Chocolate Orange Overnight Oats

Overnight oats are a go-to for breakfast for the follicular phase because they're loaded with protein and fiber, and with these chocolate orange overnight oats, it even feels like a dessert! It keeps me feeling full and nourished all day. It's an easy recipe to meal prep, so I never find myself without something to eat when I'm in a rush to get out of the house in the morning. That way, I'm able to nourish my body without putting in too much time or effort! I use sprouted rolled oats instead of normal oats because they're easier to digest.

Ingredients for your follicular phase: sprouted rolled oats, chia seeds, and orange. During the follicular phase, your metabolism naturally slows down, so you want to eat foods that aid liver detoxification to ensure estrogen buildup doesn't occur in the gut.

Healthy Snickers Overnight Oats Cycle Syncing

Oats are high in fiber which makes it wonderful for our body during the follicular phase. Fiber is key to helping our body flush out excess estrogen while our body ramps up production at this time of the cycle. The specific type of fiber it contains is called beta-glucan, which acts as a prebiotic for beneficial bacteria in our gut microbiome. And because a healthy gut is able to best regulate hormone production, this is very important! Rolled oats are also typically gluten-free by nature, so for those of us that are gluten sensitive - this is a great breakfast to have.

Chia seeds are rich in omega-3s and are also high in fiber, two important nutrients for the follicular phase. Fiber helps our body flush out excess estrogen and maintain a healthy digestive tract, while omega-3s are important for healthy ovulation. High FSH levels can lead to menstrual problems including PCOS, and omega-3s are shown to reduce FSH levels.

Orange, and citrus more generally, are high in vitamin C and antioxidants which reduce inflammation in the body. But most importantly, they are effective at liver detoxification, and vitamin C helps with iron absorption.