Can I eat chocolate during my menstrual period?

Today I heard the customer service discussing this issue. The reason was that a customer bought chocolate from us and said he was buying it for his girlfriend. So he asked our customer service whether he could eat chocolate during menstruation. Let's take a look at the answer we found!

There is a phenol complex in chocolate that not only prevents the fat in chocolate from turning rancid, but can also be quickly absorbed by blood vessels after entering the human body, significantly increasing the antioxidant content in the blood. It quickly acts as an antioxidant, strongly preventing LDL oxidation and inhibiting platelet activity in blood vessels, playing an important role in maintaining blood flow in human blood vessels.

At the same time, studies have shown that chocolate can increase the concentration of serotonin in the brain. The more serotonin there is in the brain, the more positive, optimistic and happy people will feel. Of course, it also applies to premenstrual syndrome (PMS) which is characterized by mood swings, anxiety and depression a few days before menstruation. Therefore, it is good for women to eat some chocolate during menstruation, but they should not eat too much.

If you eat too much chocolate at one time, the large amount of monosaccharides in the chocolate may enter your body, stimulating the secretion of insulin, causing blood sugar to drop instantly, which stimulates your appetite. If you are afraid of gaining weight but want to add some sweets, you can intersperse starchy foods such as pasta, whole wheat bread, and cereal in between. This will not lead to a large amount of insulin secretion, and the effect of relieving menstrual pain will be the same. It will also provide a higher sense of fullness and will be less likely to become a delicious and fattening food. It can also relieve menstrual pain in women with dysmenorrhea.

In addition to these, what else should women pay attention to during menstrual care?

1. Don’t eat sweets deliberately: such as drinks, cakes, brown sugar, and candy. Prevent blood sugar instability and avoid aggravating various discomforts.

2. Eat more high-fiber foods: Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, whole wheat bread, brown rice, oats and other foods contain more fiber, which can promote the excretion of estrogen, increase the magnesium content in the blood, and have the effect of regulating menstruation and calming nerves.

3. Get enough protein: Eat more high-protein foods such as meat, eggs, tofu, soybeans, etc. for lunch and dinner to replenish the nutrients and minerals lost during menstruation.

4. Women who have heavy menstrual bleeding should consume more high-fiber foods such as spinach, candied dates, red vegetables (vegetables with red soup), raisins, etc. to replenish blood.

5. Avoid consuming caffeinated beverages: Coffee, tea and other beverages will increase anxiety and uneasiness. You can drink barley tea or mint tea instead.

In addition, some women have an increased appetite before their menstrual period. This is usually caused by hormones. There is no need to restrain yourself too much. Taking some vitamin E can improve the situation slightly. Never deliberately restrict your appetite, as this can easily lead to low moods, anxiety and other emotions.

Also, those who are prone to swelling in the lower abdomen or lower limbs before menstruation should limit their salt intake and avoid eating overly salty foods, such as pickled or smoked foods. At this time, you can eat more red bean and coix seed soup, because red beans are rich in iron and have diuretic function, while coix seed has a diuretic effect. If you think it is too troublesome to make it yourself, you can buy ready-made one, or just eat eight-treasure porridge.