This high-protein, gluten-free, and delicious dinner is one of the oldest recipes in my cookbook. I discovered this recipe in a cooking class in Laos 6 years ago, and over the years I have been making small changes and variations to the recipe until I found this version. I hope you like it as much as I do!
Ingredients for your follicular phase: chicken, lime, pickled jalapenos, lettuce. 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!
Limes, 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.
Lettuce is good for follicular because it is high in fiber content, which helps your body detox and eliminate excess estrogen.
Pickled foods (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!
Thai Chicken Larb
Serves: 4 Active Time: 15 minutes Total Time: 15 min
Ingredients
1 tsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb ground chicken
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp sriracha
2 Thai red chiles, diced
1 tbsp fish sauce
Juice of 2 limes
Salt, to taste
1 tsp honey
3 scallions, chopped
1⁄4 cup chopped cilantro
1⁄3 cup chopped basil
1⁄2 cup chopped mint
1⁄4 cup diced shallots
Lettuce (romaine or Bibb work best), to serve
Pickled jalapeño, to serve
Process
Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil and garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding the ground chicken. Stir often for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the chicken is fully cooked.
Add the chili powder, sriracha, chiles, fish sauce, lime juice, salt and honey. Mix so it’s evenly combined, and then add the cilantro, basil, mint, and shallots and remove from the heat. It’s ready to serve in lettuce leaf cups and topped with pickled jalapeños.
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