PMS Cravings: The Hormonal Reason and What to Do Instead

By Jasveen Ali — Founder, LuneaPMS

PMS cravings — especially for sugar, carbohydrates, chocolate, and salt — are not a willpower failure. They are a direct neurochemical response to the hormonal shifts of the late luteal phase, particularly the drop in serotonin and the rise in your body's metabolic rate. Understanding exactly why your brain is demanding these specific foods is the first step to managing cravings in a way that actually works — rather than white-knuckling through them and then eating an entire packet of biscuits anyway.

Why PMS Cravings Happen: The Hormonal Mechanism

Premenstrual food cravings are one of the most reliably documented symptoms of PMS. Studies show that the majority of women with PMS report increased appetite and specific food cravings in the luteal phase — particularly for sweet and carbohydrate-rich foods — with these cravings peaking in the 5–10 days before menstruation and resolving once the period begins.

Three interconnected hormonal mechanisms drive this:

1. The Serotonin Drop

In the late luteal phase, declining oestrogen and progesterone directly reduce serotonin synthesis and availability in the brain. Serotonin is your "contentment" neurotransmitter — when it drops, you feel low, irritable, anxious, and you begin to crave the fastest routes to a serotonin boost.

Carbohydrates — particularly simple, refined carbohydrates — trigger an insulin release that clears competing amino acids from the bloodstream, allowing tryptophan (serotonin's precursor) to cross the blood-brain barrier more easily. Your brain, experiencing a serotonin deficit, is essentially requesting carbohydrates as a neurochemical self-medication strategy.

This is not a metaphor. Research has repeatedly confirmed that luteal-phase serotonin dysregulation is a core mechanism in PMS, and SSRIs (which raise serotonin) are the most consistently effective pharmacological treatment for severe PMS and PMDD.

2. Elevated Metabolic Rate

Your basal metabolic rate genuinely increases by approximately 100–150 calories per day in the luteal phase (Barr et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1995). Your body is doing more metabolic work — it requires more fuel. This is not imaginary, and it is not your appetite being unreliable. Your hunger in the late luteal phase reflects a real increase in energy expenditure.

Women who do not account for this increased energy need and under-eat in the luteal phase often end up with more severe cravings, because the body adds a hunger drive on top of the neurochemical cravings.

3. Magnesium Depletion and Chocolate Cravings

Chocolate cravings in the luteal phase are so specific — dark chocolate in particular — that they point directly to magnesium deficiency. Chocolate, particularly dark chocolate with 70%+ cacao content, is a concentrated source of magnesium. Women with PMS have been shown to have lower red blood cell magnesium levels compared to women without PMS (Abraham & Lubran, 1981).

Your body appears to seek magnesium-rich foods when magnesium is depleted. Given that magnesium is one of the most evidence-backed nutrients for PMS relief — supporting serotonin production, reducing cortisol reactivity, and relaxing smooth muscle — the chocolate craving is your body pointing you toward a genuinely helpful nutrient.

4. Progesterone's Effect on Taste and Reward

Progesterone affects the reward pathways in the brain, and these effects shift in the luteal phase. Research suggests that luteal-phase progesterone changes how rewarding food feels, with sweet and fatty foods becoming more motivating relative to other stimuli. This is a normal hormonal effect — but it can amplify tendencies toward emotional eating if not understood.

The Problem with Typical Craving Advice

Most advice about PMS cravings falls into two unhelpful categories:

"Just avoid sugar and resist cravings" — This ignores the neurochemical reality. Willpower is a limited resource, and trying to override a serotonin-seeking drive through sheer restraint typically results in eventual overconsumption. Restriction also worsens the serotonin situation (stress and under-eating both reduce serotonin further).

"Give in to what you want — it's just one week" — Repeated high-sugar, high-refined-carbohydrate binges in the luteal phase create blood sugar spikes and crashes that worsen the serotonin situation, drive higher insulin, and can worsen hormonal symptoms cycle by cycle.

The more effective approach is to meet the neurochemical need intelligently — giving your brain what it is actually asking for (serotonin support) through foods that deliver it sustainably, while keeping blood sugar stable enough to avoid the crash cycle.

What to Do Instead: Evidence-Based Strategies

Strategy 1: Pre-empt the Craving with Complex Carbohydrates

Since your brain is seeking carbohydrates to boost serotonin, give it carbohydrates — but choose sources that provide a sustained glucose response rather than a spike-and-crash:

Sweet potato — satisfying, rich in fibre, provides sustained serotonin precursor support, naturally sweet
Oats and porridge — slow-release carbohydrates that support blood sugar stability; add magnesium-rich seeds
Brown rice and wholegrains — paired with protein and fat to slow glucose absorption
Lentils and legumes — provide protein and complex carbohydrate together with magnesium
Bananas — naturally sweet, rich in B6 (serotonin cofactor) and magnesium

Practical tip: Eating a complex carbohydrate snack mid-afternoon in the late luteal phase — before cravings peak — can prevent the late-evening craving spiral. A banana with almond butter, or oat crackers with hummus, addresses the serotonin-seeking need before it becomes urgent.

Strategy 2: Address the Magnesium Deficit Directly

If you are craving chocolate, your body is almost certainly asking for magnesium. Meet this need:

Dark chocolate 70%+ cacao: Two to three squares contain around 40–50mg of magnesium and are a legitimate dietary magnesium source — keep a bar of good-quality dark chocolate available rather than processed milk chocolate alternatives
Pumpkin seeds: The single richest dietary magnesium source — 150mg per 30g serving; keep a jar on your desk or in your bag
Magnesium supplementation: 200–400mg magnesium glycinate daily in the luteal phase has clinical evidence for reducing PMS symptoms and may reduce the intensity of mineral-seeking cravings (see Magnesium for PMS)

Strategy 3: Stabilise Blood Sugar with Protein at Every Meal

Blood sugar instability dramatically worsens PMS cravings. When blood glucose drops, the body adds a hunger-and-craving drive on top of the existing neurochemical serotonin-seeking behaviour — the two compound each other.

