Link Between PMS and Inflammation

Hello lovely-As you know by now, I'm always on the look-out to help women balance their hormones naturally, and recently came across a new large study conducted in the Journal For Women's Health that is linking higher levels of C-Reactive Proteins to PMS.

What is C-Reactive Protein (aka CRP)?

CRP is produced in your liver and it increases in the presence of inflammation in your body. The higher the level the more inflammation you have. This is a good test to have done because it tells you a great deal about your health and how you can prevent diseases caused by long term inflammation such as heart disease, many types of cancer, depression, osteoperosis, diabetes, dimentia, and even Alzheimers.

PMS effects 4 out of 5 women of childbearing age and half of all women have symptoms so severe they seek medical treatment. 1 in 10 have an inability to function for a few days and many of us are prescribed pain relievers or anti-depressants to make it through. Symptoms of PMS include moodiness, weight gain, bloating, breast tenderness, increased appetite, & cramps. What's interesting is that the CRP link is just as strong in women who report one or two symptoms than all of them.

The cool part of this is that now we have a potential new pathway for relief! If we know that eating an anti-inflammatory diet and leading an anti-inflammatory lifestyle can help lessen your CRP levels, we now have some tools to not only stay on top of a keeping these nasty modern diseases away, but of relieving pesky PMS symptoms too. A double whammy!

Here are 5 ways to fight inflammation through diet:

1. Keep blood sugar stable! Limiting sweets, eating whole grains (without overdoing them), eating a balanced plate and timing your meals is the golden ticket here.

2. Eat more monounsaturated fat than saturated fat (about a 2:1 ratio). Try not to go too crazy with fatty meats, dairy and coconut oil and use olive oil as your primary cooking oil and you're all good.

3. Eat more omega-3 and less omega-6 fats. Omega 6's aren't bad for you but these days we're seeing the ratio between them get flipped on it's head and it's making us sick. Keeping a balance between 6 and 3 is really important. Be sure you get your 3's through more fish, flax/hemp seeds, walnuts, and fortified eggs and fewer foods made with corn, soy and vegetable oils (this is where your 6's come in strong!).

Olive Oil

4. Consume more vegetables and dark, leafy greens.

5. Spice it up! There's many delicious anti-inflammatory spices out there but ginger, turmeric, onions, garlic, & chili peppers are the top contenders. Put them on everything. :)

If you're looking for some support in getting your weight just right, leveling your moods, having loads of energy, balancing your hormones, and having a beautiful relationship to food and your body, I've got your back!

My signature 10-week Reclaim Your Body & Restore Your Glow program has a proven track record and has recently been revamped, and I promise: It. Will. Rock. Your. WORLD!

I've just had 5 women finish this revamped program and every single one had incredible results. I'll be posting more about this (and their experiences) in the next month or so, but you can find out more about it here. Let me know if you'd like to discuss if it's a good fit for you.

Love, health, and Omega-3's!

Stephanie