Hormonal fluctuations across our cycle means it is common to experience changes in your mood, energy, digestion and even exercise performance as you move through each phase of your cycle. Some of these changes are welcomed, like increased libido in your follicular phase or deeper sleep in your luteal phase, but other symptoms are more bothersome. Symptoms like bloating, digestion changes like constipation, lower mood and less energy. Nutritional changes across your cycle can make a difference to these symptoms and small tweaks to your lifestyle can make a difference to how you feel across your monthly. Let’s zoom in on the Luteal phase as this part of a cycle tends to come with the most symptoms.

Your luteal phase is the part of your cycle that falls between ovulation and your period beginning (based on a 28 day cycle this would be between days 15-28) and the key hormonal changes you can expect in this part of your cycle are:

• A decline in Oestrogen as ovulation has occurred

• An increase in Progesterone, the hormone that will maintain your uterine lining for the next two weeks or so

• In your later luteal phase your Progesterone levels will begin to drop, causing your period to begin

• In your later luteal phase you will also begin to make Prostaglandins, more on these soon  

Some of the symptoms or changes you might notice during your luteal phase include:

• Sluggish bowels and more bloating

• Increased appetite

• Mood changes, including irritability and maybe even lower mood

• More urgent bowel motions, especially in the few days before your period begins

• Lower energy levels in the few days before your period begins

• Breast tenderness

Let’s look at some of the ways that you could use nutrition to help buffer these symptoms. Every woman is different and each cycle in the same women could come with slightly different symptoms. As you read through the strategies below identify 1-2 that you’d like to try and implement rather than changing too many things at once and be at risk of feeling overwhelmed.

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Digestion Changes 

Progesterone slows down your gut transit time (how fast food is processed through your intestines) and can cause increased water retention and lead you to feeling bloated and sometimes more constipated. Focus on increasing your intake of fiber containing foods such as seeds, psyllium husk, high fiber grains like oats, brown rice or quinoa, fruits and non-starchy vegetables. Prostaglandins are being produced in the later part of your luteal phase and cause the smooth muscle of your uterus to contract (hello cramps) but Prostaglandins can also impact your large intestine and make bowel motions more urgent in the few days before your period. You might know this as “period poop” which a lot of women experience. Increasing your intake of soluble fiber such as psyllium husk, LSA, oats, rice and bananas can help to firm up your bowel movements. You might also be more mindful about consuming foods or beverages that you know give you “a funny tummy”. Foods that commonly cause gut irritation include:

• Alcohol (especially beer and cider)

• Caffeine

• Spicy foods

• High fat meals

• Artificial sweeteners such as those used in sugar free candy

Energy Levels

As you move through your luteal phase you may find your energy levels declining and work outs feeling a little harder. Making sure you include enough protein in your diet can help reduce big troughs in energy levels through out your day. Front load your day with a high protein breakfast and lunch, aiming for ~30g protein at each meal. Examples could include:

• 2 scrambled eggs with ¼ cup cottage cheese, herbs, left over green vegetables on grainy toast or,

• 2/3 cup Greek yoghurt, seed granola and berries or,

• Scrambled tofu with greens on sour dough

Your metabolism is higher in your luteal phase and you might notice you are hungrier. Many women prescribe themselves the same amount of food each day but you might need to pack an extra snack or lift your portions slightly. Eating enough is critical for energy levels. Here are some examples of easy but nutrient dense snack options:

• Grainy crackers with saukraut and salmon

• Cottage cheese, tomato and hemp seeds on rice cakes

• Coconut yoghurt, kiwifruit, seeds and cocoa nibs

• Dates with peanut butter

Mood

Progesterone is thought to influence how our brain uses neurotransmitters such as dopamine, serotonin and GABA, working together to influence our mood and sense of wellbeing. As Progesterone declines in your late luteal phase you may notice more irritability and a change in mood as your body adapts to those decline in neurotransmitters. This is the part of our cycle where women experience PMS or premenstrual syndrome, a collection of symptoms including mood changes associated with this Progesterone decline. Around 70-90% of women will experience some PMS related symptoms during their period years. There are some nutrients which are thought to reduce PMS mood related symptoms including:

• Vitamin B6 – found in foods such as legumes, pulses and bananas. Supplementation may be useful for some people

• Magnesium – dark chocolate, seeds (pumpkin seeds in particular), dark leafy green vegetables, whole grains like quinoa

• Omega-3 – avocados, hemp seed oil, chia seeds, oily fish, olive oil, nuts

Improving your blood sugar regulation by building higher protein and higher fiber meals may also help with mood regulation. After all, we’ve all been hangry before right? An example of a more protein and fiber dense snack is Greek yoghurt with berries and seeds versus just grabbing a piece of fruit from the office fruit bowl.

Breast Tenderness

Iodine is thought to reduce breast tenderness, a PMS symptom that many will experience. It is thought that iodine may reduce sensitivity of breast tissue, reduce inflammation and reduce swelling. Iodine is found in foods such as seaweed, in iodized salt, eggs and in sea foods. You can also supplement with iodine but it is important to note that excessive iodine is not recommended in those with some thyroid conditions.

Everyone’s experience of the hormonal shifts across a cycle will be different, and symptoms of our own cycles can vary from month to month. Tracking your cycle and noticing how nutrition, movement, sleep and stress can improve or intensify symptoms can feel empowering and help you understand your own body. We encourage you to get curious about your cycle, understand your normal and implement some of the simple strategies above.