhere.  In times of stress it’s great to take a few deep breaths, to slow the world down just a bit and give you a chance to greater awareness.

Water, going with the flow.  Water the earth’s gift of flowing joy.   Many people can meditate and gently follow the flow of liquid calm.  Personally I enjoy the heck out of meditating by a stream.  Water people are movers, they travel in fluid movement. So to try and connect with a nonmoving object like the earth would be quite hard for these folks.   In times of strife and in places where going to a stream is not possible, running water over your wrist in a washroom will help gather the energy and focus. Or a nice cool glass of water will help as well, however I have found that water on the skin and then going down the drain acts of a “cord” of sorts to grounding to the earth, if that makes sense.

Now of course the earth, she holds us securely and accepts the bad with the good.  Many send a chord through their body to the earth like tree roots.  Personally I like to send my energy to the center of the earth, to the fiery core, and then back through me to the sun.  I am grounded by fire at both ends, earth, water and air in the middle.  I like having the action of fire at both ends, but that’s just me