Key points of the estrogen-centric narrative in this PCRM article:

1) Estrogen & menstrual pain:

2) How to reduce estrogen levels?

… but wait a minute! How does a low-fat, high-fiber diet reduce estrogen levels? The reasoning is complicated. The key points of the argument are described here: Notes from Dr Barnard Interview - Part 1. Dr Linda Carney's blog articles listed towards the end of this section also explain this.

3) How to construct a HIGH FIBER food plate?

• Animal products don't have any fiber. Only plants do. This means we need to consume plants! An effective strategy towards maximizing fiber intake is to eliminate animal products altogether!
• Often, processed plant foods are low in fiber. For this reason, Dr Greger has devised the 5:1 Fiber Rule to help us choose packaged foods wisely. But better still, why eat processed foods at all? By staying away from processed foods completely, we're more likely to maximize our fiber intake!
• Extracts like oils and sugars have zero fiber.
• Every time we consume an animal product or low-fiber processed food, or an extract like oil and sugar, we lost the opportunity to consume fiber!

4) How to construct a LOW FAT, HIGH FIBER food plate?

• Follow the guidelines above for a HIGH FIBER diet. Then make sure it's low fat, as explained below.
• Avoid all of these: fat rich animal products, fat rich processed plant products and oils.
• Don't overdose on nuts, seeds & avocados. All three are fat rich plant foods, commonly consumed by those who follow Whole Food Plant-Based guidelines. But to make sure we are low fat, we must be mindful of our intake.
• Even though tofu, tempeh and plant milks (derived from nuts or seeds) are not as fat rich as nuts, seeds & avocados, those who wish to follow a low fat diet must be mindful of their intake — don't overdoze on tofu, tempeh and plant milks derived from nuts & seeds.

  My strategy? I rarely consume any plant milks. And I don't like the taste of tempeh. But I do consume tofu. It's made from soybeans, which are known to be cancer protective. Consuming tofu bought from a grocery store is far more convenient than homemade soybean recipes. And I buy edamame sometimes.

5) Anti-Inflammatory Foods:

Articles by Dr Linda Carney: Dr Linda Carney is a Whole Food Plant Based advocate. She echoes the estrogen-centric explanation for menstrual pain in her articles:

• (2016) Estrogen Levels Lower With Fiber-Rich Foods
• (2013) Menstrual Cramping and Heavy Periods

As outlined above, adoption of Low Fat, Whole Food Plant-Based is an effective strategy to reduce estrogen levels. Is there anything else we could do? Dr Peter Rogers' video below has additional ideas.

• Check out Dr Barnard's book Your Body in Balance (352 pages, 2020). This book has plenty of personal stories too!
• Menstrual Pain & Whole Food Plant-Based: Can adoption of WFPB guidelines help us? Are there specific foods known to help?
• Your Body In Balance by Dr Neal Barnard: Lectures, interviews, Q&A sessions and podcast appearances by Dr Neal Barnard after publication of his book: Your Body in Balance.
• Dr Barnard Interviewed by Jeanne Schumacher on Women's Health: The interview series with Jeanne Schumacher is pretty awesome. It's in 6 parts and covers a wide arrays of topics.
• Dr Greger has videos explaining the same points that Dr Barnard makes. See Menstrual Pain & Whole Food Plant-Based.
• Dr John McDougall: Hormone Dependent Diseases (Male & Female)