Hummus Crusted Chicken - Mediterranean Bowl

This hummus-crusted chicken bowl is so good, healthy, and flavorful! It is perfect for lunch or dinner. It takes less than 30 minutes, and it's full of protein and veggies. And one of the other great things about this recipe is its versatility. You don't need to eat it as a bowl if that's not what you're feeling - you could use this as a gluten-free, healthy alternative to chicken tenders!

Ingredients for your follicular phase: chicken, pickles, and avocado. During the follicular phase, your metabolism naturally slows down, so you want to eat foods that are easy to digest and aid liver detoxification to ensure estrogen buildup doesn't occur in the gut.

Chicken is a follicular phase food because it is high in choline, which is an important mineral for fertility. It is also high in vitamin Bs and minerals such as zinc - which is needed for follicle development- and magnesium - which is important for metabolizing estrogen. Since magnesium is at its lowest during the follicular phase, it's important to maintain healthy levels of it at this time. Lastly, chicken is high in protein (even more so than beef!) which helps regulate blood sugar levels. But also, your body is most easily going to build muscle during this part of the cycle, so load up on protein to ensure you're providing your body with what it needs!

Pickles (and other fermented foods like kimchi) are great additions to your follicular meals because they are high in probiotics, which are important to maintaining a healthy estrobolome (gut microbiome). A healthy microbiome allows our bodies to effectively eliminate estrogen!

Avocado is a great source of healthy fats, with high levels of Omega-3s, which are shown to reduce FSH levels and are anti-inflammatory which helps curb inflammation. They are also associated with increased progesterone levels, promote ovulation, and optimize hormone levels. They are also very high in fiber, which helps our bodies flush out excess estrogen.