10 foods for happy hormones during your menstrual cycle
It’s so important for us women to help our hormones during the different phases of our cycle. Hormones such as estrogen and progesterone rise and fall according to the phases which can effect our mood, appetite, sleep quality and other factors of our day to day life. If we can get the right nutrition in to help support our body and lessen any chances of experiencing negative side effects of hormone fluctuations, we can have a happy and healthy cycle each month.
So here’s 10 health foods you can implement into your diet and how they can support your menstrual cycle:
1) Salmon
Salmon is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids and is a great source of Vitamin B. The week before your period (luteal phase), is when your estrogen levels drop significantly, there are studies to suggest salmon contains small levels of estrogen which may help you balance your hormones during this time. Regardless of the estrogen levels, you should be incorporating this superfood to boost heart and brain health.
2) Flaxseeds
Flaxseeds are rich in lignans, which is a compound derived from plants with effects similar to estrogen. They also aid digestion and lower cholesterol, so they are great for helping you reduce bloating and possibly relieving cramping symptoms.
3) Garlic
Besides from how GOOD it tastes in everything, garlic is one of the best superfoods you can incorporate into your diet. A few benefits to note; lowers cholesterol, increases longevity, boosts immunity & helps with digestive issues. Garlic also contains phytoestrogens, which again help to support you during the weeks where estrogen is low.
4) Berries
Berries are rich in anti oxidants, are suggested to prevent heart disease and also just taste so YUMMY! Berries are another naturally occurring source of estrogen, which - you guessed it - are a great addition to your diet to help you regulate hormone levels.
Also, the raspberry leaf is proven to help relieve pain from period induced cramps.
5) Cruciferous Veggies
Cruciferous veggies (meaning from the cabbage family), include cabbage, broccoli and brussel sprouts. These veggies are so good at healing the gut microbiome, improving blood glucose and cholesterol levels and regulating bowel movement. In relation to your cycle, these veggies are a great source of magnesium and iron, things we need significantly more of during our period week.
6) BEans
Kidney beans, black beans, lentils and chickpeas are a great source of Vitamin B which is a necessary vitamin for creating progesterone. The folicular phase (the week after your period), is when progesterone is at it's lowest. So including these beans into your diet can help bring balance back to the hormone levels.
7) Avocados
The hype is real, avocados are a superfood. Where they may be lacking in flavour, they are packed full of nutrients that help with reproductive health, can support women during pregnancy and are even suggested to lower the risk or cervical cancer. Avocados contain beta-sitosterol, which helps with the production of progesterone.
8) Whole grains
Things like oats, quinoa & wholegrain bread help to stabilise blood sugar levels, provide high quality levels of fibre and are rich in Vitamin B. The vitamin B helps with progesterone synthesis, so include more whole grains where you can to help your body with it's hormone production!
9) Walnuts
Walnuts help with heart, brain and gut health and have been labelled as a superfood for a long time. They are high in magnesium so eating these during your period may help with tiredness and lack of energy.
10) MAtcha
My fellow matcha lovers will be happy to hear this, matcha can help women who have excess estrogen (typically found in pre and post menopausal women). Matcha is super high in antioxidants and helps promote healthy digestion, boost energy and is super high in polyphenols. So go and drink that matcha latte!
Supporting your body during your different phases of your cycle is super important if you want a stress and pain free month. Nutrition is one of the best ways to support your hormones, so I hope this blog post can help!
