Eating with the Moon: A Cycle‑Based Nutrition Guide
Table of Contents
What Is Cycle‑Based Nutrition?
Cycle‑based nutrition means adjusting your food choices to the four menstrual phases—menstrual, follicular, ovulatory, and luteal—to meet shifting hormone‑driven needs.
Matching nutrients to each phase can improve energy, digestion, mood stability, and reproductive health.
This approach honors your body’s lunar rhythm and fosters intuitive eating.
Understanding Hormones & Nutrition Needs
- • Estrogen Rise (Follicular & Ovulatory): needs for antioxidant‑rich foods and protein to build energy.
- • Progesterone Peak (Luteal): support with magnesium, B‑vitamins, and complex carbs for mood and sleep.
- • Low Hormones (Menstrual): focus on iron, hydration, and anti‑inflammatory omega‑3s to ease cramps.
Sample Phase‑By‑Phase Meal Plan
Follow the 7‑day sample plan to experience how slight tweaks—such as adding leafy greens during menstruation or berries in the follicular phase—can impact your energy and mood.
Refer to phaseMealPlanGraphic for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snack ideas organized by phase.
Building Your Phase‑Supportive Pantry
- • Menstrual: spinach, lentils, chia seeds, turmeric, ginger tea.
- • Follicular: wild salmon, berries, cruciferous veggies, green tea.
- • Ovulatory: avocado, nuts, seeds, citrus fruit, fermented foods.
- • Luteal: sweet potatoes, bananas, dark chocolate, almonds, legumes.
Highlighted Recipes to Support Your Cycle
- • Menstrual Phase: Ginger‑turmeric lentil soup for anti‑inflammatory support.
- • Follicular Phase: Berry spinach smoothie packed with antioxidants.
- • Ovulatory Phase: Avocado chickpea salad for healthy fats and fibre.
- • Luteal Phase: Sweet potato and black bean bowl with cacao‑almond drizzle.
Debunking Nutrition Myths
Myth: You shouldn’t eat carbs before your period. → Fact: Complex carbs stabilize blood sugar and mood during luteal phase.
Myth: High‑fat foods worsen cramps. → Fact: Omega‑3 rich fats reduce inflammation.
Refer to mythVsFactGraphic for more evidence‑based clarifications.
Cultivating Intuitive Eating
- • Listen to cravings as signals of nutrient needs—craving orange may indicate low vitamin C.
- • Honor hunger cues and adjust portion sizes by phase.
- • Use intuitiveEatingGraphic to guide mindful check‑ins with your body.
Tracking Meals & Cycle Symptoms
Log each meal alongside energy levels, mood, and cycle symptoms to identify what works best for you.
Review your log at the end of each cycle to refine your phase plan.
Refer to trackNutritionGraphic for a printable logging template.
Joining Cycle‑Nutrition Communities
- • Online forums like SHELY Circle for recipe swaps and peer support.
- • Local workshops on Ayurvedic cycle nutrition or dietitian‑led meetups.
- • Consult communitySupportGraphic for curated resource contacts.
Next Steps
- • Download and print the groceryListGraphic; stock your pantry this week.
- • Pick one recipe card to try during your next cycle phase.
- • Begin logging your meals and symptoms using trackNutritionGraphic starting today.