Healthy Foods to Help Reduce PMS/PMDD Symptoms

This evening I made quite a gourmet meal for myself and the family. The food was extremely filling and totally sumptuous (if I do say so myself).

I am following the diet strategies I have laid out on this site.

I made the following:

• Baked organic chicken with herbs
• Organic brown rice - boiled
• Chickpea, kidney bean, tomato and red onion salad (all organic) - with some olive oil, tiny bit of balsamic vinegar and sweet paprika as the dressing
• Organic garden salad - with cos lettuce, mignonette lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes (from our garden)
• Onion, okra and gourmet mushroom sauce - made with wholemeal spelt flour, water, oil, herbs and salt

Sounds like a lot of food, but when you eat just a little of each food, the meal is just perfect. I had a few pecans and a few small pieces of pineapple (both organic) about an hour later.

Now, first let me say that this meal was so unbelievably delicious. It's probably because I made it with organic ingredients, which always have more flavour and partly because I was absolutely starving by the time we ate. None of the above were from any recipe books - I came up with each item myself. Nothing was very difficult to make anyway.

The interesting thing to note, is that again my teeth felt whiter after the meal and I had a lot more energy after the meal. Even though it felt like a lot of food, I don't feel bloated and full after the meal. I shall try to incorporate more legumes into my meals, more times in the week and also mushrooms too, as they have a lot of essential nutrients and antioxidant properties. Very good to eat at any time.

In regards to PMS
I am officially in PMS mode at the moment, as my ability to not get so easily irritated is just a tiny bit compromised.

But, because I am eating much better (very little processed food, mostly natural food), exercising, massaging my legs and meditating, I have found that I feel okay. So this is quite nice.

On a side note, I am not even taking any herbs, vitamins or other supplements at the moment, so to feel okay without taking anything is pretty good. It's very indicative of what a good diet, exercise, fresh air and less stress can do for a person - makes PMS better.

Since this is working so well for me, I shall continue doing it for the foreseeable future.

Some detoxification

I have decided to start detoxifying the fat around my thighs and behind (where most women have some fat deposits) by using a hand-held massage unit. Basically I use it for about 10 minutes on each leg (front and back), massaging every bit of my upper and lower legs:

• from the top of my foot to the point where my leg joins my torso and
  
• at the back, from the ankle to the start of the lower back
  

I make sure I massage every part of my legs really well and always massage upwards, towards the heart.

This has the effect of stimulating the lymphatic system to remove any toxins that have built up in the fat cells (as that is where they are stored) and detoxify them through the liver and excrete all toxins through the urine.

If there is too much oestrogen stored in the liver (which is also a problem for many women with PMS and PMDD), this massage stimulation should help to get rid of that in a safe and effective manner too.

The great thing about this massage I am giving myself, is that it not only stimulates the lymphatic system, it also stimulates the circulatory system and ensures that my circulation is working properly in my legs. By increasing circulation (especially since mine is not exactly great in my legs - they are always cold) and increasing lymphatic draining, it means I am increasing the the rate of toxin removal from my system and ensuring that my veins and arteries (and capillaries) are working properly. It also means that I will be at less risk for varicose veins, which are a problem for a lot of women, older women especially, but also for younger women too.

I know this massage therapy I have embarked upon is working, because a little time after I have completed the massage, I need to pass some urine, even though I have not had any liquids to drink in the intervening time after the massage. This is a really good sign. It means that the massage therapy is working exactly as I have described above.

I will gradually increase the amount I massage my legs each day - I started with 5 minutes each leg and now I am at 10 minutes each leg.

I aim to make it about 30 minutes each leg, which I shall continue for about 30 days at that length of time (each day).

After this, I will reduce it to 30 minutes every two days.

I will gradually taper it off to about 15 minutes each leg about once a week or once every two weeks.

I hope this is another item of assistance not just for PMS, but also for my good health!