Exactly What To Eat (And What To Avoid) To Have A Great Period

Let’s back up a second. Maybe you got stuck on the part where I debunked centuries of internalized mythology around the inevitability of female suffering.

By changing what you eat, you can actually help support your endocrine system and supply your body with the tools it needs to process and eliminate hormones in the optimal way.

Here’s how you can start improving your health, regulating your hormones, wiping out PMS, and getting your period back on track immediately. Check out my list of the foods that could be sabotaging your success. Then, see which of the good-for-you foods could be missing from your diet, and how you can start including them now to help heal your hormones:

Believe it or not, just a single cup of coffee can throw off your endocrine system for a full 24 hours. That’s because the stimulant messes with your blood sugar and cortisol levels, and your body’s left struggling to reset for the rest of the day. It also depletes essential micronutrients and minerals, which of course exacerbates issues like PCOS, endometriosis, fibroids, and more.

It may have a healthy-ish reputation, but not all soy is created equal. While the unprocessed, organic, fermented kind can be helpful in small amounts, ingesting the highly processed kind that’s abundant in products like soy milk, soy cheese, and soy meat can worsen estrogen-dominance.

Yes, French fries count. Consider starchy foods the same as sugar as far as your body is concerned. They cause your blood sugar levels to spike and crash quickly, and this can have a long term impact on your health. However, you don’t have to swear off all kinds of potatoes—the sweet kind are special (more on that below).

If you’re not buying organic, it’s time to start. Just making this one switch can have a significant impact on your health in a matter of weeks. Conventionally grown, pesticide-laden1 and genetically modified foods are covered in chemicals that add additional synthetic hormones to your body, hampering your liver’s ability to detoxify and further worsening your hormonal issues.

Even if you avoid those little pink and blue packets at the coffee shop, you might still be consuming a ton of fake sugar, since artificial sweeteners are on so many ingredients lists, and they’re no healthier than actual sugar. Many still cause the same disruptive blood sugar spikes and crashes. If you must have a touch of added sweetness, try honey or coconut nectar, as they have the least impact on blood sugar changes.

Try it: This cleansing kale salad with cilantro tahini dressing takes just minutes to throw together.

Try it: These sweet potato pancakes have a surprising ingredient that massively increases their protein content (no, it's not protein powder!).

Try it: This bone broth hot chocolate will blow your mind. We're not joking. Don't ask questions, just try it.

Try it: These crunchy, spicy chickpeas will knock out any potato chip craving and help with your hormones. Win-win!

Try it: Make your own coconut yogurt—it's not nearly as hard as you'd think!