How to Nurture and Re-Wire Your Monthly Cycle
Your cycle is your monthly report card. It’s one of the most powerful reflections of your health and can actually play a huge role in helping you perform at your very best – at any time of the month! Sadly, most of us are still conditioned to see it as a drain to us energetically and our physiological disadvantage as women. It’s also frequently associated with discomfort. But this is not and should not be the case!
One of the most important factors to consider, especially for someone who leads an on-the-go-style lifestyle (mentally or physically), is period regularity. Your period should be present and regular (between 25-35 days) without any major PMS symptoms (anxiety, sleep issues, moodiness, breast tenderness, bloating, pain, acne, menstrual migraines, heavy bleeding etc.). It’s worth bearing in mind that if you are taking any form of hormonal contraception, then you actually don’t have what we call a “period”, as such, as you’re not making any of your natural “lady” hormones.
If your period is missing, irregular or you have any related symptoms, then this could be the result of any number of stressors (physical or emotional) on your body, a biochemical imbalance and/or not feeding your body the right sustenance and nutrients it needs to have a healthy, stress-free period . Left unaddressed, this can have big impacts on how you look, feel, think and perform every day.
In fact, our super-circadian cycle (or menstrual cycle) impacts everything from our energy, brain chemistry, stress response, metabolism and immunity – it really is the cornerstone of your health.
Whilst we are all biochemically unique and it can be helpful to work 1 on 1 with a qualified health professional, who can tailor support to your needs, I’ve put together a healthy cycle 101 with some tips to help you nurture and re-wire your female hormones (if you do find they’ve gone a little wonky!):
Stop intermittent fasting – this is the #1 dietary mistake I see a lot of women with cycle-related problems making every day and it’s really upsetting your hypothalamus and disturbing ALL of your lovely hormones (cortisol, sex hormones, thyroid, insulin – the works). That means no more meal skipping (intentionally or otherwise).
Reduce caffeine – if you are very sensitive to stress, then caffeine may not work for you right now. Caffeine is very effective at elevating your stress hormones which can interfere with your reproductive (HPG) axis. Caffeine also competes with oestrogen for metabolism by the liver and may contribute to PMS symptoms in some women. If cycle irregularity or PMS are a problem for you, then try warming African Red Bush (rooibos), ginger & lemon or turmeric tea for their natural anti-inflammatory qualities.
Replace cow’s dairy with goat or sheep’s milk dairy – if you have bad acne, period pain, PMS or heavy periods then it’s a good idea to try removing cow’s dairy for a period of time to see if this alleviates your symptoms. Cow’s dairy contains a protein called A1 casein (note, it’s not the lactose that is the problem so lactose free dairy won’t help) that can contribute to certain natural inflammatory processes around your menstrual. Conversely, if you have hypothalamic amenorrhoea then a little cow’s milk dairy is probably a good thing! The reasons for this are complex and have less to do with the nutritional value of dairy (though this may also help) and more to do with the effects of cow’s milk on an endogenous hormone called IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1). As you see, when it comes to periods it’s really worth getting some individualised support!
Eat enough and make peace with carbs – there is an idea that too much exercise can stop periods. This is because some athletes develop REDS (relative energy deficiency in sport). The problem is not exercise per se, but not enough energy (especially from carbohydrate) to sustain your activity level. As a woman, you need more food than you’ve been led to believe – whether you exercise or not. To top it off, our hypothalamus (that little organ in the brain) has receptors that “know” what we’re eating. If there isn’t enough “energy” perceived in the blood stream, this sends a BIG warning sign to this brain region with consequences for other hormone systems in the body. So DO eat plenty of nourishing, whole foods. You should feel satisfied after meals and include slow release carbs like sweet potatoes, brown/black/wild rice, brown rice pastas, other wholegrains and legumes to keep your blood sugar balanced and your hypothalamus happy. Remember, we need carbs to ovulate!
Get fat friendly! Healthy fats like olives, olive oil, avocados, coconut oil, cold-pressed plant oils, oily fish, egg yolks and nuts/seeds are essential to hormone production & balance, whilst the choline found in egg yolks, certain nuts & other plants will help support ovulation too.
Include protein at every meal – protein is essential to provide amino acids both to produce and detoxify hormones and neurotransmitters, repair and maintain immune and other proteins. You’ll need at least 1 gram of (pure) protein for every kg of lean body mass. The lesson here really is that we need all 3 macro-nutrients (protein, complex starch and fat) in abundance for optimal satiety, hormone balance and to convince your hypothalamus that you have enough nutrition to ovulate – aka, a healthy period! Please don’t underestimate the importance of this.
Eat magnesium rich foods, such as dark leafy greens, beans, pulses, almonds, pecans, cashews, brown rice, seafood and dark chocolate. Foods sources may not be enough, so supplementing with 300mg (400mg if more active) of magnesium glycinate a day can help, especially if PMS symptoms are severe. Magnesium soothes and calms the nervous system, it helps regulate your HPA axis (stress system), improves insulin sensitivity and thyroid function. Magnesium is also anti-inflammatory, promotes healthy oestrogen metabolism, aids in the production of progesterone and enhances GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid) activity – this is one of our calming neurotransmitters. It is the #1 mineral for periods!
Consume zinc-rich foods daily – zinc is also a period powerhouse. It’s anti-inflammatory, helps to regulate the HPA axis and nourish ovarian follicles, promoting healthy ovulation and progesterone. Progesterone is our calming hormone and we only produce this when we ovulate. Zinc also helps with the synthesis, transport and action of all hormones. It’s found naturally in oysters (the most concentrated source!), other seafood, red meat, poultry and dairy. Pumpkin seeds and cashews are also good sources. It’s found to a lesser extent in wholegrains beans, chickpeas and other legumes/nuts/seeds. If you are vegetarian it can be hard to reach optimal levels, so speak to a qualified Nutritional Therapist or Nutritionist if you have period issues as supplementing this mineral could be right for you.
Get some sunshine – vitamin D (which is actually another hormone!) regulates hundreds of processes in the body. Two of those include healthy insulin sensitivity and ovulation, so it’s pretty fundamental for periods! Aim to get at least 15-20 mins of sunshine daily and expose face, arms and legs; or talk to a practitioner for testing and supplementing options.
Breathe! Try taking 10 deep, full belly breaths each morning and evening – this can really help reduce your stress hormones, enhance your energy & send safe signals to our primary hormone regulator in the brain – the hypothalamus. For more information about reducing stress to aid hormone balance, read the blog here.
Get in touch – if your periods have stopped entirely, you’ve been ‘diagnosed’ with HA (hypothalamic amenorrhoea), or your PMS symptoms are really getting you down then consider getting in touch to get the personalised nutrition & lifestyle support you need. There’s no one size fits all with this one!
Holly x
© Holly Dunn Nutrition