If you're new around here, welcome! I'm a menstrual health expert and hormone ND. I have helped thousands of women welcome in healthy periods and balanced hormones with my program Period Reboot! Be sure to hop on the waiting list so you're notified the next time the doors open!

Throughout the month, your hormones surge and change which means your nutritional needs do too.

Food has the power to SUPPORT our natural hormone fluctuations or complicate the process. By understanding what your hormones are doing throughout the month, you'll see how caloric needs change and key times to implement more vegetables, more fats or extra protein. 

And, it's great to mix up your food! Scientists believe that the #1 way we can support a healthy gut biome is by consuming a variety of food. This means changing out the kinds of vegetables, carbs and proteins we eat throughout the month. Win win!

Your Hormones and Nutrition

As your hormones change throughout the month, so can your foods! 

Throughout the month, you can move through four different phases in your menstrual cycle: your period, the follicular phase, ovulation and the luteal phase. As you'll see in the chart below, your hormone ebb and flow during this month long cycle.

In the first half of your cycle (aka your period and follicular phase), you'll see hormones start very low and then estrogen and testosterone begin to rise as you approach ovulation. After ovulation, you make the hormone progesterone is this hormone becomes the star of the show during your luteal phase. Your luteal phase is the longest phase of your entire cycle, lasting 10-14 days for most women. And then, your period starts and it all starts over!

Eating Cyclically - Here's how!

FOLLICULAR PHASE: As your estrogen starts to build, your appetite naturally stays low during this phase. With an increase in energy and stable blood sugar, you'll likely feel on top of the world! By the time estrogen peaks in ovulation, our body naturally craves rich vegetables to help us flush the remaining estrogen. These vegetables will also help remove excess levels. Because your body temperature also increases around ovulation, raw foods like salads and smoothies may seem extra enticing. 

My favorite Follicular Phase foods: raw carrots, green leafy vegetables, smoothies with added protein powder, broccoli, asparagus, flax seed, sesame seed, artichoke, parsley, eggs

OVULATION PHASE: Your body needs LOTS of energy for ovulation to happen and for the empty egg sac (the follicle) to transform into the corpus luteum. This temporary endocrine gland will make progesterone and estradiol for you through the rest of the month! Pretty incredible, right? Because of this huge need for energy, I like to focus on vegetables and high quality protein.

My favorite Ovulation Phase foods: Brussel sprouts, chard, scallions, spinach, almonds, grass fed meat, eggs, roe, wild caught fish

LUTEAL PHASE: After ovulation and into the luteal phase, complex carbs become our best friend. Especially for PMS symptoms, eating hearty carbs like quinoa, sweet potato and squash balance blood sugar and curb cravings. We may also need up to 250 additional calories per day during this phase, so focus on balanced meals with adequate complex carbs and protein. With blood sugar being more irregular, it's essential to make sure you're eating every 3-4 hours too. 

My favorite Luteal Phase foods: Sweet potato, squash, radish cauliflower, steak, roasts, grilled chicken, organ meats, pork

PERIOD PHASE: Into the menstrual time, iron rich foods, healthy fats and leafy greens are vital. Warming foods are key here so you may find that cramping decreases by switching out your cold morning smoothie for a warming breakfast bowl each day. I find most of us naturally crave hearty foods during our period, so all of these favorite foods below probably sound delicious! I am also a huge fan of batch cooking during your luteal phase so that during your period, you have lots of easy foods to warm up.

My favorite Period Phase foods: Beets, kelp, mushrooms, grass fed meat, bone broth, homemade soups, fatty fish

Learning to eat WITH your cycle can be a game changer when it comes to managing symptoms like PMS, breast tenderness, acne, period pain, PCOS, infertility, hypothyroidism and fatigue. I believe cyclical awareness in general is key for long term balancing and that's why I designed my program Period Reboot! ♥️ In Period Reboot, you learn exactly how to eat, exercise, supplement and support your hormone health. You also learn specific tools to use for specific symptoms. There's a reason we have over 50 incredible testimonials about Period Reboot from real women like you who were tired of dealing with debilitating symptoms and not getting much help from their providers. 

Get on the Period Reboot waiting list here!

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