Results From My Acai Experiment To Combat Evil PMS

My Anti-PMS Experiment!

I know everyone experiences different PMS symptoms and at a different severity. A lot of people have it way worse than I do, and it makes me feel bad for complaining, but quite honestly, I just really like to complain. And I’m good at it, not to brag.

My entire life, I have used drugs to help me deal with my cramps. This includes anything from ibuprofen to muscle relaxers, depending on how bad I feel. There was a very short period of time in my life where I dealt with my PMS naturally. It was almost 20 years ago, and I was drinking a concentrated acai berry juice called monavie. It actually really worked, and the only reason I had to stop was because it was costing me $40/month, and I was poor af. But now, I have enough money to afford that, so I’m ready to try it again.

My PMS Symptoms

My main 5 PMS symptoms include the following. This doesn’t include everything I experience, but it includes the things that bother me the most, and thereby are the ones I will be tracking for this experiment.

1. Sore boobs. Does anyone else experience this? Luckily, I don’t exercise, so it’s not as much of an issue as it could be, but I can’t just avoid stairs on certain days of the month, you know.

2. Craving snacks. I love food everyday of the month, but there’s something about the few days at the start of my period that produce this craving so strong that not even the highest of willpower can resist.

3. Cramps. This is the only symptom I’ve been able to manage with drugs. Luckily, I only get cramps 1 or 2 days a month.

4. Heightened emotions. That’s the nicest way I could think to phrase it. Basically, I’m needy af, and my feelings get hurt really easily, and I’m way more ornery than usual. My standard amount of orneriness is way higher than the average person already, so be afraid.

5. Potty problems. ::Trigger Warning:: If you are eating right now or aren’t a fan of potty talk, just skip this paragraph. This is probably my least favorite symptom, and also happens to be the one I remember the açaí helping with the most (although that was like 20 years ago, and my memory isn’t great, so who knows). Around 2-3 days a month (usually starting right before I start bleeding), I poop around 7 times a day like a forking infant. I normally only poop 2 times a day, so pooping over 3 times as often is so annoying. It really decreases my work productivity.

Some months, these 5 symptoms are worse than others, so I’ll be doing this experiment for more than one month to increase the rigor of the experiment. During the experiment, I will not be using any drugs for my symptoms. (I’m sorry family, haha.)

Acai Dosage

The recommended dosage of freeze-dried açaí is one to two grams a day, but both of the brands of freeze-dried acai powder I’ll be using in this experiment (Feel Good Organics and Terrasoul) list 3 grams as a serving, so I plan to not exceed 3 grams per day.

I consumed the açaí in smoothie bowls, as well us just mixed with a shot of mango juice, depending on how much time I had.

Month 1 of the Acai Experiment: December 2019

I predicted I would start my period around December 6, so I started consuming açaí on December 1 just to make sure. This month, I used Feel Good Organics freeze-dried acai powder, and consumed 1 serving per day (1 teaspoon per day) starting December 1. On December 4, I noticed I was way hungrier than usual! I started my period on December 5. Below is my daily journal followed by my summary of how I think the açaí affected my main 5 PMS symptoms.

December 4

1. Sore boobs. None whatsoever!
2. Craving snacks. I kept eating and then an hour later, I was hungry again. The acai had no effect on my food cravings whatsoever.
3. Cramps. None yet, but I usually only get cramps after I start bleeding.
4. Heightened emotions. Slightly emo.
5. Potty problems. None yet!

December 5

1. Sore boobs. None whatsoever!
2. Craving snacks. Better than yesterday (thank goodness!), but still there a bit.
3. Cramps. I woke up with cramps and they were definitely bad. I drank a teaspoon of açaí mixed with an ounce of mango juice. My cramps felt slightly better after I worked in bed for a few hours with my hot water bottle on me, but then my cramps got worse later. I took a second teaspoon of açaí.
4. Heightened emotions. Still emo!
5. Potty problems. I’m shocked at how normal going to the bathroom has been today. Nothing like my normal first days of my periods. I think it’s worth taking açaí just to eliminate this symptom.

December 6

1. Sore boobs. None, but by my second day, they would be gone by now normally.
2. Craving snacks. No cravings, but that’s typical for day 2 for me.
3. Cramps. I still had a tiny bit of cramps today, but not bad at all. I usually only have 1 day of bad cramps, so this is normal.
4. Heightened emotions. Feeling less emotional, which is normal for me on day 2.
5. Potty problems. I’m still amazed by the changes acai has had on my period poops. It’s totally back to normal.

Month 2: January 2020

In month 2, I started consuming açaí on January 2. This month, I used Terrasoul freeze-dried acai berry powder, and consumed 1 serving per day (1.5 teaspoons per day) starting January 2. I started my period on January 8. Below is my daily journal followed by my summary of how I think the açaí affected my main 5 PMS symptoms.

January 8

1. Sore boobs. None whatsoever!
2. Craving snacks. Soooo hungry, like an omnomasaur. Like last month, the açaí had no effect on my snackiness whatsoever.
3. Cramps. I’m pretty crampy, but not as bad as last month.
4. Heightened emotions. Emo af.
5. Potty problems. None! Zero! Life is fabulous!

January 9

I had no symptoms from this point forward in my cycle.

Conclusion

My conclusion from this experiment is that açaí helped to reduce the number of times I have to poop on the day before and the first day of my period. It also may or may not have reduced the soreness in my boobs. If you experience these symptoms and you end up trying açaí, please let me know how it went for you.

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