Headache and mood swings

Do you suffer from Headache and mood swings?  When we don’t get adequate or the right types of nutrition, our bodies can suffer from these problems.  Not getting enough protein can be a major cause of these issues.

Protein is awesome

You probably already knew that protein helps our bodies grow.  It also helps our hair, too!

But, it also helps our muscles move and our hormones stay in check.

Our bodies need over 20 different amino acids, which is why protein is essential.  Nine of these amino acids need to come from the foods we eat; the others are made by our bodies.  We can get these from eating grass fed meat, chicken (and eggs but they should be pasture raised) or turkey, wild fish, organic milk and milk products like cheese and yogurt.  They’re also abundant in lentils.  (If you don’t like lentils, I’ll give you a recipe for lentil tacos that are the bomb so keep reading!)

Low protein diet – a possible cause of headache and mood swings

Have you ever tracked how much protein you are getting in a day?  I never used to until I was trying to keep my blood sugar in check so I downloaded an app and started to track my consumption.  I was surprised to find that I was not eating enough protein in a day.  Aside from all the other problems I was created for my body with my foods, I didn’t think that eating so little protein could cause me problems, including headache and mood swings.  These are also signs of a toxic colon.

Issues from a low protein diet

• Thyroid hormone issues
• Insulin problems
• Holding fat
• Fatty liver
• Moodiness
• Whacked out estrogen levels
• Fatigue

5 Other sources of protein

1. Beans
2. Nut butters like almond butter
3. Quinoa
4. Spinach
5. Spirulina

Lentil Taco recipe for a high protein meal

As promised, here is my Lentil Taco recipe.  It’s surprisingly good:

Ingredients and Instructions:

• 3/4 cup brown lentils (uncooked)  – Rinse and soak overnight.  Then, drain.
  • Once soaked / drained, add about 2 cups of water, salt and some minced garlic.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook about 20 minutes – or until it’s tender.
• Onion, chopped
• Cooked Rice (or for an even better meal, try cauliflower rice!)
• Garlic – as much as you like (I love garlic so I use 3 cloves)

Sauté the onion, cooked rice and garlic.  Then, add:

• Chili powder 1.25 Tbsp
• Smoked paprika 1/4 tsp
• Salt and pepper to taste

Continue to sauté until everything is tender.  Then, add the lentils and stir well.  Cook for a few minutes until all is warm / cooked.  Serve with tortillas and your favorite toppings like:

• Tomatoes
• Fresh, chopped / dice onions
• Lettuce
• Cheese

Conclusion

Are you starting to see how our diets can affect our health, including our menstrual health?  I am.  Headache and mood swings could be the cause.  With the change in my diet (note:  I’ve done it gradually because sometimes life is just too hard), I have noticed better mood (normal mood swings) and less headaches / migraines.  I also notice when I don’t follow good eating habits, my body slips right back to feeling awful…fatigue, headaches / migraines, PMS symptoms, and more.