Ayurvedic Diet And Lifestyle During Menstruation (Periods)
Ayurveda treatises have dedicated a few chapters exclusively emphasizing on women's health and its maintenance. Maintaining health issues at the earliest in women is utmost important as her normal body doshas are more prone to undergo imbalance due to changes occurring in her physical condition.
Menstruation is such a condition wherein doshas are more prone to undergo changes if proper diet and lifestyle is not followed pertaining to symptoms present during menstrual flow, body type, her digestion strength etc. Imbalance of these doshas during the menstrual cycle affects her health as well as the health of her progeny.
Menstrual cycle is a natural cleansing process occurring in women every month. If this process is regular then it itself heals the imbalanced doshas and purifies blood tissue and rasa dhatu to maintain normal reproductive tissue in women. Hence maintaining and correcting the menstrual cycle to normalcy is of utmost importance in Ayurveda.
Watch -Tips to control PCODDiet and Regimen during Menstruation
Diet and regimen during periods should be such that it should balance doshas, maintain digestive fire and satvik to mind.
Maintain digestive strength
Low digestive strength is one of the factors that causes imbalance in dosha. Such imbalanced dosha in women can cause her to encounter various menstrual disorders. Low digestive strength will accumulate toxins (ama) in channels which cause obstruction in menstrual flow and makes it painful. Indigestion can also cause symptoms such as headache, nausea, vomiting, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea etc during menstrual cycle.
Light food which is digested easily is served fresh and warm. Example - greengram, fried barley gruel etc
Drinking warm water helps smooth menstrual flow by reducing abdominal cramps, maintains digestion normal, improves appetite and taste.
Avoid oily food stuffs, junk food, refrigerated food items,
deep fried, burnt food stuffs, fish, meat, cheese etc which is heavy for digestion.
Take food at regular time when food taken previously is digested. Do not skip your meals.
Diet should contain ghee in little quantity. This helps maintain your digestive acids, nourishes the reproductive tissues, maintain apana vata in downward direction so it helps smooth menstrual flow by reducing abdominal cramps, bloating, headache etc Ghee also calm your mind as it is one of the satvik food which is recommended for daily intake. Hence including it in daily diet in proper quantity in women also helps relieve stress, anxiety, mood swings, fear etc
Maintain vata dosha
• Take rest - Avoid excess physical strain during menstrual flow as it can increase your body vata dosha which can cause symptoms such as pain, abdominal cramps, headache, anxiety, mood swings etc. Hence it is best to avoid excessive exercising, walking for long distance, long travel, detox treatment such as emesis, purgation, enema etc Avoid late night sleep, night vigils and do not suppress natural urges. All these activities cause imbalance in apana vata which in normal governs menstruation, ovulation, conception etc in women.Recommended diet for vata dosha during menstrual flow - Ghee, Milk, sugarcane juice, coconut water, almonds, banana, pomegranate, cereals such as rice and wheat, spices such as cumin seeds, coriander, sesame seeds, ginger etc
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Maintain pitta dosha
Avoid intake of spicy, sour, salty taste foods. Example - excess using chilly, tamarind, tender mango, pickle. These foods can cause excess menstrual flow, menstrual burning sensation, anger outburst etc • Recommended diet for pitta dosha during menstrual flow - Milk, Ghee, Greengram, Snake guard, chikku, pomegranate, almonds, sugarcane, cumin seeds etc
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Calming mind
Your diet, thoughts, and activities influence your mental status. Satvik diet diet which is light to digest, freshly prepared, warm, sweet tasting food etc is considered as satvik to mind i.e it calms your mind, bestows optimistic thoughts, improves strength and immunity.
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Meditation
Stress during menstruation can make it painful and cause different aches such as low back ache, abdominal cramps, headache etc. Meditation such as practice of inner silence i.e antar mouna, pranayam helps relieve stress. Mental stress causes imbalance in vata dosha which causes various pain and aches. On relieving stress, anxiety etc balances vata dosha which helps to relieve pain and aches during menstruation and makes its flow smooth and easy.
For more information and support about your menstrual problems, Contact 7420004242 for an appointment visit Sukhayu Hospital Nashik,Maharashtra
