Hormonal changes of the pre-menstrual phase effect blood sugar metabolism. These changes can contribute to moodiness. Worse yet, women crave sugars to alleviate the symptoms. Studies have shown that women with more severe premenstrual symptoms also eat a diet higher in simple sugars. A better route to take would be to reduce those simple sugars but replace them with more complex carbohydrates eaten in a number of smaller meals throughout the day.
Carbohydrates are sugars strung together in a complex structure.
They will address this craving and its related symptoms. But they will release their energy and calories to the body in a slower, more steady fashion than would simple sugars, which just dump into the bloodstream all at once. Thus, carbohydrates are not associated with the roller coaster fluctuations in blood sugar and resulting mood swings. Carbohydrate intake is also associated with increased serotonin levels in the brain. The presence of serotonin in the brain tends to act against depression.