Painful Periods? Avoid These "Clean Eating" Mistakes

It is common in the hormone health and clean eating world to reduce foods such as dairy and red meat, and replace them with nut milks, chia seeds, flaxseed oil, nut butters, nut cheeses and supplement with omega 3 oils. 

But what would you say if I told you that one of the key steps I took to banish my period pain was to switch back to dairy products, scrap the fake cheeses and milks and eat plenty of grass fed red meat!?

 
 

The truth is, “clean eating” foods such as nuts and seeds, and all of their products, are actually highly inflammatory to the body. 

This is because they are a concentrated source of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA’s). 

When consumed these oils can become a problem due to their structure, which is much less stable compared to saturated fatty acids. In the presence of heat, oxygen (your body is a 37 degree oxygen rich vessel), and light PUFA's oxidise (go rancid) and cause a chain reaction of free radical damage which can lead to:

  • Suppressed immune function and increase in autoimmunity - damaged thymic cells caused by high PUFA diet, Dr Hans Selye found the more damaged to the thymus, the higher risk of autoimmunity.

  • Insulin resistance, as the cellular oxidation reduces the cells ability to breakdown sugar and use it as energy.

  • Suppressed thyroid and metabolic function by reducing cellular respiration, slowing body functions and encouraging fat storage (there's a reason bears and squirrels load up on nuts to go into hibernation!)

  • Drives oestrogen accumulation leading to an increase in cellular proliferation (growth), increases PMS, heavy, painful periods and impairs progesterone production and function.

Whilst all of the above play a role in painful periods, it is the production of prostaglandins that are most relevant when addressing period pain through nutrition interventions. 

Prostaglandins are hormone-like substances made from fatty acids and act as immune modulators in the presence of areas of inflammation in the body. They are also needed to help ovulation, induce labor and initiate your bleed. 

Prostaglandins contract your uterus to trigger the release of your uterine lining, initiating your monthly bleed. However, the problem comes when series 1 and series 2 prostaglandins are out of balance. 

Painful periods, which is a condition also known as dysmenorrhoea, are associated with a high amount of series 2 prostaglandins causing the blood vessels in the uterine to constrict which reduces the blood flow and oxygen to the area, whilst at the same time contracting the uterus to release the uterine lining. 

This high amount of series 2 prostaglandins can also cause back ache, pelvic and leg pain, and bowel irritation which can lead to painful or urgent bowel movements. 

If you’re someone like myself who suffers with a condition such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, or fibroids, prostaglandins will likely still have a big part to play in your story. Whilst period pain is often a secondary symptom of these conditions, the role of PUFA’s can be a contributing factor to the presence of your symptoms. 

 
 

One of my most successful strategies in addressing painful periods is removing the consumption of unnecessary sources of polyunsaturated fat (PUFA) in the daily diet. This is because PUFAs are a precursor to prostaglandin production, and overconsumption of these fatty acids are shown to raise the levels of circulating series 2 prostaglandins. 

High amounts of PUFAs can be found in oils such as:

  • Sunflower and sunflower lecithin 

  • Rapeseed/canola

  • Soybean and soya lecithin 

  • Sesame  

  • Peanut

  • Flaxseed

  • Hempseed

  • Chia Seed

  • Fish oils and other Omega products 

Considering the above, it is important to avoid all fried food as it is usually cooked in rapeseed/ canola, or sunflower oil, and check the ingredients in all of your store bought products, I bet you struggle to find a brand that doesn’t use sunflower, rapeseed/canola, or soya!

The main culprits are margarine, marinades, hummus, mayonnaise, canned and fresh soups, snack and protein bars, pesto, breaded meats and fish, free from alternatives, and much more.

Instead, use ghee, butter, coconut and extra virgin olive oil for cooking and marinades. Cook from scratch with fresh ingredients and avoid fried food when eating out. If you enjoy baked goods, make them yourself and use butter instead of margarine. 

 
 

PUFAs are a natural part of a wholefood diet, for example eggs, animal meat, organ meat, and fatty fish all contain PUFAs. It’s the quality of these foods that is important. 

Grass fed meat and dairy, free range eggs and poultry, and wild caught fish have a much higher content of saturated fatty acids compared to polyunsaturated fat. Read the saturated fat myth buster article here. 

Reducing vegetable oils, stopping fish oil supplementation and increasing consumption of grass fed dairy and meat products alongside quality carbs has been a very successful strategy for reducing period pain in my clinic. 

Abby Foreman