The Quarter Moon Feast, Nutritional Practices to Support Menopause.
How was your first week of the cycle?
Did you implement any of the food suggestions to support your optimal nutrition through the first phase of the moon cycle?
If you missed last week’s post you can read it here.
Moving on to this week, we are in full swing of the collective spring energy.
Read on to discover the foods and rituals you can incorporate during the second phase of your or the moon’s cycle to support optimal health and well-being during menopause.
The First Quarter Phase
Here is a recap of the phases of the moon and how they closely relate to the seasons and the female cycle;
- New Moon – First day of bleeding – Winter
- First Quarter Moon – Follicular phase – Spring
- Full Moon – Ovulation – Summer
- Last Quarter Moon – Luteal phase – Autumn
So this week we are nourishing our bodies according to the follicular phase.
This is probably the least talked about phase of the cycle.
This is the Spring phase of your cycle, it’s all about new life, planning and emerging from winter, shaking off any stagnant energy.
During this phase, it is essential to support the liver and gut health to ensure excess estrogen is being excreted from the body.
Excess estrogen is responsible for conditions such as Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and can cause symptoms such as irregular or heavy periods, breast tenderness and PMS symptoms.
Look up to the moon early to late evening, she will be heading west, half-lit, growing bigger every evening (waxing) from right to left.
As estrogen increases and flows creativity will grow, it is a great time to make plans around the intentions you set last week during the new moon.
Harness your clear mind and problem-solving abilities to take on tasks you have been putting off.
This is the season of the Goddess, the Maiden, blossoming.
The First Quarter Moon Feast
As I mentioned above, the goal of this phase is to promote liver and gut health.
We do this by supporting the body with the natural detoxification process.
This is especially important during peri-menopause when estrogen levels can be high and fluctuate wildly.
Fluctuating estrogen is responsible for hot flushes and night sweats, headaches, mood swings and sleep issues.
Fermented foods encourage the number and variety of friendly gut bacteria.
You can take a supplement but adding the following foods to your diet will naturally increase the health of your microbiome;
- Kombucha
- Kimchi
- Sauerkraut
- Kefir
- Natural yoghurt
- Miso
Once you have populated your gut you need to make sure you feed the bacteria with prebiotics, also known as fibre. You can download my free fibre cheat sheet HERE.
If your body can take it you can increase your fibre intake to as much as 45 grams per day during menopause.
Make sure you are eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables as well as nuts, seeds, grains and legumes.
If you can sprout the nuts, seeds, grains and legumes they will be easier on your digestive system, you can do this yourself or buy them this way.
Enjoy this phase of your cycle, pay attention to what your body is telling you and keep an eye on the sky, here is a picture I took last weekend.
The Moon, Mars to the left and the Gemini twins above the moon 🌙
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