Eating in line with your cycle
Women have been targeted and negatively impacted by the fitness and nutrition industry for years. So, whilst nutrition coaching applies to all, I want to dedicate this blog to women – and the incredibly powerful cycle that we go through.
The menstrual cycle is about much more than just bleeding, it can impact everything from our mood, our energy levels, our clarity of thought, our mental health, libido, and skin. It can also affect how fast we burn calories, how fast we recover after exercise and how easily we can think around corners and problem solve – it’s a fascinating and powerful thing. And you can even optimise how you feel during this cycle, even reduce PMS symptoms, just by slightly altering what you’re eating and how you’re exercising – this is known as cycle syncing. And it all starts with knowing your body and what each phase in your cycle looks like for you – and what they mean.
Women have been targeted and negatively impacted by the fitness and nutrition industry for years. So, whilst nutrition coaching applies to all, I want to dedicate this blog to women – and the incredibly powerful cycle that we go through.
The menstrual cycle is about much more than just bleeding, it can impact everything from our mood, our energy levels, our clarity of thought, our mental health, libido, and skin. It can also affect how fast we burn calories, how fast we recover after exercise and how easily we can think around corners and problem solve – it’s a fascinating and powerful thing. And you can even optimise how you feel during this cycle, even reduce PMS symptoms, just by slightly altering what you’re eating and how you’re exercising – this is known as cycle syncing. And it all starts with knowing your body and what each phase in your cycle looks like for you – and what they mean.
As a quick run through of the cycle: there are four phases – menstrual, follicular, ovulatory and luteal – in that order. The ‘classic’ overall cycle length is on average 28 days but varies for everyone, and essentially this cycle maps the rise and fall of the sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone, with oestrogen peaking just before ovulation and with progesterone peaking around cycle day 21 – here is a clear explanation around this and the changes in hormones occurring.
Menstrual phase
The first day of your period is known as day 1 of your menstrual cycle, and this kicks off your menstrual phase, lasting around 3-7 days with a bleed. During this phase your hormone levels are at their lowest, and so is your energy, you’ll feel bloated and tired, so you need to eat adequate calories and take it slow, opt for lighter and gentler exercise to keep your body moving for the endorphins but allowing yourself to recharge.
Prioritising plenty of protein and healthy fats for this phase will hugely support with hormone production and you’ll feel more like yourself more quickly. Many women also experience low iron during this phase, so also try to give yourself a boost with foods rich in iron like kidney beans, spinach and red meat – eat those kidney beans and spinach with a side of vitamin C like lemon juice or a red bell pepper to ramp up the absorption. Try to eat some seafood or mineral-rich seaweed to replenish mineral levels in your body, and if you’re not a mushroom hater, add those too as they contain lots of vitamin D and B6 which support with cell growth and form red blood cells – they are always top of my shopping list for this.
Follicular phase
Your follicular phase starts as soon as your period ends and lasts until ovulation. Your ovaries get ready to release an egg, and your metabolism is slower. As your oestrogen slowly starts to rise, you will feel increasingly full of energy – this is your body getting you to your most fertile phase, so this is literally nature’s way of making you feel your best, most attractive and productive self. This is the time to plan out new things, socialise and explore new ideas. You’ll also start to feel increasingly strong, so now is the perfect time to get back to your usual workouts – whether that be strength training or cardio – with both, you’ll feel increasingly better at everything you do.
For this phase, with all this increased energy, you’ll still feel not quite peak, so focus on supporting this energy with carbohydrates like fruit and wholegrains, and prioritise fermented food, green vegetables, cauliflower, nuts, seeds, and fish – to balance the oestrogen levels. This is the time to focus on fertility boosting food (if this is your motivation) to have a healthy ovulation. Foods researched to boost fertility include walnuts, tomatoes, citrus fruits, beans and lentils, full-fat dairy, salmon and sardines – read more on this here.
Ovulatory phase
Your ovulatory phase happens right in the middle of your cycle between the follicular and luteal phase, lasting around 3 days. As our body releases its egg, we will feel full of energy, and our most attractive. You will feel ‘peak’ in most senses of the word – you’ll have a clearer mind; you’ll look more symmetrical (madness) you’ll feel more communicative and will want to socialise even more than in your previous phase. In regard to exercise, you will be at your strongest around this time and you’ll have the most stamina, so it is the perfect phase for high-intensity cardio for heart health or getting your PB in the weight section.
This phase is naturally optimising your body, and it’s your testosterone hormone being at its highest that gives you all the energy, so you’ll want to continue supporting that energy with carbohydrates. After that, your focus needs to be on flushing the excess oestrogen out to avoid acne or fatigue. To do this you’ll want to drink plenty of water, eat cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, and sprouts, and prioritise fibre rich food such as flax seeds and beans.
Luteal phase
Your luteal phase starts just after your ovulation and lasts around 10 to 14 days until you get your period. In this phase, your metabolism speeds up, even though you might start to feel more lethargic, and your resting cortisol levels are higher than in your earlier phases. Your body needs more calories every day to maintain stable blood sugar and balance insulin (about an extra 300 calories) as it must work harder to do this. This is the phase that you can reduce your PMS symptoms by being more mindful to your cycle. You’ll have less energy begin to feel more bloated, so prioritising gentle movement is key to recharge. Select gentle movement such a pilates and yoga; during strength workouts you’ll feel weaker, so this week is great for a deload week or mobility work.
Your cravings may increase this phase, and it can often be for less-than-healthy foods. Satisfy cravings with plenty of protein and lots of fibre, prioritise more cruciferous vegetables, such as cauliflower, rocket, broccoli, brussels sprouts, and add in some complex carbohydrates such as sweet potatoes, whole grains, beans, and other nutrient dense vegetables. Stay hydrated and choose healthier snacks like dark chocolate, fruit, lightly salted nuts and healthy fats – make use of that extra caloric intake that your body needs and listen to what it is telling you.
The point with all of this? Nutrition can be a powerful tool to support navigating the many changes to the female body during their cycle, and with just a little bit of knowledge and educated support, this can be such a game changer for a lot of women. As a nutrition coach, I’m just here to help people flourish and feel their absolute best, and this is such a good way of reducing the impact of the ever-moving goal posts.