Eating protein (eggs, Greek yoghurt, chicken, fish, legumes, tofu) at every meal and snack in the luteal phase creates a sustained blood sugar response that reduces the intensity of cravings and prevents the crash-and-binge cycle.

A practical formula for luteal phase meals: protein + complex carbohydrate + healthy fat at every eating occasion. The fat slows glucose absorption; the protein stabilises it; the complex carbohydrate supports serotonin precursor availability.

Strategy 4: Increase Vitamin B6

Vitamin B6 is a direct cofactor in serotonin synthesis — it is required for the enzymatic step that converts tryptophan into serotonin. A meta-analysis by Wyatt et al. (British Medical Journal, 1999) found B6 at 50–100mg/day significantly reduced PMS mood symptoms, including the anxiety and low mood that drive cravings.

Food sources: bananas, chickpeas, salmon, poultry, fortified wholegrains. Supplementation at 50mg/day is appropriate for most women; do not exceed 100mg/day regularly without medical guidance.

Strategy 5: Reduce the Triggers That Worsen Cravings

While you are addressing the underlying neurochemical drive, reducing factors that compound it helps:

Alcohol in the luteal phase: Alcohol depletes magnesium and B6 — the two nutrients most relevant to PMS cravings — and disrupts sleep, which further reduces serotonin. Even one or two drinks in the late luteal phase can noticeably intensify next-day cravings and mood symptoms.

Skipping meals: Under-eating adds physical hunger to the existing neurochemical cravings, making them much harder to manage. Three regular meals plus one or two planned snacks in the luteal phase is genuinely more effective than trying to restrict during this phase.

Excessive caffeine: Caffeine disrupts blood sugar regulation and can worsen insulin sensitivity, contributing to the spike-and-crash cycle that intensifies cravings. Matcha is a good alternative — it provides moderate caffeine alongside L-theanine, which buffers the stimulant effect.

Strategy 6: Time Your Eating to Your Cycle

Planning ahead — stocking the kitchen with luteal-phase-friendly foods before the cravings hit — removes the need for willpower at the moment of decision. If your pantry has dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, oats, sweet potatoes, and good-quality protein, you can meet craving needs constructively without a trip to the supermarket in the late evening.

A two-week "luteal phase food prep" — restocking with the right foods around day 14 — is a practical implementation of cycle-aware eating that reduces the logistical friction of eating well when cravings are hardest.

Salt Cravings and Bloating

Not all PMS cravings are sweet. Many women also experience salt cravings and find themselves drawn to crisps, chips, salty snacks, and processed foods in the luteal phase.

Salt cravings are partly driven by fluid retention and the body's attempt to regulate fluid balance. Progesterone has diuretic properties, and its decline in the late luteal phase can shift fluid balance, creating a drive to retain sodium.

However, high-sodium processed foods also tend to worsen bloating and water retention — the opposite of what you want. Better approaches for salt cravings:

Salted nuts — particularly almonds or macadamias; provide healthy fats and minerals
Edamame with sea salt — protein-rich and naturally salty
Miso soup — provides minerals and natural glutamates that satisfy umami cravings
Olives — naturally salty, rich in monounsaturated fats

Frequently Asked Questions About PMS Cravings

Why do I crave chocolate specifically before my period?

Chocolate cravings are strongly associated with magnesium deficiency, which is common in the luteal phase. Dark chocolate is a concentrated dietary source of magnesium, and the body appears to seek it out as a self-correcting mechanism. Two or three squares of dark chocolate (70%+ cacao) is a nutritionally rational response to this craving — much more so than milk chocolate, which has far less magnesium and more sugar.

Is it okay to eat what I crave during PMS?

It depends on what you eat. Meeting serotonin-seeking drives with complex carbohydrates (sweet potato, oats, bananas) and magnesium-rich foods (dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds) is both satisfying and nutritionally supportive. Meeting them with refined sugar and ultra-processed foods provides a brief serotonin-adjacent hit but worsens the blood sugar instability that intensifies cravings over the following hours and days.

Why are my PMS cravings so much worse in some cycles?

Cycle-to-cycle variation in craving intensity often tracks with sleep quality, stress levels, and dietary magnesium intake in the preceding weeks. Poor sleep reduces serotonin; high stress depletes magnesium and B vitamins; poor dietary quality in the follicular phase means you enter the luteal phase with nutritional deficits that magnify symptoms.

Can PMS cravings be a sign of something more serious?

Severe, uncontrollable food cravings that significantly impact your eating behaviour across the cycle — not just in the luteal phase — may warrant evaluation by a healthcare provider. If cravings are accompanied by extreme restriction in other phases, purging behaviours, or significant distress, please seek support. For PMS-specific cravings that are distressing and cycle-linked, a conversation with your GP is worthwhile to rule out PMDD.

Does the luteal phase increase calorie needs?

Yes — research by Barr et al. (1995) found a measurable increase in resting metabolic rate of around 100–150 calories per day in the luteal phase compared to the follicular phase. This is a real physiological increase, not imagined hunger. Under-eating in the luteal phase compounds both craving severity and mood symptoms.

How long does it take nutritional strategies to reduce craving severity?

Expect two to three cycles of consistent implementation before seeing significant reduction. In the first cycle, you are building awareness and changing food environment; in the second and third cycles, underlying nutritional status is improving (magnesium stores, B6 levels, blood sugar stability) and you will typically notice a meaningful reduction in craving intensity and mood severity.