Are you tired, irritable or bloated for no apparent reason? What if your diet was just not aligned with your hormones? This is the whole principle of the Eat Like in Woman protocol, popularized on Tiktok, and based on an approach called “cyclic nutrition”.
The idea is apparently simple: adapt what we eat to the four phases of the female hormonal cycle: menstruation, follicular phase, ovulation and luteal phase. In order to maximize your energy, limit your pains but also find a global balance.
How does this protocol work, in fact?
But this protocol is not just an ephemeral buzz. For Julie Boët, dietician, this approach can really change the daily life of women. Because understanding your cycle is reclaiming your rhythm.
It all starts with the menstrual phase (during rules)where the energy is at the bottom. “”The body is tired and inflammed. He needs iron, omega-3 and magnesium“Explain Julie Boët. We will therefore favor lenses, fatty fish, green vegetables, while avoiding fatty or sweet foods that worsen pain.
Then the follicular phase marks a gradual return of energy. It’s a good time to bet on vegetable proteins, complex carbohydrates and fermented vegetables. Objective: relaunch metabolism and support hormonal balance.
Then place to ovulationOr “energy and sociability are at their peak“. We highlight foods rich in zinc and antioxidants: eggs, berries, colorful vegetables … They are excellent for the skin, fertility and cell regeneration.
Finally, the luteal phaseoften marked by a premenstrual syndrome (SPM), calls for a diet “comforting but stable“. Julie Boët recommends foods rich in fiber, tryptophan and good fat, such as sweet potato, avocado or dark chocolate, which help stabilize mood and limit cravings.
Also adapt your rhythm of life to your cycle
Beyond the plate, the protocol also influences physical activity, agenda and even social life. Some practice soft yoga during rules, go to bodybuilding in the follicular phase, or moderate their important projects over the ovulatory period. “”It is a logic that we find in the Moon Lune book by Miranda Gray, which offers to see the cycle as an inner compass, not as a constraint “ Recalls Julie Boët.
This global approach attracts more and more women. It reconnects to sensations, restores meaning to fluctuations and allows you to listen to better. But she also requires regularity … and a minimum of knowledge of her own cycle.
Limits to know before launching
And precisely, if the idea seduces, it is not adapted to all. “”Many women do not know their cycle well, or have an irregular, even absent, because of stress, hormonal disorders, sopk or endometriosis “specifies the dietician. In these cases, she recommends consulting a healthcare professional, such as a specialized gynecologist or nutritionist.
Another limit: the protocol can become “mentally demanding” and generate food anxiety, especially in those who have a past of eating disorders. Structuring your meals according to a hormonal calendar can be too rigid or guilty.
“”It is not an obligation. It is a tool. And like all tools, it must be used with flexibility, not as an injunction“She concludes. The main thing remains to listen to his body, without seeking perfection.