First of all, lets debunk one huge myth about vegan foods and supplements — that they are not as nutritious as non-vegan foods. This is actually quite the opposite!
Getting rid of animal-based products and instead eating plant-based food has many advantages to your health and is known to lower your risk of diabetes, cancer and many other illnesses.
Going plant-based is a chance to get creative and eat a healthily balanced range of food. Studies have linked eating meat, eggs and dairy with inflammatory reactions inside the body and going vegan can help ease many pains, including period pains! Some people have also reported reduced PMS symptoms and lighter menstrual flow since going vegan.
When you're on your period, your body is losing blood so you'll want to make sure you're getting enough iron. Even though most women lose only a relatively small amount of blood on their period (between 1 and 5 tablespoons on average), heavy periods can be a common cause of iron deficiency anaemia. Therefore, taking steps to keep your iron levels within a healthy range whilst on your period is always a good idea.
Luckily there are plenty of great vegan foods that are high in iron! So, if you don’t want those cramps to keep coming and you want to feel good on your period, here’s our list of tasty vegan foods to include in each meal of the day.
If you have heavy periods, you are more likely to suffer from anaemia because your body is losing more blood, which means your iron levels will be lower than they should be. A heavy flow usually means that you will soak through a regular pad or tampon every hour or you bleed for longer than a week.
If this sounds like your menstrual flow, you can look at taking supplements to increase your iron intake during your period, but as always, we recommend speaking to your doctor if there's anything you're worried about!
Low iron levels, which are more likely to occur during or after a heavy period, can cause a range of unwanted symptoms. These symptoms include, but are not limited to:
If iron supplements and dietary changes don’t seem to be having an effect in treating these symptoms, you should speak to your GP to see if these could be symptoms of another underlying condition.
If you want to improve your iron levels even further whilst on your period, supplements are easy to take and there's lots to choose from! There are many vegan supplement gummies and tablets available that are tasty and will help to boost your vitamins and minerals whilst reducing your cramps and pains!
Although some people express concerns about getting the right nutrition on a vegan diet, the consensus among health professionals is that a vegan diet can be perfectly balanced and healthy.
New vegans may want to pay careful attention to the amount of protein they are getting, and seek out supplements for certain vitamins which vegan diets tend to lack, such as B12. However, there is no reason that a vegan diet should have a negative impact on your health, or your period.
Our advice to vegans who menstruate would be to:
Now that you know how to use high-iron vegan foods to help you manage your period, you may also be interested in some planet-friendly methods of managing your period. At fluxies, we’re proud of our commitment to sustainability, and have developed our range of period products from high-quality vegan materials.
We offer a wide range of reusable period pants, with styles to suit every body and every period. Many of our products come in several varieties, to suit people who have extra light periods, to those who experience a super heavy flow. With underwear styles that include boxer shorts, briefs, thongs, and more, we’re sure you’ll find the perfect pair for you, which also help to reduce negative impact on the environment.
For more helpful guides and tips to manage your period, feel free to browse our other articles over on the fluxies blog.
