The Diet of Menstruating Women

To make the menstrual cycle less burdensome and challenging, an average menstruating woman should load herself with tons of water. By doing this, she will experience fewer cramps and back aches. It also helps move her cycle along more quickly. Drinking water helps to prevent blood from thickening. Unfortunately, almost 19,000 villages across India do not receive regular water supply. Jawhar and Mokhada are just two such villages.

The women of these villages live in extremely unhygienic conditions. Most of them do not even have access to proper sanitary pads, which can lead to serious infections. In an ideal situation, a menstruating woman should prioritise eating leafy green vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and fresh fruit. (chicken, fish, etc. for non-vegetarians).This is because during this time, women lose blood and experience fatigue, in addition to cramps and loss of iron. Iron radically enhances the blood count of the body and fibre helps the body reabsorb oestrogen, which is a hormone that plays a vital role in the female reproductive cycle. However, the women of these villages barely receive one meal in a day. This single meal is deficient in protein or fibre.

It is of paramount importance that we manage to get the supplies that the helpless women of Jawhar and Mokhada need. Gift of Nutrition has started donation drives to collect sanitary pads, soaps and many other such products to ensure the safety and sanitation of these women. We must not take our privileges for granted. Help make a difference to the life of a girl who has so much less than you do!

Written by

Nishq Nerlekar.