There are lots of great things about being a woman. One not-so-great part? Those few days every month during which it feels like tiny monsters with hammers are banging on and twisting your internal organs.
Translation: Period cramps suck, and we’re constantly on the lookout for ways to ease our pain.
Enter Maria Marlowe, an integrative nutrition health coach and author of The Real Food Grocery Guide. She told us that while she used to get terrible cramps, certain changes to her diet have rendered them almost obsolete.
“Cramps are not a necessary part of getting your period and can actually be a sign of a magnesium deficiency,” she said. “In general, the best sources of magnesium are legumes, nuts and seeds. A few recipes I’d recommend are the Chocolate Almond Avocado Smoothie, Double Chocolate No Bake Brownies, Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Bread or a high-quality piece of dark chocolate with a handful of raw almonds or nuts.”
