What to eat during your menstrual cycle

Tailoring your diet to your menstrual cycle is important as it can not only help alleviate common symptoms like pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS), cramps and mood swings, but benefits energy levels, fluctuating hormones and even physical performance. Hormones such as oestrogen and progesterone govern the menstrual cycle, and these can also hugely influence your digestion. Hence why you may experience digestive issues like bloating, constipation, and diarrhoea at different points in your cycle.

By aligning your diet with your menstrual cycle, you’ll be able to work with your body’s natural rhythm, which can hopefully help manage any symptoms throughout the month, while promoting better digestive health and overall wellbeing.

Days 1-5: menstrual phase

This is the start of the cycle and begins on the first day of bleeding, which usually lasts for around five days. During this time your body is going through a huge hormonal shift, particularly where your oestrogen and progesterone levels drop significantly. Your body’s response can be quite intense, so it’s not uncommon to have cramps, fatigue, bloating, breast tenderness, headaches and mood swings.

“During the menstrual phase, it’s common to notice symptoms such as abdominal pain and looser stools (caffeine can exacerbate this, so try to limit intake),” says registered nutritionist Jemma Joel.

“As well as this, water retention is a key symptom during this time and not a lot of women realise that this can cause a weight gain of anything from 0.4kg to 4.5kg.”

What should you eat when menstruating?

During this time, Joel recommends focusing on five key things: magnesium, iron, B vitamins, omega 3s and anti-inflammatory foods.

Magnesium and iron-rich foods are key as our magnesium levels can drop, and we lose iron while bleeding, so opt for foods rich in these. When it comes to B vitamins, omega 3s and anti-inflammatory foods, these can all help with alleviating pre-menstrual symptoms, so focus on including the following in your diet:

• Leafy greens
• Avocados
• Nuts and seeds
• Legumes
• Oily fish
• Red meat
• Pulses
• Lots of colourful fruit and veg
• Wholegrains
• Herbs and spices including turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, garlic and black pepper

“Vitamin C can increase the absorption of iron, so try to pair these together – for example raw pepper with hummus, or strawberries with a small handful of almonds,” recommends Joel.

Days 1 – 13: follicular phase

The follicular phase is what’s used to describe the first half of your cycle, hence why it overlaps with the menstrual phase. Alongside actually menstruating, your body goes through several significant changes during this time, particularly preparing your body for ovulation.

During this time, follicles in the ovaries mature, the lining of the uterus thickens, and oestrogen levels rise – which in turn leads to your body’s fertile window. Once you’re out of the bleeding phase, it’s not uncommon to feel at your best with increased energy and better mood, focus and mental clarity.

“In the follicular phase we tend to have increased gastrointestinal motility (the movement of food through the digestive tract) and generally less bloating and good regular bowel movement,” explains personal trainer and nutrition coach Lyndsay Wells. “This is also a time we tend to experience reduced appetite, our insulin sensitivity is better, we have less water retention, and our blood sugars are stable. Most women will feel pretty good during this time and will report much less digestive interference than during their PMS week and bleed phase.”

What should you eat during the follicular phase?

You want to focus on foods that help energy and restore nutrients, according to Wells. “We want to be replenishing lost nutrients and including things that boost energy levels, so complex carbohydrates, things that are calming and gentle on the gut like wholegrains and whole foods, and foods that are rich in iron.”

“Magnesium is also good for cramps, fatigue and mood. I recommend magnesium all through the month, building it up in the system so that it’s a constant. Dark chocolate, nuts and seeds are good natural sources, while supplementations are also great.”

The main thing to focus on during this phase is your body preparing itself for ovulation, so you want to look at having a balance of macronutrients – including carbs, protein and healthy fats.

Day 14: ovulation

The shortest of the four phases, ovulation signifies the midpoint of your cycle – usually around day 14 – where a series of hormonal changes trigger the release of an egg from the ovary. During this time your basal body temperature is slightly higher, your cervix is often higher and softer, and you’ll likely see more cervical mucus.

During this time, it’s not uncommon to experience ovulation pain and breast tenderness, as well as heightened senses. “Many women report feeling unwell, with a variety of pain, including cramping, dragging pains on one side, ovulation pain, inflammation and swelling,” explains Wells. “The luteinising hormone (which triggers ovulation) is higher which can cause headaches, irritability and bloating, while oestrogen is also higher, which can cause nausea.”

What should you eat during ovulation?

Nutrient-dense, nourishing foods are key during this time so fill your plate with plenty of leafy greens, wholegrains, eggs, legumes, protein and of course, drink plenty of water.
“I want to mention the importance of protein here, not just during one phase, but throughout the month,” says Wells. “Protein is one of the building blocks of life in my opinion. If you want to build a good, strong body for yourself, you want to nourish your body.”

If you are trying to conceive, the same rules apply in the sense you want to sustain your body as much as possible, packing your diet full of whole foods, plant-based foods and plenty of protein, B vitamins and folic acid.

“Amp up your vegetables and healthy fats and get as many vitamins and minerals in as possible from foods,” explains Wells. “It’s also beneficial to reduce your alcohol and sugar intake. This is of course quite a general guideline, but for people who are trying to conceive, looking at it as a whole – so your diet, stress, sugar intake, caffeine intake and getting enough movement – is important.”

Days 15-28: luteal phase

The luteal phase is the second part of the full menstrual cycle, following ovulation, and can last around two weeks. This is a key phase for pregnancy and during this time, progesterone levels rise, thickening the lining of the uterus in anticipation of egg fertilisation. If fertilisation doesn’t occur, this is when bleeding starts, progesterone levels will drop and the luteal phase ends.

“During our luteal phase our appetite can increase as progesterone peaks,” explains Joel. “We also burn more energy during this phase due to a small increase in our basal metabolic rate, while a higher breakdown of protein and fat occurs, hence why we might feel hungrier.”

“We have a higher drive for highly palatable foods, comfort foods and easy energy foods like simple carbs,” adds Wells. “The things we tend to want to eat are counterproductive because anything that has high salt and sugar, and are processed like alcohol, biscuits and chocolate, can all increase inflammation.”

This is why it’s extremely important to fuel effectively – to help stabilise energy levels and offset any negative symptoms of a hormonal imbalance.

What should you eat during the luteal phase?

During this phase you might notice that your cravings for carbohydrates and sugar increases, so ensuring meals and snacks are balanced and filling is crucial.

“I do recommend limiting refined sugar during this time, as it can make PMS symptoms worse,” says Joel. “For example, instead of having milk chocolate or cookies, opt for a few squares of dark chocolate – which is a source of magnesium and iron, but also contains flavanols which stimulate the release of endorphins helping to naturally boost your mood.”

It's also a good time to focus on fibre-rich foods aiming for half your plate to be vegetables, alongside a quarter of complex carbs like wholegrain rice, sweet potato or lentils.
Joel suggests cooking then cooling your complex carbs, as this increases the amount of resistant starch which helps fill you up for longer. You shouldn’t forget protein and fat, too, especially as you have a higher breakdown of these so it’s important to replenish stores throughout the day.

It’s imperative to remember menstrual cycle lengths, the heaviness of bleeds and your symptoms throughout the month can vary from person to person. There are also plenty of reasons why you may not fall into the average cycle length, from conditions including PCOS, endometriosis and hyperthyroidism, to birth control, stress and perimenopause. It’s important to track your cycle, and if you experience any changes or concerns, speak to your GP.

Read more about diet and women’s health:

• Five nutrients every woman needs
• What is a balanced diet for women?
• Eat to ease the menopause

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