The Food Medic - Ask Dr. Hazel Wallace: Period Myths, Cravings & Period Recovery Tips | Honest Answers to Real Questions

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Starting point is 00:00:56 calories and food, then we put ourselves into a state of low energy availability. While to you, your menstrual cycle may seem like an essential essential function for your body it's going to prioritize things like your heart beating and also your lungs breathing. Now the best way to think about this is low power mode on your mobile phone and everything just works a little bit slower. You've just gone from maybe training for a half marathon and now you've been told that you can't do any or much exercise at all. Hello everyone, and welcome back to the FoodMedic podcast. I'm Dr. Hazel Wallace, a women's health nutritionist

Starting point is 00:01:32 and former NHS doctor, and I'm back for a special women's health series of the FoodMedic podcast. In this mini series, we're diving into all things women's health, from expert insights and myth-busting chats, to mini Ask Dr. Hazel episodes where I answer questions submitted by you. Expect accessible, evidence-backed tips to

Starting point is 00:01:50 help you feel empowered, not held back by your menstrual cycle and more. If you're enjoying these conversations and want to go beyond just understanding your hormones and your menstrual cycle and actually learn how to work with them, my latest book, Not Just a Period, is available to pre-order now. It's a practical, science-backed roadmap that helps you align your cycle in every area of your life, from nutrition and mood to body image, skin, hair and more. If you're ready to feel more in tune with your body and supported by your hormones, rather than confused by them, I'd love for you to check it out.

Starting point is 00:02:29 You might notice a QR code floating around if you're watching the video, free to scan. Or if you're listening to the audio version, you can find the link at the bottom of the episode show notes. Hi Dr Hazel, congratulations on your new book, Not Just a Period. I can't wait to read it. My name's Georgia and I'm interested in your thoughts on seed cycling. Does it help to regulate your menstrual cycle? Is it good for fertility? Or is it just a load of BS? Thank you. Hi Georgia. Thank you so much for your question and also for your congrats on the book.

Starting point is 00:03:01 I'm also super excited about it too. So let's chat about seed cycling. And for those who maybe have never heard about it before or need a refresher, seed cycling is a naturopathic approach where essentially you consume or eat seeds, specific types of seeds like flax or pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds, at different points of your menstrual cycle. So the idea is by eating seeds at different points in the cycle, you can improve things like PCOS, PMS, menstrual cycle regularity and also things like fertility. But what does the evidence say, which is the big question?

Starting point is 00:03:37 So right now there is no scientific evidence directly supporting seed cycling as a way to regulate your menstrual cycle or improve things like PCOS and PMS. But that said, there are some individual studies looking at things like flax seeds and their impact on PCOS and PMS. So there's maybe some evidence there. But most of the evidence when it comes to seed cycling is actually just based on individual experiences or anecdotal evidence. So I think at this point, we don't have enough evidence to say that we should be alternating

Starting point is 00:04:11 what seeds we're having at different points in our cycle. But all of that said, as a nutritionist, seeds are also a really good source of healthy fats, protein, antioxidants, and other vitamins and minerals. So I think it's a really healthy food to include in your diet. I just don't think you need to stress about having different types of seeds at different phases of your cycle at this point in time. I hope that answers your question. Hi Hazel.

Starting point is 00:04:37 I wondered if you had any advice on how to navigate low energy availability. I lost my period back in July last year, following some blood test results, all my hormones were low, and this was due to unintentional under-fuelling and too much activity. I'm currently following a plan of limited exercise, lower stress, and much more carbohydrates.

Starting point is 00:05:01 But I wondered if you have any advice on how to manage changing body composition, any tips or suggestions. Thank you. Thank you so much for your question and also for being so honest. The road to period recovery is never an easy one, but it sounds like you're doing a lot of the right things. I'm going to tackle your question after just quickly running through what low energy availability is, which you've mentioned for any listeners who are maybe not familiar with this term. I go into this in a lot more detail in my book, Not Just a Period, but for the purpose of the podcast, let's just have a quick recap. So essentially energy availability is the energy that we have left over after we've

Starting point is 00:05:47 accounted for things like exercise and daily activity. Now that becomes low if we are doing a lot more exercise that we are consuming energy to meet those demands. So essentially if we are expending too much energy and we're not bringing energy in through calories and food, then we put ourselves into a state of low energy availability. Now the best way to think about this is low power mode on your mobile phone. So when you put your phone into that mode, it dims light, it reduces background activity, and everything just works a little bit slower. So essentially in the case of low energy availability or LEA, this is what's happening inside your

Starting point is 00:06:32 body and so it's reducing all non-essential tasks. And while to you, your menstrual cycle may seem like an essential function for your body, it's going to prioritise things like your heart beating and also your lungs breathing. And what this means is the signals from your brain to your ovaries get switched off. So in order to reverse that, we need to make our body feel safe and nourished and fueled. So we need to increase the amount of calories that we're taking on board and reduce activity levels. Now, it sounds like our listener is doing all of that, but it's not a magical switch. Your periods don't just come back straight away.

