Hormone Hack: Cycle Syncing Snacks
Sync organics is a female focused food and lifestyle movement designed to support the female community in every life and cycle phase. On a mission to empower women with food they can feel good about, sync creates female-focused, organic, plant-based and gluten-free food designed entirely with female biology in mind. Sync believes in a life without restriction, guilt or self-doubt, just balance, melt-in-your-mouth moments of authentic pleasure from real, honest, plant-based food. They believe females everywhere deserve nourishing moments of indulgence in alignment with their wellbeing needs.
This week, we had the privilege of having Sync Organics as guest writers, sharing their knowledge about female biology and women's well-being and its connection to nutritional aspects, providing you with tips and guidance on how to cycle sync your snacks.
Cycle syncing your food routine is trending in the wellness arena - and for good reason. The female focused methodology considers the ever changing hormonal rhythm of the female monthly reproductive cycle. But why do we need to consider what food we’re eating and when? Put simply - our hormones are directly influenced by the food we consume and by consciously optimising your eating habits you could potentially reduce common cyclical pain points such as PMS. Here’s what every female should know.
First things first, men experience a 24 hour hormone cycle where their predominant hormone testosterone fluctuates throughout the day. While women run on a monthly cycle where our unique combination of hormones (namely estrogen, Follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), Luteinizing hormone (LH), testosterone and progesterone) shift daily depending on our cycle phase.
Let’s get down to basics –
There are four key phases in the female hormone cycle: follicular phase, ovulatory phase, luteal phase and menstruation phase - aka when we bleed.
Follicular Phase:
The follicular phase lasts for approximately 7-10 days. As we move through this phase we experience a steady rise in estrogen as we progress towards ovulation. Typically, in the follicular phase we experience balanced mood and energy, as well as rapid muscle recovery and an optimised metabolism making it the ideal time for HIIT, cardio endurance and intensive strengthening and conditioning exercise routines.
Given the higher energy output it’s essential we nourish our bodies mindfully, particularly following the menstruation period where we lose essential micronutrients such as iron throughout our bleed. Iron is a mineral responsible for energy, cognition and muscle restoration, and if you’re someone who experiences lethargy post menstruation it's a key sign your iron levels may be low - thus a mindful inclusion of iron based foods at this time is key to support balanced iron levels post your bleed.
When it comes to eating in support of your hormonal needs, blood sugar conscious routines are a top priority in every cycle phase. So in the follicular phase we continue to opt for a variety of fibre, protein and nourishing fat with every meal and from here we want to consider foods additionally high in iron and vitamin c - to boost plant based iron absorption naturally.
Ovulatory Phase:
The ovulatory phase lasts for 2-3 days with ovulation taking place over 12-24 hours. At ovulation we experience a rapid surge in follicular stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), estrogen and testosterone, followed by a stark decline. This occurs to support an egg release and to possibly conceive.
Typically, at ovulation we naturally feel energised, confident, clear headed, experience balanced digestion and are in touch with our feminine intuition or highest self. While it’s still an ideal time to participate in higher intensity and intense strength and conditioning workouts like focused pilates, it can be additionally important to ensure you’re focusing on nervous system regulatory routines like meditation and yoga too.
Due to the steep spike and dive of estrogen at ovulation it is essential to support our body with high fibre foods which may naturally support estrogen metabolism in an attempt to prevent estrogen dominance or estrogen related PMS in the upcoming luteal phase. Ensuring you maintain balanced estrogen levels is especially important for women trying to conceive as estrogen dominance has been commonly linked with fertility difficulty too. So, whether you’re seeking a more balanced cyclical experience without a reduction in mood, energy and the like, or are at the beginning of your fertility journey supporting estrogen metabolism via your food routines at ovulation specifically is key.
As always, each meal should be founded in a diverse range of fibre, protein and nourishing fat to support balanced blood sugar, and from here we want to elevate our meals with foods high in b vitamins to support the reproductive system, and antioxidants to additionally protect our body against free radicals and support our bodies ability to efficiently excrete estrogen too.
