The Best Eating Habits to Support Your Cycle: Nourish Your Body with the Right Foods

As a woman, it’s important to consider several factors to maintain a healthy and regular cycle. One of the most crucial factors is how you eat! Today, I’m excited to share the best eating habits to support your cycle, inspired by the book Fast Like a Girl by Dr. Mindy Pelz. I’m personally very enthusiastic about this book and try to incorporate it into my daily routine.

Your menstrual cycle consists of four phases:

• Winter: Day 1-10 (Menstruation)

• Spring: Day 1-13 (Follicular Phase)

• Summer: Day 11-15 (Ovulation)

• Autumn: Day 16-30 (Luteal Phase)

In Fast Like a Girl, Dr. Mindy Pelz uses slightly different phases, which are:

• Power Phase 1: Day 1-10 (Menstruation)

• Manifestation Phase: Day 11-15 (Ovulation)

• Power Phase 2: Day 16-19

• Rest Phase: Day 20 until the start of menstruation

During each phase of your cycle, your hormone levels change, and your diet should support these fluctuations. Below, I dive deeper into each phase of your cycle and give you the best eating habits for each one!

Power Phase 1: Menstruation (Day 1-10)

In the first phase of your menstrual cycle, your hormone levels are low. You may feel calm and possibly a little withdrawn. During these 10 days, your hormones begin to slowly rebuild toward ovulation. This is a good time to do heavier workouts, but you’ll need fewer carbs compared to later in the cycle. In this phase, your body works on building estrogen.

Eating Habits for Power Phase 1:

• Avoid sugar and processed foods, as estrogen doesn’t like glucose spikes.

• Focus on healthy fats like butter, fatty fish, and beef.

• Keep your carb intake lower, focusing on natural sources like vegetables and sweet potatoes.

• Eat fewer proteins (about 75-80g per day), as too much protein can cause glucose spikes.

Foods that Support Estrogen Production:

• Soy (tofu, edamame, tempeh)

• Flaxseeds & sesame seeds

• Chickpeas, beans, peas

• Nuts (almonds, walnuts, pistachios)

• Fruit (apples, pomegranate, plums, berries)

• Vegetables (carrots, kale, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts)

Manifestation Phase: Ovulation (Day 11-15)

During this phase, you likely feel full of energy, confident, and powerful – the perfect time to manifest your desires! Your hormones are at their peak, and this is the best phase for muscle building. Your body is now ready to break down its hormones, so it’s a great time to adjust your diet accordingly.

Eating Habits for the Manifestation Phase:

• More protein: Choose fish, meat, cottage cheese, yogurt, or plant-based sources like beans, chickpeas, nuts, seeds, and quinoa.

• More carbohydrates: This is the time to enjoy more carbs, such as fruits, different types of potatoes, and pumpkin.

Power Phase 2: (Day 16-19)

After ovulation, your hormones start to decrease, signaling the beginning of Power Phase 2. In this phase, it’s beneficial to reduce your carbohydrate intake again and possibly implement fasting to support your metabolism (however, fasting is not recommended if you are trying to conceive).

Eating Habits for Power Phase 2:

• Fermented foods: Think sauerkraut, raw kefir, and yogurt to support digestion.

• Bitter foods: Radishes, ginger, and lime can help break down estrogen.

• Vegetables: Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and green leafy vegetables like spinach and kale.

• Chia seeds, hemp seeds, and walnuts are excellent sources of healthy fats.

• Green tea can have anti-inflammatory effects and support metabolism.

Nurture Phase: Luteal Phase (Day 20-30)

In the final phase of your cycle, your body needs rest and recovery. Progesterone rises, a hormone that calms you and asks for rest. During this phase, it’s important to avoid stress, skip heavy workouts, and reduce any extra pressure, such as from work. Also, your body needs more glucose to support the increased progesterone levels.

Eating Habits for the nurture Phase:

• More carbohydrates are needed to support progesterone. Think sweet potatoes, quinoa, beans, chickpeas, and lentils.

• Healthy fats: Avocado, broccoli, spinach, Brussels sprouts, and kale.

• Proteins: Salmon, chicken, eggs, and shellfish.

• Fruits: Bananas and papayas can help keep your glucose levels balanced.

• Nuts and seeds: Walnuts, almonds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, and flaxseeds are great for hormonal balance.

• Chocolate! (Preferably dark) can also help improve your mood.

Conclusion

By aligning your eating habits with the different phases of your menstrual cycle, you can optimize your hormonal balance and feel more energized. Fast Like a Girl offers valuable insights into how you can tailor your diet to each phase, and by applying this to your daily routine, you’ll be supporting yourself throughout your cycle.

Every woman is unique, and it’s important to experiment and discover what works best for your body.

Are you struggling with fasting? That could be related to your Dosha in Ayurveda. If your Vata is out of balance, fasting might not be optimal for you.

In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing more recipes and tips focused on the female cycle, and I hope you can use this knowledge to create a lifestyle that’s perfectly suited to you! 💖

Xjes, Aimée