Cycle-Based Nutrition: Why I No Longer Follow Strict Rules
01. August 2026
In every workshop I run, someone always asks me this question: “What should I eat in each phase of my cycle?”. I love the idea of giving your body the nutrients it needs in each cycle phase, and I know that’s exactly why so many people are drawn to cycle-syncing nutrition. But I want to explain why I intentionally choose not to give you strict instructions about what you should eat and when.
How it all started: my story with menstrual cycle nutrition
When I first started living in sync with my cycle, I wanted to get everything “just right”. I tried to fine-tune my diet to precisely match my cycle phase. You might already know this feeling of suddenly discovering yet another area of your life where you need to be “perfect”.
I have my own story with an eating disorder. That’s why I now do my best to avoid restricting what I eat. And I can honestly say that I feel much healthier as a result. Instead of pressuring myself to eat the “right” foods for each cycle phase, I rely more on loose principles and how my body feels.
Trusting my body’s signals over strict rules
Moving away from rigid guidelines means I can eat more intuitively and enjoy what’s in season where I live. I believe that eating seasonally gives our bodies the nutrients they need when they need them. Many of the foods recommended for cycle-based nutrition aren’t necessarily in season locally and must be shipped in from further afield.
What cycle-based nutrition looks like for me now
Rather than sticking to fixed rules, I tend to follow a loose set of principles that I adapt based on how my body feels.
Here’s what that looks like for me these days:
- Like the world around us, our body has its seasons: menstruation = winter, ovulation = summer. Just as we tend to crave warm food in winter and lighter dishes in summer, I like to apply this same principle to the menstrual cycle.
- I try to include a good balance of macronutrients; meals should include a combination of carbohydrates, fat and protein.
- I aim to keep my blood sugar levels stable (there are plenty of simple everyday tricks that help with this).
- I incorporate more complex carbohydrates (such as sweet potatoes, wholegrain products and legumes) during the luteal phase.
- I like to include probiotic (e.g., yoghurt, sauerkraut, miso) and prebiotic foods (e.g., onions, bananas, flaxseed) where I can.
- I try to avoid seed oils.
Finding peace with cycle-syncing nutrition
Cycle-based nutrition can offer valuable guidance, as long as we don’t let it become another source of pressure or perfectionism. Deciding what to eat and when can and should feel easy and natural, not like another task to manage.
Has your relationship with food and your cycle shifted over time too? What does nutrition look like for you when you take perfectionism out of the equation?