Ladies.. Period Cravings

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carlymaceachern
carlymaceachern Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
When I'm on my period I'm constantly fighting that junk food craving. What healthy alternatives do you use to indulge on those brutal days that still satisfies your cravings? I found a recipe for Pumpkin Pancakes on PaleOmg.com that satisfies, what about you?
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Replies

  • ahoy_m8
    ahoy_m8 Posts: 3,053 Member
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    Magnesium-rich foods... almonds, lots of spinach, mustard greens, chard. Nutritiondata.com doesn't provide logging like MFP but it does provide a detailed nutrient break down for one day at a time. If you track one day, you can see if a supplement might help you, too. I don't have cravings when my meals are super dense nutritionally. Not as clever as pumpkin pancakes, I realize.
  • carlymaceachern
    carlymaceachern Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks @ahoy_m8‌ :)
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Popcorn. I crave salt, and making my own popcorn means it's healthier than microwaved, even with a little drizzle of butter, and I can put all the salt I want on it! You can also use sugar instead of salt if you crave sweet, but you'll need to keep track of how much.
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Fudge pops. Jello pudding cups. Popcorn. Mac & cheese single serve cups (I add steamed broccoli to mine). Chocolate yogurt (Greek or regular).
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I just eat what I want, but keep myself in my calorie goal. I'll eat the chocolate, but instead of an entire bar, I'll eat 1/2 of a serving (or the full serving if I can fit it in), and then move on.
  • byvanzant
    byvanzant Posts: 18 Member
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    I totally know how you are feeling! I have to force myself to just go outside and walk regardless of what the weather is like..like today was under 20 degrees...otherwise I will eat the house! I am trying to distinguish between cravings and true hunger so I normally try the water trick and the get up and move trick and it seems to be helping. Lucky for me I dont have chocolate in the house otherwise it would be all over!!
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
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    jdhcm2006 wrote: »
    I just eat what I want, but keep myself in my calorie goal. I'll eat the chocolate, but instead of an entire bar, I'll eat 1/2 of a serving (or the full serving if I can fit it in), and then move on.

    ^^This is me. Today I ate nothing but takeout type stuff today (I crave salty/greasy during my period). Some wings, chips, and a double cheeseburger. So what? It wasn't the most balanced days (I'm mindful of this 95% of the time). But for 1 or 2 days a month, dangit! I'm going to eat a few comfort things as long as I stay within my calorie goal.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Why don't you just eat your junk food? I have no idea if my 3 brownies tonight was prompted by my period but either way I ate them because I had the cals and I wanted them.
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    IN for chocolate!!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
    edited February 2015
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    ana3067 wrote: »
    Why don't you just eat your junk food? I have no idea if my 3 brownies tonight was prompted by my period but either way I ate them because I had the cals and I wanted them.


    xucahmqdyvbr.jpeg
  • dunnodunno
    dunnodunno Posts: 2,290 Member
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    Sometimes you just need to indulge in whatever you like. When you know your period is coming up you could always save some calories & eat your favorite foods be it sweets or salty. From my experience sometimes substitutions can work & other times you'll still want to eat what you were originally craving in the first place.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    Liftng4Lis wrote: »
    ana3067 wrote: »
    Why don't you just eat your junk food? I have no idea if my 3 brownies tonight was prompted by my period but either way I ate them because I had the cals and I wanted them.


    xucahmqdyvbr.jpeg

    They basically looked like this. I made REAL brownies for the first itme in like... more than a year. No added protein, no substitute ingredientsto make them "healthy" like I used to do years ago. just normal (albeit box mix) brownies that are DELICIOUS. I forgot how soft and chewy and fudgy brownies are
    13634300731559302005.GIF
  • daretodream71
    daretodream71 Posts: 2
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    Peanut butter on a spoon with dark chocolate chips. yummm.
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    dunnodunno wrote: »
    Sometimes you just need to indulge in whatever you like. When you know your period is coming up you could always save some calories & eat your favorite foods be it sweets or salty. From my experience sometimes substitutions can work & other times you'll still want to eat what you were originally craving in the first place.
    I never know when my period is coming because I don't track it. It's regular, but I just alwasy somehow forget that three weeks have gone by since my last period.. it always feels like it's been years in between.
  • nam985
    nam985 Posts: 140 Member
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    I allow myself to indulge within reason. I'm a greasy/salty/deep fried girl when I am PMS'ing, and crave potato chips and dip in the worst way. Since I only have a period 3-4 times a year (yay for continuous bc!!!) it really isn't a huge deal if I put away a big bag of chips over a day or two.
  • carlymaceachern
    carlymaceachern Posts: 16 Member
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    daretodream71 wrote: »
    Peanut butter on a spoon with dark chocolate chips. yummm.

    Yum that sounds great :)

    I usually do indulge but I'm trying to find some satisfying alternatives so I have cals for nutrition!
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    carlymaceachern wrote: »
    daretodream71 wrote: »
    Peanut butter on a spoon with dark chocolate chips. yummm.

    Yum that sounds great :)

    I usually do indulge but I'm trying to find some satisfying alternatives so I have cals for nutrition!

    Just because you indulge on low-nutrition food doesn't mean you're overall failing to meet your nutritional needs. Diets are a context, they do not occur within a vacuum. Unless all day every day is PB with chocolate, you are fine to over-indulge.
  • Shellsmiley
    Shellsmiley Posts: 323 Member
    edited February 2015
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    I usually crave chocolate. What I do is make homemade hot chocolate by adding 2 teaspoons of demerara sugar (it's what I prefer, you can use whatever sugar or sweetener you like) and 1 tablespoon of cocoa. It usually does the trick. If it doesn't, I'll make some homemade brownies or cake and insist my friends take most of it home and leave myself 1 piece per day of my period. It usually does the trick to nix my cravings. :) I don't limit myself from eating chocolate, I just don't buy pre-made brownies or eat store bought junk food. I insist on making it myself so I know the exact ingredients that go into it. :)
  • Nottafattie
    Nottafattie Posts: 140 Member
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    OP, I get where you're coming from. It's always nice when I find something that fills a nutritional need while feeling indulgent. It's like having the best of both worlds because then you really deny yourself nothing. It's not that I can't work around the junk I used to eat, but I love it when I find something that works just as well for me and doesn't leave a nutritional void.

    That being said, I saw something about taking a few strawberries, coring them out and filling them with a touch of cheesecake filling before drizzling them lightly with chocolate. I think three good sized berries gets you around 100 cals, but I haven't tried it for myself (yet).
  • wendyceline25
    wendyceline25 Posts: 1
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    Bacon is surprisingly very healthy, despite what most people think! I also eat a lot of bologna and meats like that.

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