7 best foods to eat during your period to reduce cramps
Bananas are rich in potassium and vitamin B6, which help ease bloating and muscle cramps. Image credit: AI-generated pics
Yogurt is a good source of prebiotics and calcium, which support digestion and help improve PMS symptoms.
Leafy greens are packed with iron and calcium, which help combat fatigue and replenish lost nutrients.
Oatmeal is rich in fiber, iron, and magnesium, which helps keep you full and energised.
The anti-inflammatory properties of ginger tea help reduce menstrual cramps and also relieve nausea.
Dark chocolate, which is rich in magnesium and iron, helps reduce cramps and boosts mood.
Berries contain antioxidants and offer hydration, which helps reduce bloating and curb sugar cravings.
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The Sun
20 hours ago
- The Sun
How trendy ‘seed cycling' could banish your rubbish sleep, PMS, and brain fog in a matter of days
CRAMPS, irritability, crying and cravings are just some of the symptoms women have to put up with as a result of their hormones. These chemical signals take us on a rollercoaster ride, up and down, from puberty to menopause. 5 5 Despite their tight grasp on our daily moods, most of us are out of touch with their powers. Yet, with more than 2.3 billion views of the hashtag #hormonebalance on TikTok, it seems women are keen to find out how to improve their symptoms. As many as 30% of menstruating women experience moderate to severe PMS each month, while up to 8% have the most severe form called PMDD.* And up to 90% of women going through menopause say they suffer side effects, with 25% describing these as severe and debilitating.** As a nutritionist, I repeatedly see the profound link between diet and hormones in my female clients. Whether they are struggling with menstrual irregularities, low libido or have challenges conceiving, many are surprised to learn that what they eat can make a big difference. The humble seed is the superfood to start with. This cheap cupboard staple can help balance out hormones, lessening mood swings, brain fog, poor sleep and irregular periods. By 'seed cycling' – rotating different seeds over the course of a month – in theory, you can help boost or hamper the production of the main sex hormones, oestrogen and progesterone, depending on where you are in your cycle. As a result, they can help relieve the debilitating symptoms that come with the monthly hormonal rollercoaster. WHAT DOES THE SCIENCE SAY? Evidence shows that seeds are a good source of phytoestrogens – AKA plant chemicals that have oestrogen-like effects on the body. One study in The Journal Of Clinical Endocrinology And Metabolism showed flaxseeds can help make periods more regular. Another study, which looked at the hormonal effects of sesame seeds, showed consuming 50g daily over five weeks helped to increase sex hormones in post-menopausal women.*** Meanwhile, zinc in pumpkin seeds and vitamin E in sunflower seeds are both thought to support progesterone. These morsels of goodness are also rich in fibre, which plays an important role in breaking down oestrogen, and contain anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats, as well as muscle-boosting protein. WORK WITH YOUR CYCLE First, you have to figure out how long your menstrual cycle is. The average is 28 days, but what's normal for you might be longer or shorter. The first two weeks are known as the follicular phase, starting from day one of your period. The second fortnight, known as the luteal phase, starts after ovulation, around day 14, and incorporates the days when you may experience PMS before your period. Are your periods irregular? Then try following the phases of the moon as a guide to simulate your body's natural rhythm, because a full lunar cycle is roughly 29 days. TRY THE DIET Seed cyclers claim that taking 1tbsp per day of each specific seed (depending on what phase you are in) is enough to have an impact. FOLLICULAR PHASE SEEDS: Flaxseed and pumpkin seeds. WHY? They're rich in omega-3 fatty acids to reduce inflammation – a key driver of menstrual pain. 5 Omega-3 fatty acids also help to increase blood flow to the ovaries and uterus, which can ensure healthy fertility. MEAL SUGGESTIONS: Porridge with berries and flaxseed, tuna salad with pumpkin seeds. LUTEAL PHASE SEEDS: Sesame and sunflower seeds. WHY? They are high in magnesium, vitamin B6 and vitamin E to help support progesterone production, which rises during this phase. 5 Progesterone helps to counterbalance a rise in oestrogen, reducing breast tenderness and bloating. MEAL SUGGESTIONS: Soy and honey chicken with sesame seeds and Mediterranean vegetables, protein smoothie with sunflower seeds. 'I'M FULL OF ENERGY NOW!' Fiona Lewis, 39, from north London, began experimenting with seed cycling when her periods started wreaking havoc on her life. Her cycles became shorter – 21 days compared to the average 28 – meaning her periods were more frequent. They were also heavier. 'I had acne and I felt shattered all the time,' she says. Fiona had developed these issues over 18 months, before seeing a doctor. 'I went through the NHS initially, but it was so slow that I ended up going private,' she says. 