Cycle syncing breakfast for the luteal phase of your cycle ☀️ this is such an awesome way to assist your body as it’s preparing for the next phase of the cycle! I’ve also noticed that changing our main food groups every week prevents us from getting bored with staple meals
Ingredients for your luteal phase: cabbage, onion, sweet potato, chickpea, tahini, and sunflower seeds. During the luteal phase, you want to focus on fiber-rich foods to support the large intestine in flushing out excess estrogen and consume nutrient-dense food as your body's metabolism naturally speeds up.
Cabbage, part of the cruciferous vegetable family, contains Indole-3-Carbinol (I3C) which decreases the concentration of metabolites that activate the estrogen receptor, making it a great way to lower estrogen. It’s also packed with vitamin C, which aids proper hormone production and is an antioxidant, which reduces inflammation. Just make sure to cook it because otherwise it contains contain goitrogens (which suppress thyroid function) and can contribute to PCOS.
Onions are one of the easiest ingredients to add to a luteal phase recipe! They are high in antioxidants, help regulate blood sugar levels, and are a great source of manganese and potassium.
Sweet potatoes are a slow-burning carbohydrate, which is a great addition to your diet in the luteal phase when your metabolism naturally speeds up so you may find yourself getting hungrier faster. They are also packed with vitamin B which helps boost your mood and energy levels, which many women find themselves lacking as they get closer to their menstrual phase.
Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans are great for luteal because they are high in fiber which helps flush out excess estrogen, but also high in vitamin B6 which aids progesterone production. It's also a good source of plant-based protein - and protein helps stabilize blood sugar which can help balance your mood as you go into your menstrual phase.
Tahini is a luteal phase food because it's essentially just sesame seed butter. Sesame seeds (therefore tahini) are high in zinc which is crucial for progesterone production and simultaneously flushes out estrogen.
Sunflower seeds are high in vitamin E, which is a natural antioxidant, and also have been shown to increase the luteal blood flow which lengthens the time of your luteal phase. They’re also high in vitamin B which aids progesterone production and supports liver detoxification.
Luteal Breakfast Bowl
Serves: 1 Active Time: 10 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
90 oz sweet potato
1 ½ cup cabbage chopped
1/8 white onion
1 tsp oil
⅛ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper
¼ tsp garlic powder
1 egg, fried or scrambled
For the Tahini Miso Dressing:
¼ cup tahini
1 Tbsp white miso
0.5 lemon juiced
¼ cup water
1 tsp maple syrup
Process
Preheat the oven to 375° - unless you’ll be using an air fryer
Chop up your cabbage, dice your sweet potato, and cut your white onion into long strips. Put them on a baking tray, and drizzle olive oil over them. Sprinkle the sweet potatoes and cabbage with salt and pepper. Add garlic powder just over the sweet potatoes. Massage everything in then bake at 375° for 17-20 minutes
Make your miso tahini dressing by combining all the ingredients and mixing until fully combined
On an oiled skillet over medium heat, fry an egg by cracking it in and covering it. Let it cook for 3 minutes
Optional: julienne a raw carrot. Lukas doesn’t love adding raw carrot but I do it for the hormone-balancing properties
Assemble! Add your cooked cabbage, sweet potato, and onion into a bowl. Add your carrot if you want. Put the egg on top and pour as much of the dressing as you’d like.
The leftover dressing can stay in the fridge for 5-7 days!
Do you roast the chickpeas? I don’t see them in the instructions (or the ingredients list for that matter!)