WOMEN'S SPECIAL

Cravings, Periods, Pregnancy and More

By PW Nutritionist Grace Scott

This week it’s all about us girls! This piece is dedicated all to all thing’s female related, so expect lots of mentions of cravings, menstruation, contraception, pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Something that we nutritionists at PW HQ are always getting asked is “can I take Protein World products if I am taking contraception?” and good news… the answer is yes! None of our products, including our best-selling Slender Blend, affect the effectiveness of oral contraceptives or the contraceptive injection. Contraceptives work as a hormone balancer, and since it’s often an imbalance of hormones that trigger those pesky food cravings, taking contraceptives should ease your cycle, allowing you to practice safe sex and should hopefully subdue those cravings.

Mother nature’s gift. A gift we’d much rather return or exchange for something more fun. We are all different and all experience symptoms of PMS to varying degrees; some get excruciating pain, others mood swings and then there’s those lucky ones who seem to sweep past that time of the month without so much as a single cramp. And let’s not even talk about the cravings! During that week before your period, you just want to eat all the food, right? Well, turns out there is actually a scientific reason as to why… HALLELUJAH! During the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle (the phase where estrogen levels are low and progesterone levels are high) women tend to eat more carbs, more fats and sweets, with chocolate being the optimum sweet treat. No surprise considering it has the perfect balance of carbs and fats which seems to make us feel better during this dreaded week.

Research suggests this is because women are seeking comfort. Thinking about a food and then allowing ourselves to eat it is rarely due to hunger but merely the need to make ourselves feel better. It has also been suggested that during the luteal phase women crave carbs because they crank up the body’s levels of serotonin; one of the main contributors to the feelings of happiness. Unfortunately, many of the carbs we crave are refined, meaning they usually contain high fat and sugar contents! Choosing slow-release carbohydrates will give you that carby hit without the unwanted extras, our Slender Porridge is an excellent source of complex carbohydrates and a great choice for breakfast to keep you full until lunch! Generally speaking, a healthy colourful diet is key to feeling at optimum health, remember to eat plenty of iron to account for the mineral loss from your period, good sources of iron include meat, fish, tofu and lentils!

Finally, let’s talk pregnancy and breastfeeding. Many of you new or expectant mums out there are curious to know whether or not you can have the Slender Blend shake. Of course you can! However, there are restrictions to this for the health of your little one. We recommend only one shake to be consumed per day due to the caffeine content and Vitamin A content; both of these can seep into your breastmilk so should be treated with caution, but the shake works as an excellent low-calorie snack alongside a healthy balanced diet. What is important to remember is during this time either pregnancy or breastfeeding it is not a time to preoccupy yourself with weight loss! You need to be at full health to tackle the challenge of your little bundle of joy and the best way to help with this is a full and varied diet full of protein, fruit and vegetables, complex carbohydrates and healthy fats. It can all sound confusing, so we’ve tried to make it a little simpler by creating the table below!

* We do not advise taking our any of capsule collection whilst breastfeeding or pregnant except our Yummy Mummy capsules which are designed specifically for pregnancy and post pregnancy containing vitamins that contribute to healthy hair and nails, energy and immune system support.
* If you have any other questions regarding anything in this blog or your own circumstances please email us at advice@proteinworld.com