Learn how to eat for all four phases of your menstrual cycle to help your body be as healthy as possible.

healthy women jumping on beach


Menstrual Cycle Meaning

As a female of child-bearing age, our menstrual cycles can be a quick measure of our overall health. The relative ease and regularity of your menstrual cycle is an amazing piece of information that gives you insight about your overall health. In fact, some health professionals consider it to be the 5th vital sign.

Your menstrual cycle is so important because it indicates whether or not your body is healthy and safe enough to reproduce. Reproduction is not essential to survival, so it is often the first system to “shut off” in times of illness or stress.

This is your body’s protection mechanism to ensure you won’t be able to reproduce in a less than optimal environment. Historically, this often occurred due to famine or another life-threatening circumstance. Today, a lack of a normal cycle occurs due to stress, imbalanced hormones, or lack of nourishment.

coconut chia pudding in jar with raspberries

It is normal to have some variations in our cycles. Even the season can cause changes. Certainly, one’s age, stage of life, and level of stress can also cause changes. Most women between the ages of 12-50 have between 10-12 cycles a year.

Our menstrual cycles should be between 28-35 days, though this number may vary slightly. As long as your cycle is normal for you and is consistent, that is a good sign.

We often think of menstruation as the main event of a cycle, but there are actually four phases in a cycle. Track yourself during your next cycle to see if you are moving through each phase easily.

Menstrual Phases

The first day of bleeding marks Day 1 of your entire cycle. Menstruation should occur from days 1-5, though your specific period length may look different. Anywhere from 2-7 days is considered normal.

During this phase, you are shedding your uterine lining from the previous cycle. All hormones are low for the first few days, with estrogen and FSH (follicle stimulating hormone) begin to rise towards the end. Your body is also busy maturing several eggs for ovulation.

Follicular Phase

After your period, you move into your follicular phase, which occurs from days 5-14 (or from the last day of bleeding to ovulation). During this time, your body selects one dominant follicle to nurture and grow in preparation for ovulation.

Estrogen rules this part of your cycle, along with luteinizing hormone to trigger ovulation. The end of the follicular phase is marked by ovulation, when the follicle bursts and releases an egg ready for fertilization.

Luteal Phase

Immediately after ovulation, your body remains hopeful for a fertilized egg to implant itself in your uterus. This phase lasts from the end of ovulation to the premenstrual phase, roughly days 16-21.

Progesterone rises, prompting the continued growth of a nutrient-dense uterine lining ready for implantation. The dominant follicle, now referred to as the corpus luteum, is primarily responsible for secreting the progesterone that will ensure a successful pregnancy.

Premenstrual Phase

From days 21-28, or the week before your next period, your body has gotten the message that is is not pregnant (if the egg is not fertilized). Thus, it begins preparing to shed the uterine lining and repeat the cycle again. As the corpus luteum begins dying, it takes progesterone with it. Estrogen remains lower as well.

This phase is when many women experience premenstrual syndrome, or PMS. PMS often occurs due to low progesterone levels, usually a result of poor follicle creation and/or unsuccessful ovulation (meaning the egg was not healthy enough or you did not ovulate at all.) Your premenstrual phase ends with the first day of real bleeding, marking your next cycle.

healthy breakfast in a white kitchen

How to Eat for Each Phase

Your diet is a great way to optimize each phase of your cycle. Not only do you get to target potential symptoms with key nutrients, but your cycle is a built-in way to rotate your foods and ensure variety in your diet. Don’t worry if you can’t incorporate specific foods during each phase, but you might want to test if cycle syncing at least a few meals alleviates any issues you may have.

how to eat for your menstrual cycle infographic

Foods to Support Healthy Menstruation

Your menstrual phase is a time to rest and replenish. Your body is undergoing a controlled inflammatory response to shed your uterine lining, so nourishing yourself with nutrient-dense, anti-inflammatory foods will help support you at this time. Due to blood loss, iron-containing foods are the most important. Most women also need an iron supplement (see my recommendations of supplements for women of child-bearing age).

  • A sample meal for your menstrual phase could include sautéed beef strips and a salad filled with iron-rich spinach, high-antioxidant berries, and healthy fats like sliced avocado and olive oil. Steer clear of inflammatory sugary foods, but you can nourish your magnesium levels and your soul with a few squares of dark chocolate.

