Oat-Crusted Chicken Milanese

This Oat-Crusted Chicken Milanese takes 15 minutes from start to finish, has 38g of protein, and is gluten-free. But one of the things I love the most about this is how fun it makes healthy eating (even if you use normal flour). I pan-fried this chicken with the teeniest bit of olive oil, so it has just as much - or even less - oil than most meals, while still giving you the satisfaction of a Chicken Milanese. And then I made this with an oat crust to get the benefits of prebiotics!

Ingredients for your follicular phase: chicken, avocado, oats, egg, flax meal, lemon. 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.

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!

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. 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.

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.

Eggs are a follicular phase food because they are high in choline, which is an important mineral for fertility. Eggs also have high levels of omega-3 and are a wonderful source of protein. High FSH levels can lead to menstrual problems including PCOS, and omega-3s are shown to reduce FSH levels. Protein helps increase energy and promotes healthy egg production.

Flax acts as an estrogen blocker, which prevents us from building up excess levels. They also are high in omega-3s which are shown to reduce FSH levels, are anti-inflammatory, and contain protein which balances blood sugar.

Lemon, 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.