Women experience a variety of symptoms during that time of the month and based on your symptoms you can eat more or less of certain foods to combat whatever is making you feel uncomfortable.  For bloating, you are going to want to reduce your salt intake because salt causes water retention and further bloating. To eat less salt stay away from junk food, fast food, processed foods, and if you buy canned products, buy those that say reduced sodium on the label. If you notice that you seem to get increasingly irritable when mother nature comes, try to eat smaller, more frequent meals. When you are menstruating, increase in hormone production causes an increase an insulin which will lead to low blood sugars. You may be getting irritable and experience craving sensations due to low blood sugar and by eating less, but more often, you can stabilize your blood sugar and satisfy any cravings you may have.  Snack on fruits and vegetables when cravings arise to prevent bloating that you would get with salty snacks and weight gain as a result of snacking on sweets.  It’s also a good idea to increase your iron-rich food sources such as lean red meat, dark leafy greens, oysters, clams, scallops, legumes, artichokes and grains during that time of the month to prevent anemia from blood loss.

The first thing I wonder when you say that you have a sweet tooth is are you eating lean protein sources with every meal?  Protein is digested slower than carbohydrates and they leave you feeling satisfied longer so you don’t overeat or have that craving. Also the good thing about eating lean protein sources such as egg whites, low-fat cheeses, poultry, fish, lean meats, and tofu are that they do not contain any carbohydrates, which is important to know if you have diabetes.  I understand that you are tired of dealing with your diabetes and I want you to know that this is a common feeling for anyone with a chronic disease. However, you are young and you are in control of your body and your life.  I applaud you for recognizing that you need to make a change and get your diabetes under control.  The good news is that type 2 diabetes can be managed with diet and exercise and you may not have to worry about it as much if you can get your diet under control.  An easy way to manage your diet and evenly spread out the amount of carbohydrate foods you eat throughout the day in order to stabilize your blood sugars is to do this is at each meal. Step 1: Visually split your plate in half and fill one half of your plate with vegetables such as cucumber, bell peppers, broccoli, sprouts, tomatoes, bok choy, spinach, etc. Step 2: Split the other side of your plate in half again. A quarter of your plate should contain a lean protein source. Step 3: The other quarter of your plate can be filled with a starch such as whole grain breads, tortillas, pasta, brown rice, legumes, sweet potato, squash, potato, etc.  Whole grains digest slower than white breads, pasta, and rice, which is better for people with diabetes because glucose is released slower into the bloodstream.  The scary thing about diabetes is that you can’t feel the consequences of your uncontrolled blood sugars right away. Kelly, since you are so young you may not start feeling symptoms of uncontrolled blood sugars until 10 years from now, but that doesn’t mean that you are not harming your body in the present. For starters, elevated blood sugars put you at an increased risk for infection because bacteria thrive in a sweet environment.  Long-term elevated blood sugars cause damage to one’s eyes, kidneys, and nerve endings.  This is why it is very important to get yearly foot and eye exams if you have diabetes.