REBUILD: WEEK 4 - MENSTRUAL EATS
EAT.
So what does your mombody like to eat in the menstrual phase?
The answer is simple: delicious soups and stews that warm the body and feed the soul. Get out that crockpot or instapot and make something completely tantalizing that you can finish off with a healthy drizzle of olive oil. Minestrone, anyone?
Another food to focus on is healthy fats that are good for you. Your mombody loves healthy fat for easing menstrual cramps and helping your mombrain stay sharp.
So here’s the deal when it comes to eating fat: your mombody loves when you eat more omega 3 fats like fish (wild salmon, sardines, anchovies, oysters), seeds (flaxseeds that you are already eating in follicular and ovulatory phases), walnuts, chia seeds, hemp seeds, beans, eggs, brussels sprouts, and spinach. Try to steer clear of omega 6’s that are found in vegetable oils (canola, corn, sunflower, soybean), salad dressings, pizza, sausages, potato chips.
And just because it bears repeating, let’s talk about those debilitating cramps again. Here’s the deal: Prostaglandins stimulate the uterine muscles to contract. There are three kinds of prostaglandins in your mombody: PgE1, PgE2, PgE3. The PgE2 is the one that is responsible for cramps and pain and the more of it your body makes, the more pain you will have. The interesting thing is; the other PgE1 and PgE3 are natural painkillers as they actually relax the uterine muscles. So your body makes double the amount of the painkilling kind, as opposed to the one that causes cramping! Your body is so smart. However, if you have terrible cramps then you are making too much PgE2 and you need to work on increasing your PgE1 and PgE3 in the long term. You do this by eating the right fats like we cover in the video. Eating things like salmon, sardines, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds help too so eat them often. The best food to avoid for cramps is dairy.
Here’s the recap on menstrual eats:
Body temperature is at its coolest level in menstruation so it will feel good to eat warming foods like soups and stews.
Preferred cooking methods are roasting and baking.
Good fats are great so try eating wild salmon when cramps set in.
You will naturally have more appetite (metabolism is revving) so eat up because you need 25% more calories per day.
Seed Cycling: One tablespoon of sesame and sunflower seeds when progesterone levels rise. Sesame seeds have lignans which prevent the build up of excess estrogen and their high levels of zinc promotes progesterone production. Sunflower seeds support liver detoxification and contribute to healthy progesterone levels.
It’s also important to re-mineralize your body since your blood loss during menstruation signifies a drop in iron and zinc. Good foods for this are seafood, kelp, and nori.
Please see the handout for good fats vs. bad fats. The best info on fats I have found is from Dr. Catherine Stranahan. One interesting thing she said in an interview was that yes, sugar is bad for us, but these bad fats are even worse. We need to be aware of these fats in our homes.
Here is a list of Dr. Cate’s Good Fats vs. Bad Fats
https://drcate.com/list-of-good-fats-and-oils-versus-bad/
In summary, get rid of the 3 C’s (Canola, Corn, Cottonseed) and 3 S’s (Sunflower, Soy, Safflower) right now. Seriously, go walk to your pantry and throw them in the garbage.
I like to use avocado oil for most high smoke point things. Butter and olive oil together in a pan is a great combo for everything else.