'I saw a gynaecologist, who carried out several blood tests and scans, and told me I had mild endometriosis and adenomyosis, which were probably causing the issues, along with potentially starting perimenopause.' Irregular periods are a key symptom of perimenopause. 'Doctors said that perimenopause could be a contributing issue,' says Fiona. 'But once my blood test results came back, they said my hormone levels were normal, so it wasn't that. The only solution I was offered was the Mirena coil.' The coil may be recommended as contraception during perimenopause to provide more of the hormone progesterone or to help with heavy periods. 'I really didn't want to be putting hormones into my body and having to deal with the potential side effects of those,' says Fiona. 'Instead, I started doing my own research and became really interested in hormonal nutrition. 'A lot of the literature and research I came across mentioned seed cycling, so I tried it. Within a month, I noticed a difference. "Whether it was a coincidence or not I don't know, but after six months of sticking to the routine, I've never had more regular or 'normal' periods. "I feel full of energy, can compete in my usual fitness competitions no problem, plus my acne has cleared up!'
Mint
a day ago
- Mint
Deepak Shenoy shares rationale behind flexi-cap NFO, top sectoral ideas & why it makes sense to have foreign stocks
As India's retail investors grow more confident and markets evolve, Capitalmind's Deepak Shenoy breaks down why a new Flexi-Cap fund still makes sense, the shift from HNI to retail investing, sectoral trends to watch, and the nuanced role of international diversification. Edited excerpts: First and foremost, we wanted to choose a category that allows you to be flexible because tomorrow, when data changes and times change, you cannot be wedded to one particular way of doing things. You have to change according to the times. The second one is our confidence in a back-tested research that would allow us to use objective criteria to select portfolios and manage them. And we have a history of doing that in the PMS before this. And now we are planning to launch our mutual fund with the same approach. So, our differentiation here would be primarily to use our frameworks to select stocks and focus more on portfolios as a whole rather than on some of the individual stocks. So I might not come back to you at any time and tell you that we have this great stock, we selected it this time and all that, because it's the process that selects the stocks and the process that manages them. We have oversight over how this is done so that it's done in the right way. But we want this to be driven by objective data-oriented decisions rather than subjective things. We have been using this approach in a way that we could test it in the back. If you have a subjective approach, it's difficult to go back and say, I would have selected this stock because, of course, you would have selected a good stock. You will not say you selected a bad stock. So it's difficult to back-test something that's subjective, but I can back-test objective ideas. The portfolio itself is dynamic. The stocks we held one year may not be the stocks we are holding the next year, or maybe holding them in different proportions, simply because the feedback from the system that we have built is to change or to reduce or increase the size of some stocks in their portfolio. So that's the core approach of the Flexicap Fund. We don't change the stocks based on the conviction we have in those stocks. We have the conviction in the process. The process drives them out because something better has come. And that's the process, you have to follow it. One of our core principles is that we don't fall in love with our stocks. There's no reason for me to say, I like this stock, don't worry, it's going through a bad time. Go through a bad time—I don't have a problem with that. Just come back up when you're ready, and we'll be your friends again. I don't have a marriage to the stocks we own. And therefore, I have no problem walking away from them if they don't meet my criteria. In more subjective portfolios, you'll find this is a very difficult decision. It's a very easy decision for us. Of course, there will be some layer of discretion where we do specify certain things we do not like — such as the corporate governance issues, the number of times auditors have been changed, etc. Actual selection is based on a ranking of stocks following the criteria we have opted for. We have a number of factors we choose from — the primary factor is momentum, which is in good times, in trending times, we will buy stocks that are in momentum. We have another proprietary indicator of sorts that we have built internally, and it tells us when markets are either uptrending, have no trend at all or are downtrending. So, we have different approaches for each. You can always tweak a flex-cap scheme according to your convictions, irrespective of whatever the market scenario is. When markets go down, generally, everything goes down. So you can have conviction on whatever you want, you're going to lose money. That's for sure! The idea is to lose a little bit less when you lose money, when the markets are down and make a little bit more when the markets are going up. So a flexi-cap