If you eat ‘this food’ indiscriminately during your period, your blood sugar will spike.

As my period approaches, my appetite increases and I eat things I don't usually eat I often crave snacks does.

These changes in dietary habits should not be ignored by considering them a natural consequence of menstruation.

What could be the reason?

 

 

◇ Various hormones stimulate appetite

 

The reason appetite and eating habits change before and after menstruation is due to hormonal changes.

From ovulation until menstruation, estrogen decreases and progesterone increases.

Progesterone increases appetite and causes fat to accumulate easily in the body.

 

Therefore, at this time, people tend to consume more food than usual and seek out stimulating foods with sweet, salty, or spicy flavors.

In fact, as a result of a survey conducted by a Gachon University research team on 400 female university students in Korea,

The most craving for food during menstruation was sweet foods such as chocolate, at 74.1%.

The secretion of serotonin in the brain also decreases just before and during menstruation.

Serotonin is a substance called the happiness hormone, and if its levels decrease, depression or

It is easy to feel negative emotions such as anxiety, and appetite increases.

Therefore, this leads people to seek out sweet foods or high-carbohydrate foods that temporarily stimulate serotonin secretion.

 

 

◇ Causes blood sugar spikes

 

To summarize the above hormonal changes,

Cravings for foods high in sugar or carbohydrates from right before menstruation to during menstruation, or

It is difficult to control an excessive appetite. However, at this time, without controlling the appetite...

If you eat indiscriminately, blood sugar spikes are likely to occur. Blood sugar spikes occur after eating.

It refers to the phenomenon where blood sugar levels rise rapidly.

 

As progesterone decreases and the secretion of the stress hormone cortisol increases,

Even if you eat the same food, blood sugar control may be worse than at other times.

 

If you experience frequent blood sugar spikes, your body gradually becomes unresponsive to insulin, the hormone that lowers blood sugar.

The risk of metabolic diseases, including diabetes, increases.

 

In fact, the brain's response to insulin decreases just before and during menstruation.

A research team at the University of Tübingen Medical School in Germany analyzed the brains of 15 women using MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

As a result, the brain's response to insulin decreased from after ovulation until the end of menstruation.

High blood sugar levels accumulate as fat, increasing the risk of weight gain.

 

 

◇ Control your appetite and eat healthy snacks

 

When it is difficult to control your appetite due to menstruation, try drinking herbal tea or peppermint tea.

It helps blood circulation and has the effect of suppressing appetite.

When you crave sweet food, it is sweet and contains various vitamins and dietary fiber,

It is good to eat fruits containing nutrients such as protein.

 

In addition, nuts, seeds, and vegetable sticks are also snacks that help maintain a long-lasting feeling of fullness and protect blood sugar levels.

 

 

[Source: Health Chosun]