Cycle syncing refers to living in harmony with your monthly hormonal shifts to optimize your health and wellbeing. According to Alissa Vitti, author of Women Code, this means adjusting what you eat and how you live to honor the four phases of the female hormonal cycle: menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal.
As women, we have been conditioned to think that we are meant to be the same all the time. However, women are cyclical in nature. Research shows that hormonal fluctuations during a women’s menstrual cycle affect her mood, energy levels, productivity, pain tolerance, and cravings. As cyclical beings, we are not the same throughout our cycle, so our dietary and lifestyle shouldn’t stay the same either.
Cycle syncing by prioritizing certain foods at certain times of the month can support a women’s body as it navigates hormonal changes. For instance, many of the symptoms that occur due to hormonal imbalances are a result of too much estrogen. Eating the right foods at specific times of your cycle support the metabolization of estrogen through your elimination organs, alleviating the symptoms associated with estrogen dominance, such as bloating, mood swings, or PMS.
Therefore, we can support and optimize our hormonal balance in each phase of our hormone cycle through our food choices.
FOLLICULAR PHASE (the phase we enter right after having our period; it lasts about 1 week to 10 days)
It is very useful to eat food that helps support estrogen production as it ramps up during this phase. Try to focus on the following foods:
Grains: oat, barley…
Vegetables: artichoke, cauliflower, broccoli, carrot, parsley, zucchini…
Fruits: lemon, lime, orange, pomegranate, avocado
Legumes: black-eyed pea, green lentil…
Nuts & seeds: brazil nut, cashew, pumpkin seeds, flaxseeds…
Meat/seafood: chicken,eggs, fresh-water clam, salmon, trout..
Other: Nut butter, olives , sauerkraut, vinegar, kimchi…
OVULATORY PHASE (around day 14 of our cycle, given that the the first day of bleeding is day 1) – lasts about 3 days
This phase’s focus is on supporting liver detoxification when estrogen levels are highest, so that estrogen dominance doesn’t result in symptoms such as PMS, bloating or mood swings later in the cycle. Cruciferous vegetables are incredibly important at this time of the month!
Grains: quinoa…
Vegetables: asparagus, brussel sprouts, spinach, turnips, broccoli, cabbage, kale…
Fruits: apricot, cantaloupe, coconut, raspberry, strawberry…
Legumes: red lentil
Nuts & seeds: almond pecan, sesame, sunflower seeds
Meat/seafood: lamb, salmon shrimpt, tuna…
Other: turmeric
LUTHEAL PHASE (after ovulation and 1-2 weeks before your period)
In this phase it is helpful to eat plenty of foods to support progesterone production since progesterone tends to be low for many women. Magnesium and zinc-rich foods, as well as foods high in vitamin C (oranges, peppers…) and B6 (salmon, walnuts, bananas…) are key. Also, grounding foods such as a root vegetables and soups are useful to support the lower blood sugar levels that are common in this phase. Organic blueberries are very helpful to help curb cravings too.
Grains: brown rice
Vegetables: cauliflower, sweet potatoes, squash, garlic, pumpkin, yams…
Fruits: apple, date, peach, blueberries, pear, rasin…
Legumes: chickpea
Nuts & seeds: pine nut, walnut, sesame, sunflower seeds…
Meat/seafood: beef, cod..
Other: mint, peppermint, spirulina, dark chocolate, mineral-rich bone broth, soups, stews…
MENSTRUAL PHASE (your bleeding phase; what we call our “period”)
Healthy nourishing and nutrient-dense comfort foods are key to restore iron that can be lost in this phase, whether it is by eating more leafy vegetables, animal protein, or beans. Focus on the following foods to optimize your body’s hormonal balance at this time of our cycle:
Grains: buckwheat, wild rice
Vegetables: beet, kale, kelp, mushrooms…
Fruits: blackberry, blueberry, watermelon…
Legumes: adzuki, kidney beans…
Nuts & seeds: chestnut, pumpking seeds, flax seeds…
Meat/seafood: duck catfish, clam, crab, octopus…
Other: Bancha tea, chamomile tea, miso..