fund gives you that kind of advantage. The core attribute of this fund is the flexibility that it allows you. You don't have to worry about the market cap because you don't have limits concerning that. So it gives you that flexibility, which is the most useful for a fund manager to be able to harness their entire potential. We will do other types of funds at some point. If we do those other types, we will have strategies that will kind of be adapted towards those restrictions. It's not like large-cap funds are bad or small-cap funds are bad. It's just that this particular strategy is built for the widest possible audience, the widest possible selection of portfolios. The others may be restricted. So, our strategies will have to change accordingly. We've learned a lot during the process of managing wealth for HNIs. And to be honest, HNIs are not very different from retail. Everybody in the end is afraid of losing money. Everybody in the end is happy when they make money. Regardless of whether you're an HNI or an individual, you're always the same. The only difference is the risk-taking capabilities, perhaps. But some HNIs do not want high risk. They are more FD-type investments. There are enough retail people who can take significant amounts of risk, but they don't have the 50 lakhs that are required to become a PMS customer. So you want to address the customers who can take that risk at one layer. That's a flexicap fund for you. As we have seen, it's the retail market that has at least gone up significantly in the last four or five years, where they have not only demonstrated the ability to take risk, but they've changed behaviour. When markets go down, they add more money. So they are not only risk aware, they are actually acting actively on their risk. Even though last year, the market did not do anything, we've seen increasing SIP counts and increasing SIP volumes in terms of number of crores; there are 27,000 crores plus per month in SIPs alone. And most of these SIPs are retail. Next is access to various markets, which is not available in a PMS at all. For instance, you can't access foreign markets, but mutual funds can, although with some restrictions. We can buy gold through a mutual fund, or we can create a debt portfolio, which is very difficult for HNIs, because even though the HNIs are called HNIs, the minimum size in most debt markets is either 5 crores or 25 crores per order. That means if I make an order of 5 crores, I have 10 HNIs that I can distribute it to. And for 25 crores, I need even more. And that's assuming 50 lakhs per HNI, and nobody wants all their money in one stock or one bond. So I have to buy a portfolio of bonds, and then I need hundreds or thousands of customers, because you have to allocate it to every individual customer—it's not a pool. A mutual fund is a pool. So it allows even the smallest investor, with ₹ 5,000, to get exposure to government bonds, which otherwise trade at ₹ 5 crores a pop. Your ability to access markets through a pooled vehicle like a mutual fund is much, much easier. It's not even possible in a PMS or HNI approach. The last bit, of course, is the taxation. If they own stocks directly, they pay dividend tax on whatever dividends they receive. If they buy and sell their portfolio in the middle of the year, and they're actually planning to use the money to buy another stock (so they're not even taking the money out), the government still taxes them. A mutual fund approach is easier in that sense. So it's very useful to invest in them and hold your money for 30 or 40 years. When you take the money out after that, you'll be taxed, but at least you're not taxed in the intermediate phase. You're exempt at accrual—you're accruing gains, but not being taxed on them. In the short term, I have no idea where the market would go. We have not seen a 30% downturn since COVID. The previous 30% drop before COVID was in 2013. But if you look at 2002 to 2007, there were at least five to seven drops of more than 30% in the Nifty 50 index. But 2002 to 2007 was a ridiculous 5x return on the index itself. So, we saw a lot of volatility then. Right now, this year, we saw an 18% drop from the top, which is nothing. So, I feel that markets have not demonstrated the kind of volatility that they generally should for too long. People are kind of complacent about it. We should expect that volatility will return at some point. I feel markets, over the next three to five years, we're in a very interesting position where lots of good things are happening and are in our favour. For instance, the West is dealing with debt problems. Our government debt to GDP in general is very, very low. It's lowering because they're spending a lot less and earning a lot more. So, government finances and their need to crowd out the private sector have reduced quite substantially. Second, the Indian GDP per capita has just about reached $2,800 or so. This is pretty much when the time comes where people start to get discretionary income enough as a country to be able to spend on stuff that is not absolute necessities like food and clothing, and shelter, which is why you're seeing the relatively more affluent, who have much more disposable income, spend as much as they can. There's too much traffic. The