Painful menstrual cramps are the most common gynecological condition among women of reproductive age. More than half of women report some pain from period cramps for a day or two each month, according to the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. Unfortunately, many women don’t seek treatment because they consider pain to be a normal part of the menstrual cycle. But it doesn’t have to be.

Studies have shown that women who experience higher levels of pain have higher levels of inflammatory prostaglandins or hormone-like substances in their bodies. High levels of prostaglandins can promote painful uterine contractions, decreased blood flow to the uterus, and pain. So in many cases, the solution for menstrual cramps is to avoid foods that increase inflammation, and emphasize foods that decrease inflammation.

Celeb nutritionist Rujuta Diwekar whose clientele includes a number of Bollywood bigwigs including Kareena Kapoor, Alia Bhatt, Saif Ali Khan and Varun Dhawan, says that a diverse diet is key to maintaining diverse gut bacteria which in turn helps with insulin sensitivity and regulates periods.

Follow her 6 simple diet and fitness tips to regularize your periods and make them pain-free –

1) Make Ragi a regular part of your diet. You can eat it either as dosa, porridge or bhakri. Nachni helps prevent cramps and acne that comes around the chin before or during periods. There are other incredible health benefits of Ragi too.

2) Coconut, ghee, jaggery and aliv (halim or gardencress) seeds are great for reducing enlarged pores on the skin. Before periods, a number of women get acne and excessively oily skin. These foods can actually help tighten pores and reduce the occurrence of acne.

3) Make sure you eat plenty of raw banana, suran (elephant yam), sprouted legumes. They help prevent PMS and migraine. They can also prevent spotting that goes on for days after your periods. Try these other foods to deal with PMS.

4) Any kind of exercise can help reduce period-related problems, elevate your mood and increase blood circulation. But make sure you weight train once a week to improve bone mineral density and muscle tone.

5) Practice yoga asanas, especially the restorative poses like Supta baddhakonasana or reclined bound angle pose to ease pain during heavy flow. Supta baddhakonasana will help ease delivery during pregnancy too.

6) Take a Calcium & Vitamin B12 supplement during the entire week of the period to keep cramps and headaches and backaches at bay.

Bhakti Shah, Yoga Practitioner and OoWomaniya Expert performs 8 simple asanas that will help you to get relief from pain during periods, check out the video –

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