PMS Diet: What You Eat and Don't Eat Can Control Premenstrual Syndrome

I remember back in the early 1980s when the term PMS (Premenstrual Syndrome) was coined. We who suffer from monthly backache, irritability, tiredness and weight gain have always known that it was related to our menstrual cycle. But it was nice to have an official acronym finally. And it was nice to be told by doctors (mostly male) that there really was a reason for our moodiness and misery.

PMS and it's loyal sufferers have come in for a lot of ribald comments and pawkish jest. I honestly think that many men feel sorrier for themselves when their wife or girlfriend is suffering from her monthly PMS attack. And those charming references: 'on the rag', etc. I find that all this humor at our expense a little macabre. We don't tease people who suffer from, oh say, erectile dysfunction. 'Hey droopy!' 'How's it hanging; oh wait, it's always hanging!'. And when my husband contracted epididimytis (extreme swelling of the testicles), he didn't feel too chipper. But did I go around moping because he was as grouchy as a schizophrenic Siamese in heat? No. Did I make merry with his ailment? 'Hiya Lumpy!' 'Look everyone, it's Gigantor!' Indeed I did not.

I don't think that we should have to keep quiet when the PMS demon is on the loose. But I do want to offer some suggestions for coping with your PMS as comfortably as possible. Here is a basic PMS diet, including what and what not to eat during those eventful seven or days before D-Day.

Avoid caffeine, particularly chocolate. I'm sorry. I know it's not fair. But honestly, caffeine elevates the blood pressure and heart rate on a good day. On a difficult day, it can turn a nice decent gal with PMS into a Jane the Ripper.

Avoid alcohol, especially wine. Don't cry. I know that sometimes those glasses of wine mean the difference between stability and Mortal Kombat, and not with the kids, always. The sugar level in wine, combined with the alcohol produces a sort of Molotov Cocktail in the bloodstream of a pre-menstrual woman.