Starting point is 00:07:14 And a lot of people say, well, once you're consuming 2,500 calories, which is kind of like a golden number that's thrown around in this space, you'll get your periods back. But it's often not that simple. It requires managing your stress levels, managing your sleep, making sure you're getting enough sleep. On top of getting enough calories, we need to make sure that across the day we're eating regularly.

Starting point is 00:07:35 So not skipping meals, not saving calories for later, not doing any fasted training, and also reducing the amount of activity we're doing. Now, it sounds like in our listener's case, she was a really active person. And this usually happens in really active women. And that can be really tricky to wrap your head around because you've just gone from maybe training for a half marathon and now you've been told that you can't do any or much exercise at all.

Starting point is 00:08:04 So I think when it comes to dealing with that change in routine and also having to adapt to eating more, not less, reminding yourself why you're doing it is really important. And every person's why is different. So it might be that you want to get your cycles back because you're planning to get pregnant in the future, perhaps. It might be that fertility isn't something that you're thinking about, but you know that not having a menstrual cycle impacts things like bone health and gut health, even your mood, your long term health. And so you just want to get your menstrual cycle back so that you can be healthier and perform better. So I think really reminding yourself why menstrual cycles are so important beyond just bleeding because they impact our health on so many levels.

Starting point is 00:08:53 I think when it comes to dealing with changes in body composition, and I would say that in majority of cases, there will be some weight gain when you go through a period restoration journey like you have. And that can be uncomfortable for many women. But again, focusing on the why is really important. Focusing on what your body can do versus how it looks, it sounds like you're a really active person. So focusing on like how strong you are, how fit you are, how your body carries you, even how amazing the menstrual cycle is and how our

Starting point is 00:09:31 body goes through that almost 450 times across a woman's lifetime, which I think is pretty incredible. I think having external support, whether that is a peer, a partner, or some professional support when you're going through this, especially if you're feeling like some eating disorder tendencies are coming up. And that could look like binge eating, which you have mentioned perhaps having that tendency or that urge. Working with someone who is specialized in that area, a psychologist and an eating disorder

Starting point is 00:10:07 dietitian can really help there. If you're just feeling the urges and you're not actually engaging in any binge eating behaviors, the best thing to do is following the rule of three. So making sure that you're having three meals per day and three snacks. This might seem really regimented, but it means that you're getting regular meals and snacks in and you're less likely to binge later because the biggest predictor of binging is restriction. And so we just need to get your body into the habit of having regular meal times.

Starting point is 00:10:40 Other things like cutting carbs or cutting big food groups can backfire, so making sure that you're including all of them and also giving yourself the permission to sometimes feel the way you're feeling about your body or about the process is okay and I think The Hot Honey McRisbee is so back at McDonald's with juicy 100% Canadian raised seasoned chicken, shredded lettuce, crispy jalapenos and that completely craveable hot honey sauce, it's a sweet heat repeat you don't want to miss. Get your hot honey McCrispy today. Available for a limited time, only

Starting point is 00:11:15 at McDonald's. Again, having someone to confide in can be really helpful. Give yourself five minutes to rant and then just get back to it. Oftentimes we confuse hunger for, or physical hunger for emotional hunger. So maybe check in with what you really need if you feel the urge to binge. Like am I actually hungry right now or do I need something else? And I think after we check in with our physical hunger, and if you can tell yourself that actually I'm not quite hungry right now, what do I need? Do I need some fresh air?

Starting point is 00:11:49 Do I need some emotional support? Do I need to get some movement in? What can I do to circuit break what's going on in my brain? So I guess to wrap it all up, it's not a super smooth road to recovery. I do outline a bit more in the book in terms of what you can do and even dealing with things like body image because that's very much tied to the menstrual cycle. But I will say that it sounds like you're on the right tracks and patience is the biggest thing when it comes to this and just being consistent. But I'm rooting for you. Thank you for your question.

