Why Do Women Crave Chocolate During Their Periods?

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Just as your period is about to start, you start to feel as though there isn’t enough chocolate, ice cream, or other sweets in the world to satisfy your cravings.

On their period, women crave chocolate because serotonin levels drop and insulin levels rise.

Find out if you should keep your emergency chocolate supply or if you should throw it away by reading on.

Table of Contents

Why Do You Crave Chocolate on Your Period?

Why Do Women Crave Chocolate During Their Periods?

Once ovulation has started, your body adjusts and follows the regular cycle of shedding its uterine lining and associated toxins. The happy hormone serotonin levels fall while insulin levels rise. (Read More: When Does Ovulation Weight Go Away)

Due to insulin’s ability to level out your blood sugar, this risky combination makes you crave sugary foods to raise your blood sugar levels, such as chocolate, which is a dangerous mood-booster due to its sweet combination of sugar and fat.

In addition, a decrease in progesterone and estrogen production makes you feel more peckish than usual, especially for comfort foods rich in calcium, sugar, and carbohydrates, which explains why you crave chocolate during your period.

Reduced oestrogen levels are associated with changes in insulin sensitivity, which also cause cravings and weight gain. The second half of your menstrual cycle is when this is more common.

But you’re not by yourself. In the days before their periods, many women claim to have a strong urge to eat chocolate. If you already enjoy this treat, it makes sense that you would crave chocolate when you are sluggish or down. Naturally, when your hormones change, you’ll turn to comfort foods.

Increase your intake of complex carbohydrates to help sooth chocolate cravings. In addition to being healthier, they also make you feel more satisfied, control your blood sugar, and ease cramps. Recall legumes and whole grains.

Choose foods like leafy greens and milk-based porridge that are also high in calcium and magnesium for a double dose.

Is Chocolate Good for You When You’re on Your Period?

A treat to cheer you up is acceptable if it actually makes you feel better, even though bingeing on junk food is not recommended. Just be mindful of your intake and make an effort to choose healthier alternatives to your favorite comfort foods.

If you need a motivational boost, theobromine, a stimulant found in chocolate, can aggravate pain if you already have cramps. Nobody wants to experience more excruciating cramping, and the additional sugar would probably make you feel more sensitive as you cope with PMS mood swings.

When you don’t need it, combining the stimulant, sugar, and caffeine can significantly increase your cravings for unhealthy foods. Instead, consider using a calcium supplement as a stopgap.

While sweet chocolate can throw you off balance, dark chocolate can provide some solace. With fewer sweeteners and more cocoa, it satisfies your desire for a magnesium boost without the sugar high and subsequent crash.

Additionally, it increases endorphins, which lessens pain by relaxing your muscles, which can help with cramps.

The omega-3 and omega-6 components of dark chocolate also contribute to your ability to maintain a positive outlook and reduce stress. Even your skin can be made better, and it can increase your iron levels to give you more energy.

For the most part, dark chocolate will do the trick if you really need a fix. Small amounts of sweet chocolate may make you feel better temporarily. You might find it easier to handle some of the other negative effects of PMS.

How to Control PMS Cravings

The severity of PMS can vary, and some people experience depression, rage, anxiety, and irritability as a result. By calming the internal storm with a complex carbohydrate-rich diet (whole grain bread, pasta, oats, brown rice, beans, and lentils), one can lessen the menstrual emotional roller coaster ride. You can reduce PMS symptoms and food cravings without compromising your healthy eating practices by increasing your intake of these beneficial carbs.

Eating frequently—every three to four hours—will help to balance your mood by stabilizing your blood sugar. Avoid processed foods, refined sugars, and salt as much as possible because they can have a negative impact on your body even if you are not experiencing PMS. Caffeine and alcohol should be consumed in moderation as they can exacerbate PMS symptoms and cause headaches, fatigue, and cramps.

Conclusion

You are welcome to indulge in some extremely sweet chocolate while you are on your period. If chocolate is consumed in moderation, there shouldn’t be any serious negative effects or worsening of period symptoms.

If, however, you discover that you have a strong chocolate craving at this time, switch to 70% dark chocolate. The health benefits of dark chocolate are remarkable, and they prevent period pain or discomfort from getting worse.

FAQs

Is It Good to Eat Chocolate During Periods?

When it comes to easing cramps during your period, dark chocolate seems to live up to the hype. Consuming 40–120 grams of dark chocolate daily while on your period, according to studies, may help lessen discomfort. This is likely due to the fact that dark chocolate contains a lot of magnesium, which helps to relax muscles and relieve pain.

Why Do Women Crave Sweets on Their Period?

Sugar cravings can be brought on by hormonal changes that lower blood sugar levels. Serotonin levels — the “feel good” chemical in your brain — also tend to be lower during this time. Because the body uses carbs to produce serotonin when that occurs, we start to crave sugars and especially carbohydrates (like potato chips).