Foods for the Follicular Cycle

A lot of women feel best during their follicular phase. When your body’s fertility efforts are more behind the scenes. Enjoy a normal balanced diet during this phase, incorporating plenty of nourishing foods to provide nutrients to a maturing follicle. Play around with new recipes and restaurants during this easy phase of your cycle!

  • A sample meal for your follicular phase could include nutrient-dense foods like eggs, broccoli, fruit, and nuts. Some women find themselves prone to dehydration during their follicular phase due to the high levels of hormones, so incorporate more mineral-rich sea salt and water during this time.
Fried eggs on green and toast

Eating During Your Luteal Phase

During your luteal phase, you want to start supporting your detoxification pathways to make it easy to metabolize and eliminate the used hormones from your follicular phase. Focus on liver-loving foods like cruciferous vegetables, antioxidant-rich berries, and protein. Incorporate plenty of fiber to ensure you’re able to eliminate properly. You may consider eating easily digestible foods since some women can start to have digestive issues during this phase.

  • A sample meal for your luteal phase could include a pureed soup, which is typically easy to digest. A garlic-cauliflower pureed soup made with gut-healing bone broth and topped with crumbled bacon offers easily digested protein, sulfur-rich garlic and cruciferous cauliflower. Pair with a small side salad for extra fiber.

Premenstrual Foods

To help stave off cramps, headaches, and difficulty sleeping, you should definitely include magnesium-rich foods while continuing to support your detox pathways. Foods high in magnesium include nuts and seeds, leafy greens, avocado, chocolate, and bananas.

  • A sample meal for your premenstrual phase may include a soothing smoothie made with magnesium-rich banana, cacao powder, almond butter, and avocado. Toss in some cruciferous kale or cauliflower for extra detox support. Adding in collagen peptides will supply you with the amino acids necessary to support great sleep.
acai bowl with sliced fruit


Can seed cycling help support hormone balance?

Seed cycling, or the practice of ingesting different seeds for the two major phases of your cycle, can help support hormone balance for some women. However, there has never been a large-scale study performed to investigate the benefits of seed cycling. Some women swear by it, while others don’t notice a difference. If you would like to incorporate it, here are more details.

  • From Days 1-14 of your cycle (your menstrual and follicular phases) consume 1 tablespoon each of freshly ground flaxseed and pumpkin seeds. It’s said that the lignans present in flax and the zinc present in pumpkin seeds help support healthy estrogen levels.
  • From Days 14-28 of your cycle (your luteal and premenstrual phases) consume 1 tablespoon each of freshly ground sesame and sunflower seeds. It’s said that the lignans present in sesame and the selenium present in sunflower seeds help support healthy progesterone levels.

Do all women need to take iron? 

Not all women will need to take iron during their menstruation phase, but most women do need it. You should always test your ferritin levels before taking an iron supplement. Order and take an iron test from the comfort of your home! Use code CARRIE15 for 15% off your order from LetsGetChecked.

If your ferritin levels are within an optimal range, you may not need an iron supplement. If ferritin levels are low, however, you may need a comprehensive iron supplement.

woman doing extreme yoga

What is a good ferritin level? Why is ferritin important? 

Optimal ferritin levels in healthy adults should be anywhere from 50-150ng/mL, preferably on the higher end. Ferritin is different than iron; it is a protein that controls the capacity of your body to store and release iron as needed. If ferritin levels are low, you won’t be able to store or release adequate iron into your bloodstream.

Ferritin is important for many different mechanisms in your body. Iron is required for adequate T3 and T4 production and utilization. If the body senses low iron storage from low ferritin levels, it won’t produce adequate thyroid hormones. Low ferritin levels can also lead to low energy, weakness, lightheadedness, and brittle hair and nails.

If you have the above symptoms, or if you have especially heavy periods, it’s wise to get your ferritin levels checked. It’s a simple blood test that you doctor can order for you or you can order for yourself.

What should I eat or which supplements should I take to balance my hormones? 

There is no one-size-fits-all hormone protocol. Every woman is different and should get individual advice from a qualified practitioner. Of course, there are common nutrient deficiencies that can be solved with supplementation.

Having an adequate nutrient intake with a varied, whole foods diet and supplementation is the first step in balancing your hormones. You should move on to targeted supplementation with supplements like Vitex, black cohosh, and DIM only if you have a tested and verified hormonal imbalance.


Eating for your cycle can be a nourishing way to support your hormonal health at every phase of your menstrual cycle. Focus on nutrient-dense foods that can help you move through each phase with ease, from iron-rich foods in your menstrual phase to magnesium-rich foods in your premenstrual phase.
