The Best & Worst Foods For Menstrual Cycle Health

If you’ve ever felt like your period has a personal vendetta against you—cue the cramps, bloating, and mood swings—you’re not alone. The good news? What you eat can make a real difference. Certain foods can help balance hormones, ease inflammation, and even reduce PMS symptoms, while others are undoubtedly making things worse.

Ahead, I’ll be breaking down the best foods to support your cycle and the ones that are making your symptoms worse (sorry, iced latte).

The Best Foods for Your Menstrual Cycle

Your menstrual cycle is made up of four phases, each with its own nutritional needs and hormone fluctuations (if you are unfamiliar with what these phases are and how hormones are supposed to fluctuate during them, I cover that in this blog post).

What you eat throughout your cycle influences how smoothly your estrogen and progesterone shifts from one phase to the next, so it is important to support your body with nutrient-dense foods as this can help keep energy levels steady, reduce inflammation, and even ease common symptoms like cramps and mood swings. Here’s what to prioritize:

1. Omega-3-Rich Foods

If you deal with period cramps, omega-3s should be something your prioritize because in the menstrual phase inflammation is typically at its highest due to prostaglandins, the compounds responsible for uterine contractions. Eating omega-3-rich foods throughout your cycle can help balance this out as these essential fatty acids have anti-inflammatory properties that can help relax the muscles of the uterus, making cramps less intense.

Top sources: flaxseeds, chia seeds, avocados, and walnuts.

2. Magnesium-Packed Foods

Magnesium plays a crucial role in muscle relaxation, meaning it’s one of the best minerals for easing period cramps. It also helps regulate cortisol (your stress hormone), which is especially important during the luteal phase, when PMS symptoms peak.

Top sources: almonds, pumpkin seeds, dark chocolate (yes, really), and cashews.

3. Complex Carbs

Blood sugar crashes can lead to mood swings, fatigue, and intense cravings—especially in the luteal and menstrual phases when progesterone and estrogen drop. Complex carbohydrates help stabilize blood sugar, providing a steady source of energy and preventing that post-sugar-crash irritability.

Top sources: sweet potatoes, quinoa, sourdough bread, and oats.

4. Iron-Boosting Foods

Your body loses iron during your period, and if you’re not getting enough from your diet, you might feel extra drained. Low iron levels can contribute to fatigue, dizziness, and even headaches. If you regularly struggle with low energy in the days following your period, increasing your intake of iron-rich foods can help.

Top sources: spirulina powder, molasses, cacao powder, and lentils.

5. Gut-Healthy Probiotics

A well-functioning gut doesn’t just help with digestion—it also plays a role in metabolizing estrogen. An imbalance in gut bacteria can contribute to estrogen dominance, which is linked to PMS, heavy periods, and bloating. Probiotic-rich foods support gut health and help prevent candida overgrowth, keeping everything running smoothly.

Top sources: kimchi, sauerkraut, and unsweetened sheep or goat’s milk yogurt.

Want a full breakdown of how your hormones shift throughout your cycle and why certain foods affect you differently in each phase? My Menstrual Cycle Food Guide gives you a clear breakdown of the best foods for each phase of your cycle, so you know exactly what to prioritize to balance hormones, reduce PMS, and keep your energy steady all month long. No more confusion — just a simple, effective way to nourish your body in sync with your cycle. Grab your copy here.

The Worst Foods for Your Menstrual Cycle

Just like certain foods can support hormonal balance, others can do the exact opposite—spiking blood sugar, increasing inflammation, and throwing your hormones off track. Here’s what to limit:

1. Refined Sugar

If you find yourself desperately craving sweets before your period, it’s not just a lack of willpower—it’s your luteal phase hormone fluctuations at work. Progesterone, which rises before your period, can make your body more insulin-resistant, while fluctuating estrogen levels may impact serotonin, making sugary foods feel like an instant mood boost.

But here’s the catch: these cravings might also be a sign of underlying Candida overgrowth. Candida, a type of yeast naturally present in the body, thrives on sugar, and its overgrowth can lead to persistent cravings, bloating, brain fog, and even recurrent vaginal yeast infections. PMS may just be triggering an already imbalanced gut, making your cravings stronger than usual.

If Candida is part of the problem, continuing to feed it with sugar will worsen menstrual symptoms in the long run. And in the short-term, the rapid blood sugar spikes and crashes that sugary foods cause can increase cortisol (your stress hormone), which in turn worsens PMS symptoms like irritability, fatigue, and anxiety.

If you are curious about how candida overgrowth might have started in your body (so many seemingly harmless lifestyle choices can cause this!), you’ll want to read my guide on candida overgrowth 👇

2. Processed & Fried Foods

Ultra-processed and fried foods are usually loaded with omega-6 fatty acids, which—unlike their anti-inflammatory omega-3 counterparts—promote inflammation in the body. Since period pain is directly linked to inflammation (thanks to prostaglandins), eating a diet high in processed fats can make cramps more intense. Because of this, fast food and packaged snacks made with canola oil or hydrogenated oils is one of the worst things you can do to your body.

3. Conventional Dairy

Dairy affects people differently, but if you struggle with hormonal acne, bloating, or PMS, you may want to experiment with cutting back on conventional cow’s milk as it contains A1 casein, a protein that can be very inflammatory. If you’re prone to estrogen dominance—when estrogen levels are too high relative to progesterone—cow’s milk may worsen symptoms like breast tenderness, heavy periods, and mood swings.

Better alternatives: goat milk, sheep milk, or A2 cow dairy (when I am in the USA, my favorite is Alexandre Family Farm’s 100% grass-fed A2 milk).

4. Excessive Caffeine

Too much caffeine can overstimulate the nervous system, increase cortisol, and even constrict blood vessels. It can also interfere with estrogen metabolism and contribute to blood sugar imbalances, making PMS symptoms like anxiety, depression, and cramps worse.

5. Alcohol

Regular alcohol consumption can mess with your hormones in multiple ways. It affects your liver’s ability to metabolize estrogen, depletes key nutrients like magnesium and B vitamins, and disrupts sleep—right when your body needs rest the most. Alcohol can also increase estrogen levels and worsen PMS symptoms like bloating, breast tenderness, irritability and headaches as it dehydrates the body.

What should you do now?

One of the best ways to understand how foods affect your cycle? Track it. Keeping a daily record of what you eat alongside your energy levels, mood, and period symptoms can help you spot patterns over time. My Daily Menstrual Cycle Journal is designed to help you do just that, making it easier to fine-tune your diet for better balance.

Changing the way you eat—especially when cravings and habits are involved—isn’t always easy. But the good news is that your body adapts quickly. The more you nourish it with the right foods, the more balanced your hormones become, and over time, those intense cravings, energy crashes, and mood swings start to fade. It’s not about perfection; it’s about small, sustainable changes that make your cycle (and your life) feel smoother.

And if you want a clear, easy-to-follow guide on what to eat for optimal hormone health, don’t forget to grab my Menstrual Cycle Food Guide for a breakdown of the best foods to support each phase. Your cycle—and your body—will thank you!