Vacation and Menstruation

So I discovered the worst possible combination for someone who wants to ditch sugar cravings....vacation and menstruation.  The already difficult 5-7 days that come once a month where I have thus far been pretty successful at convincing myself that I don't need sugar to make it through the day or night, came just as I was headed out of town to celebrate the beautiful Independence Day weekend.  I must have left my will power behind when I walked out with my suitcase and floaties in one arm, the other arm filled with essentials everyone else forgot (like toothbrushes, snacks, and anything else to survive a roadtrip). 

By day 3 I had run out of apples, oranges, strawberries, and 100% Fruit Roll-ups (suprisingly delicious by the way).  If that wasn't enough, my body unleashed some kind of monster craving attack that was a silent killer for any serotonin roaming around in my brain. We all have our bad days but this felt downright tazmanian. It seemed that in a matter of days I was slowly losing my "control" and ready to skinny dip in a pool of refined sugar. Fortunately I knew giving in would only make it worse.  So I put my boxing gloves on and started punching.  Unfortunately I was the only one in the ring as my family quickly put on their padded sparring gear and ran the opposite direction.  

Being out of my element was definately a contributor, but I felt sufficiently prepared in that regard.  I obviously wasn't prepared for the combination of free time, restaurant hopping, and mensing all at once. I was really hoping my family would start remembering all those sunday school lessons on forgiveness and patience!

Interestingly enough Dr. Daniel Amen, an amazing psychiatrist who has performed over 50,000 brain scans has discovered that for many women the blood flow throughout the brain can alter a bit during menstruation (and even recede in certain areas of the brain).  This isn't the case for all women, but for some it can make the difference in irritability, frustration, cravings, and many different symptoms during their cycle (because low blood flow, low activity).  Not only that but he has also found that taking fish oil, making sure you have plenty of Vitamin D, and eating small meals throughout the day starting with breakfast make a huge difference in your ability to keep blood sugar levels balanced, the key to a healthy brain!  As a yogi I was also surprised to hear him say that meditation is a great tool for brain balance.  Check out his video on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER8pi21hw9Y

So next time I head out the door for vacation with menstruation on the calendar, I will definately have my fish oil, multivitamin, protein snacks, and Om ready to attack the monster cravings!  I'll tell my family to leave their sparring gear at home (at least most of it).  Happy travels to all!