A nutritionist has gone viral after revealing the foods you should be incorporating into your diet to boost your health, balance hormones and even lose weight – and it all revolves around your menstrual cycle.
The newest trend to grip the internet is cycle-syncing, which means syncing everything from your workouts to your diets with your menstrual cycle, and hormone coach Paige Lindgren, from Los Angeles, California, is teaching her followers how they can get the most out of cycle-syncing.
Paige detailed how you can boost your health and balance your hormones by just adding in leafy greens, fish and more and by tailoring your diet to the phase of your menstrual cycle.
The nutritionist and TikToker frequently details the importance of adapting to your menstrual cycle in beneficial ways rather than allowing it negatively impact your life.
Captioning the video, ‘One of the easiest things you can do to start balancing your hormones is eating in accordance to your cycle,’ Paige described the ingredients and meals that can help make your period less dreadful, while claiming you should eat different foods during each phase of your cycle.
Nutritionist Paige Lindgren, from California, has shared the foods you should be incorporating into your diet and it all revolves around your menstrual cycle
‘During your menstrual phase, focus on health fats, warming foods, Omega 3s, iron and magnesium,’ Paige says at the beginning of her video
While she cooks various meals she adds that each meal should incorporate ‘salmon, sautéed spinach, sweet potato, wild rice, grass-fed ground beef, hemp seeds and ground flax’
Phase one: Menstrual (days one – five)
Get those healthy fats in to boost your iron
‘During your menstrual phase, focus on health fats, warming foods, Omega 3s, iron and magnesium,’ Paige says at the beginning of her video.
While she details which food ingredients you should be looking out for, the nutritionist shows various meals that you should eat during the first five days of your cycle.
While she cooks various meals, she adds that each meal should incorporate ‘salmon, sautéed spinach, sweet potato, wild rice, grass-fed ground beef, hemp seeds and ground flax.’
During your menstrual phase or the first one to five days of your period, your body is working overtime to shed its endometrium, meaning your hormones levels are at their lowest.
This is why it’s important for you to stock up on healthy fatty foods that contain lots of iron.
While you shed both blood and tissue, your body is losing iron as well.
When you lose iron, you lose energy and your body enters a state of extreme fatigue, by adding in foods that are rich in iron and vitamin C your body will work to absorb those nutrients and you will gain your energy back.
While on your period, Paige also notes you should replace your coffee with a blend of almond milk cacao, collagen, cinnamon and raw honey since coffee is an anti-inflammatory.
She also recommends ‘gentler movements’, adding that you should focus on light stretching, walking or yoga.
During her menstrual phase, Paige prepares herself a bowl of rice with salmon and a side of zucchini to focus on the Omega 3s and increase her iron intake.
Phase two: Follicular phase (days six – 13)
As your egg begins to develop, add in leafy greens!
‘When you move to your follicular phase, add a lot more leafy greens, probiotics and fiber rich foods,’ Paige advises
The hormone coach adds that you should try your best to incorporate ‘avocado, arugula, salads, chicken, pumpkin seeds, eggs, asparagus and lentils’
‘When you move to your follicular phase, add a lot more leafy greens, probiotics and fiber rich foods,’ Paige advises.
The hormone coach adds that you should try your best to incorporate ‘avocado, arugula, salads, chicken, pumpkin seeds, eggs, asparagus and lentils.’
In the video, Paige can be seen making what seems to be a pesto pasta, a chicken salad, toast with a side of arugula and broccoli.
During the follicular phase of your cycle, your egg is developing and your estrogen begins to rise.
It’s important for you to focus on foods that’ll help balance your estrogen levels because when your estrogen is too high, it can cause weight gain, heavy periods and extreme fatigue.
To balance your estrogen levels you need to add cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, arugula and brussels sprouts.
It’s also the time to focus on gut-friendly foods and get in as much B12 vitamins as you can, which include leafy greens and nuts.
These foods can help your body shed necessary estrogen and prevent it from causing inflammation.
Phase three: Ovulation (days 14 – 17)
Lower your estrogen levels with vegetables and lots of matcha!
The ovulation phase is when you’re estrogen levels are at its peak and when you’re body is most fertile, so you should eat foods that balance these hormone levels
The high estrogen levels you experience during this time can be extremly taxing on your liver, which is why you should opt for foods that will help bring those hormone levels down
Paige notes you should eat ‘broccoli, cauliflower, tuna, yogurt, matcha, cucumbers and white beans’ to ‘help detox any excess estrogen.’
Similar to the follicular phase, your ovulation phase will also cause heightened estrogen levels.
The ovulation phase is when you’re estrogen levels are at its peak and when you’re body is most fertile.
Although ovulation itself is only 24 hours, the phase includes your uterine cycle, which spans over several days.
The high estrogen levels you experience during this time can be extremly taxing on your liver, which is why you should opt for foods that will help bring those hormone levels down.
Paige notes you should eat ‘broccoli, cauliflower, tuna, yogurt, matcha, cucumbers and white beans’ to ‘help detox any excess estrogen.’
These foods along with garlic, leaks and onions can all help to metabolize your estrogen.
In the video, Paige can be seen preparing a plate of cauliflowers and green beans, a cup of matcha and a bowl of yogurt with blueberries.
She adds that during this phase you should drink ‘raspberry leaf tea’, ‘massage your abdomen, take an epsom bath, [take] magnesium supplements, prioritize sleep and [use] peppermint oil.’
By eating these foods and using Paige’s tips, you can help support your body.
Further incorporating fatty fish like sardines and salmon can also help reduce inflammation and lower estrogen levels.
Lastly, add in fresh black pepper and ginger into your diet to help your body circulate the various nutrients.
Phase four: Luteal (days 18-28)
Grab your bag of chocolate and get ready to beat the PMS symptoms!
During this phase, Paige recommends you add ‘potassium and magnesium rich foods to help counter the bloat from higher progesterone’
The foods the nutritionist recommends during this phase include, ‘sunflower butter, bananas, dark chocolate, quinoa, spinach, walnuts, eggs, zucchini and salmon’
In the video, Paige can be seen preparing a plate of vegetables, cucumber salad and eating a bowl of yogurt with fruits
During this phase, Paige recommends you add ‘potassium and magnesium rich foods to help counter the bloat from higher progesterone.’
The foods the nutritionist recommends during this phase include, ‘sunflower butter, bananas, dark chocolate, quinoa, spinach, walnuts, eggs, zucchini and salmon.’
In the video, Paige can be seen preparing a plate of vegetables with quinoa, cucumber salad and snacking on a dark chocolate cake.
The luteal phase occurs when the follicle releases the egg and in turn, releases high levels of progesterone and some estrogen.
This phase is also where the classic PMS symptoms usually occur – the bloating, anxiety, fatigue and food cravings – that you dread.
During this phase you should be incorporating vitamin E and foods rich in zinc, these can include cucumbers and sesame seeds.
Incorporating mood-boosting foods like chicken, turkey, pumpkin seeds and peanuts, can help to boost serotonin and get your mind off those horrible PMS symptoms.
Adding magnesium into your diet is extremely important because it will help with bloating, digestive issues and even pain management.