* Increase foods rich in thiamine including cooked lentils, long-grain brown rice, Brazil nuts, pecans, spinach, cantaloupe, milk, and eggs. Doctors at the Mayo Clinic believe thiamine helps relieve cramping during menstruation.

* Eliminate trans-fatty acids, not only during your period, but for the sake of your overall health. Trans-fatty acids, found in commercially prepared pastries containing partially hydrogenated oils, and in certain margarines, may increase cramping. They are most commonly found in fast food, and many be another reason for your strange and uncontrollable cravings during this time of the month. If you can reduce or eliminate transfats, you may feel some relief from cramps.

*Eat more fiber. It can help control cravings and reduce bloat by reducing constipation and keeping your bowels and digestion working well.

*Avoid sugary foods, which can produce wild energy and mood swings. Also avoid chocolate, which can be high in calories and fat unless you eat the 85% pure variety.

Many people don’t believe changing your eating habits can affect whether or not you get menstrual cramps, or affect the severity of them. But it is possible for menstrual cramps to be reduced by eating some foods and avoiding others.

If it is possible to treat menstrual cramps with nutrition, why don’t more women use this method? Part of the reason is that they are not aware of the role nutrition plays in their overall well-being. Now that you know about menstrual cramps and nutrition’s role in reducing cramps, what changes will you make?