Starting point is 00:12:27 Hey, Hazel. I've got a question about premenstrual cravings because I know that you've talked about this before. Mine can sometimes feel completely out of control. Even as someone who is really health conscious, I'm just sometimes not sure what to do about it. Have you got any advice at all on how to manage or prevent them?

Starting point is 00:12:46 Because yeah, sometimes they get a little bit wild. Thank you so much and really, really loving the podcast. I think a lot of people listening are really gonna benefit from this answer because it's such a common question. It's such a common issue. So let's chat about premenstrual cravings. Anyone who follows me on social media or maybe you have a copy of the book already will know that I love to talk about this particular topic.

Starting point is 00:13:13 So across the menstrual cycle, we have two main phases, the follicular phase, which is the first half of the cycle and the luteal phase, which is the second half. And in that luteal phase, progesterone is high and so is estrogen. And what we see is an increase in our metabolic rate. So that means that we burn more calories at rest. And in some studies, this has been reported to be up as high as 300 extra calories per day. And so naturally, our bodies are quite intuitive and so we'll feel more hungry, we will crave

Starting point is 00:13:46 more foods, typically foods that are high in fat and sugar like chocolate, and also we will naturally increase our food intake and we see that in the research as well. So it's really normal that you are feeling hungrier right now and you're craving certain foods. It's not all in your head. And I think understanding that can be the first step. But what can you do about it? Because the flip side to that is we also see an increase

Starting point is 00:14:15 in binge eating episodes in certain women, also in that luteal phase. So we obviously want to prevent that. But we can do so by thinking a little bit strategically about our diet in that luteal phase. So like I said, we're burning more energy, we need more energy, and we want to manage our cravings as well. The other thing to mention is that insulin sensitivity is a little bit reduced in that

Starting point is 00:14:41 phase. We're not handling carbohydrates as well as we would earlier on in the cycle. So we want to think about how we can stabilize blood sugar levels and manage cravings at the same time. So what would that look like? Thinking about building your meals around complex carbohydrates. And by complex, I mean those high fiber carbohydrates that are things like brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, basically your brown and whole grain versions of foods. And we want to pair them with healthy fats and protein. So healthy fats, your oily fish, your olive oil, your avocado, your nuts and seeds, and

Starting point is 00:15:19 your lean proteins so that we can help blunt that glucose response and it will help stabilize energy and also cravings. Then thinking about eating regularly. So oftentimes if we're feeling cravings, there may be a reaction or a response to try to dampen them. Maybe you're drinking more coffee, maybe you're drinking water or chewing gum to try get rid of the cravings. But I'd actually think about maybe strategically giving your body a little bit extra during that time. So it might be that you have a strategic

Starting point is 00:15:52 snack in the afternoon. And again, it could be something like carrots and hummus that we know isn't going to give you a blood sugar dip, but is going to nourish you and give you a little bit more energy and will be a little bit more satiating for that part of the day. So thinking about what you can do ahead of your luteal phase, and I'm a big fan of meal prepping as you might know if you follow me on social media. So it might be that you prep some foods that you could pop in the freezer, you can keep in the fridge. So during that phase when maybe you're not as energetic,

Starting point is 00:16:25 you are craving certain foods, you have those foods to hand. I will also say that I'm a nutritionist that believes that all foods fit. So I think if you are craving certain foods, it's absolutely fine to give yourself a little bit of what you are craving. I would start with maybe making yourself a balanced meal and then giving yourself something small as a dessert so you are meeting both your kind of physical needs and also the needs of your soul and what you're craving at that point in time. So I'd start there, see how that works, let me know how you get on. Thank you for your question. Before we leave each other, I would love if you could just take a moment to rate the podcast,

Starting point is 00:17:05 leave a review or share it with a friend or a loved one that you think would learn a lot from this episode. If today's conversation resonated, my book Not Just a Period is available to pre-order now and it's packed with practical advice to help you understand your hormones, manage tricky periods and work with your cycle for better energy, mood and overall health. You can grab a copy now through the link in the show notes or via the QR code on your screen. I hope you all have a great week and thank you so much for listening.

The Food Medic - Ask Dr. Hazel Wallace: Period Myths, Cravings & Period Recovery Tips | Honest Answers to Real Questions

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