malls are full. Restaurants are full. You can't get bookings. All of this stuff in urban cities is also now translating to tier two and tier three, where it was unheard of before. So, the consumption patterns are changing from absolute necessities to discretionary spending. And the next three or five years will see an increasing growth. Meanwhile, the government can now dedicate more resources to stuff that we would have earlier imported. So defence, for instance, or infrastructure. A lot more Indian companies are able to meet these needs today than they were about five years ago. Given where India is today, the next three to five years will be very interesting. We're likely to see increased consumer spending and companies investing in assets to meet that demand. For example, when people start demanding more, you suddenly see new restaurants opening, more aircraft being bought, or state and private bus operators expanding fleets. This increase in spending forces companies to invest in capex—and that's an ongoing process. It's been slow, but now demand has reached a reasonably high level without prices going up meaningfully. Core inflation is around 4.5%, and if you exclude food and fuel, overall inflation is about 2.1%. So the economy is in a much more stable place than it used to be. This, I believe, is the direction markets will follow—driven more by domestic investment. Our reliance on foreign capital has decreased. For the first time since 2002, foreign holdings have dropped below the combined holdings of domestic retail and mutual funds. That's a major shift. There's also a greater appetite for risk, for new sectors, and new ideas. People aren't investing based on surnames anymore. They're looking at what companies do—how they're changing lives. And investors can participate in this growth, directly or through mutual funds. As for specific market targets like Nifty or Sensex by year-end—I don't have one. What matters is whether there are fundamental shifts—and there are. India is moving from a saving economy to a spending economy. There's more discretionary income, premiumisation, better infrastructure, and rising financialisation. So when it comes to investing, we believe in a philosophy called "win at life." Don't invest just to make money. Invest to do something with that money—whether it's for your child's education, your retirement, or a trip you've always wanted to take. Match your investments with your goals and time horizon. Once you define your goals and allocate for them, the rest is yours to enjoy today. That frees you from constantly worrying about market ups and downs. You don't track your gold price daily or the value of your house—treat long-term investments the same way. Volatility isn't always a risk—it's an opportunity if you don't need the money immediately. Over short periods, equity returns are unpredictable. If your horizon is six months, don't even look at Nifty levels—put your money in the bank. But over 10 years, history shows the odds of success in equity rise significantly. There are definitely sectors we find interesting, though I want to clarify that this has nothing to do with the flexicap portfolio. That said, certain ideas that I find compelling are semiconductors, defence, stocks around the consumption theme and its premiumization, which includes sectors like tourism, hospitality, and transportation. All of these areas are moving up in general in the economic fashion; I'm not talking about the stock prices but about the fact that they're generating more and more profits every year, so they seem to be one of those sectors which are interesting. Financialization, in general, I find a compelling theme. The financial architecture of India is changing quite dramatically - a lot more people are investing in financial assets compared to real estate and gold. That tip happened over about two years ago; now we continue to have more and more investments happening in the financial area whether it is fixed deposits, insurance, stocks or mutual funds. Infrastructure, in general; road, rail, airports, lots of things here that have potential because a lot more investment. I think international investing is fine because there are great companies everywhere in the world. Sometimes, some of those companies present opportunities which India does not, for instance, AI. Foreign companies are leading that space. One should look at diversification abroad and have some diversification because anything can happen in any country. You can have some kind of 'a foot outside' sort of portfolio, but it usually requires your portfolio to be a certain size before you can do that. If you start with like 10,000 rupees, I will not tell you to invest a thousand rupees abroad because one transaction to send money abroad costs 800 rupees; so you're left with 200 rupees to invest. That's inefficient. So once your portfolio reaches a meaningful size, it makes sense to allocate a portion internationally. Until then, India has enough to offer. Disclaimer: This story is for educational purposes only. The views and recommendations made above are those of individual analysts or broking companies, and not of Mint. We advise investors to check with certified experts before making any investment decisions.