Luteal Phase
Throughout the luteal phase we experience a rise in progesterone, while estrogen continues to steadily rise too. As we near menstruation we experience a rise in testosterone and our energy levels may decline, among other undesirable symptoms too, otherwise known as PMS. The luteal phase typically lasts 10-14 days and PMS often presents in the second half of the luteal phase.
Due to our naturally lower energy levels at this time it’s important to prioritise lifestyle routines which are going to restore your energy, not deplete it further, so shifting towards low intensity, restorative exercises such as strength focused yoga, pilates or swimming are ideal.
In addition to conscious movement, it’s important to continue to implement nervous system regulatory routines such as morning meditation or calming breathwork in the luteal phase too. If we are susceptible to external stress and produce excess cortisol (stress hormone) we are at risk of suppressing estrogen and progesterone - two key hormones in the luteal phase. Unideal fluctuations of these hormones could contribute to night sweats, sleeping problems, mood swings, late, or missed periods, and high cortisol also increases cravings for high sugar sweets.
In our luteal phase we burn 200-300 more calories than our previous phases making it particularly important to ensure all meals are consciously curated to support balanced blood sugar, and embody an increased amount of quality protein and nourishing fat for satiety. This is one of the simplest tricks to prevent PMS cravings.
Following the increase in quality protein and nourishing fats, it's additionally important at this time to focus on ingredients high in calcium, magnesium and b vitamins to prevent or reduce PMS, support mood, nervous system regulation and the general reproductive system.
Menstruation Phase:
Our hormones reach their lowest point at menstruation with the exception of follicular stimulating hormone aka FSH which starts to rise just before menstruation, and we’re also losing essential micronutrients such as iron and zinc throughout our bleed. Iron, as we explained earlier in the follicular phase, is a mineral responsible for energy, cognition and muscle restoration, and if you’re experiencing fatigue, or brain fog, or have known iron deficiency, it's particularly important to be mindful of your iron rich food intake at this time. As always, ensure you pair vitamin c with any plant based iron you consume to boost your body's ability to absorb the nutrient efficiently.
Within the first few days of menstruation it's best to opt for soft, nourishing movement such as walks in nature, stretching and a yoga flow. In addition to conscious movement, it’s important to continue to implement nervous system regulatory routines such as morning meditation or calming breathwork in the menstruation phase too as excess cortisol (stress) is commonly known to contribute to late or missed periods, as well as severe cramps and incessant cravings too.
Throughout menstruation we continue to experience a heightened metabolism making it important to continue to incorporate quality protein and nourishing fat with every meal to support balanced blood sugar and appetite satisfaction, and to also focus on foods rich in iron, vitamin c and zinc to support energy, mood, cognition and balanced nutritional levels too.
Syncs “Elevated Green Smoothie” perfect snack for Ovulation phase.
How to hormone hack / cycle sync your snacks –
Blood sugar conscious food routines:
Always pair fibre, protein and nourishing fat to support balanced blood sugar levels and reduce a dramatic blood sugar spike and dive
Add ceylon cinnamon to your snacking routine to support balanced blood sugar
Dilute 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar or pure aloe vera juice in a glass of water and consume before your food
Move your body for 5-10 minutes after eating - have a dance party in your living room, go for a walk around the block or do some ab crunches and squats
Follicular phase:
Seek food combinations high in iron and vitamin c to support balanced iron levels post your bleed. We love:
Try, Chia pudding made with greek yoghurt, cashews, hemp seeds and blueberries
3. Ovulatory phase:
Seek food combinations high in estrogen metabolising fibre, antioxidants and b vitamins. We love:
Try the Elevated green smoothie
4. Luteal phase:
Seek food combinations high in protein, nourishing fat, magnesium, calcium and b vitamins. We love:
Try these delicious Raspberry & Almond Balls
5. Menstruation phase:
Seek food combinations high in protein, nourishing fat, iron, zinc and vitamin C.
Try this melt-in-your-mouth Raspberry chickpea blondie
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