Bloomberg
2 days ago
- Bloomberg
Rewriting India's investment playbook: Why portfolio management services are taking the lead
From niche to mainstream: the new face of PMS The evolution of Portfolio Management Services has been nothing short of remarkable. The PMS of today bears little resemblance to the opaque, high-touch but low-tech offerings of the past. As Anand Shah, CIO – PMS and AIF Investments at ICICI Prudential Asset Management Co., explains, the modern client expects more. 'Today's PMS clients, typically affluent or HNIs, are no longer satisfied with basic discretionary services,' Shah notes. 'They demand greater transparency, real-time visibility, and personalised strategies that are aligned with their financial goals. This shift has prompted PMS providers to upgrade digital capabilities, enhance client experience, and rethink relationship management.' This evolution is a direct reflection of a broader maturation in India's wealth management industry. Technology has been the great equalizer, dramatically lowering entry barriers by streamlining onboarding, reporting, and compliance. 'Resident investors can now be onboarded in less than 24 hours,' says Aashish P. Somaiyaa, Chief Executive Officer at WhiteOak Capital Asset Management. 'Digital documentation, e-signatures, and better KYC systems have removed much of the friction. While onboarding remains complex for NRIs and institutions, the broader direction is clearly positive.' The bedrock of belief: India's macroeconomic resilience This transformation isn't happening in a vacuum. It is anchored in the bedrock of India's macroeconomic resilience and stability. In just a decade, the nation has ascended from the world's 10th largest economy to fifth, doubling its GDP in the process. Unlike global peers grappling with debt, India has demonstrated consistent fiscal prudence. The country's fiscal deficit is projected to fall to 4.4% of GDP this fiscal year, down from 5.6% the year prior, all while building a formidable buffer of foreign exchange reserves. These sound fundamentals have cemented India's status as a premier long-term investment destination, bolstering the confidence of domestic investors who are now the primary drivers of the market. 'There has been a definitive shift in the maturity of India's investor base,' Somaiyaa observes. 'The surge in SIPs, especially among younger investors, signals a long-term, goal-oriented approach to investing. Domestic participation, both retail and institutional, has become the backbone of market flows, offering a buffer against foreign capital volatility.' A market powered by domestic ambition The result of this newfound domestic confidence is a capital market that is vibrant, deep, and increasingly self-reliant. India now accounts for nearly 10% of global IPO volumes—a remarkable feat in a world where listing activity in many developed markets has been sluggish. 'The strength of India's primary market is a clear reflection of supportive macro trends,' says Rahul Aggarwal, Indian Market and Product Specialist at Bloomberg. 'Indian firms, and increasingly even global players, are choosing to raise capital here, showing how vibrant and mature our public markets have become.' This maturity is also visible in the derivatives market, where participation from retail and proprietary traders has exploded. 'Since the pandemic, premium turnover in derivatives has jumped from $10 billion to over $150 billion per month,' Aggarwal adds. 'Retail participation has completely transformed the segment, though regulators are rightly tightening norms to ensure sustainability and mitigate risks.' However, this sustained bull run warrants a degree of caution. Nitin Chanduka, Equity Strategist at Bloomberg Intelligence, notes that while the fundamentals are strong, valuations are a key concern. 'The uptrend in Indian equities since the pandemic is the longest in the past two decades, fueled by premium consumption, surging manufacturing, and unprecedented domestic liquidity,' he shares. 'But record-high valuations and slowing top-line growth suggest there's little scope for earnings misses. This is a key risk to watch out for in 2025 as valuations remain expensive, notably in small and mid-cap segments.' The digital engine: technology as a core differentiator Underpinning all these trends is a technological revolution that has permeated every corner of financial services. From AI-powered quantitative research to seamless trade execution and integrated client reporting, digital transformation is now the central nervous system of modern investment management. 'Technology is no longer just an enabler; it's the engine of scale and efficiency,' says Shah of ICICI Prudential AMC. 'We're seeing growing adoption of AI in strategy development, particularly in quantitative investing, though the lack of consistent data remains a challenge. For now, the most effective use of AI is as a complementary layer to traditional research.' The next chapter in India's wealth story India's capital markets are in a state of historic transition—from being reliant on foreign capital to being domestically anchored, from product-centric to service-oriented, and from manual systems to digital-first operations. Within this paradigm shift, PMS and AIFs are emerging not merely as alternatives, but as mainstream vehicles for serious, sophisticated wealth creation. The road ahead will demand continuous innovation, robust risk management, and a relentless focus on the investor.
