the best snacks for hormonal balance
I always keep snacks on hand, whether it’s a bag of cashews in my purse, in the diaper bag, or in the glove compartment in the car. I want to be prepared just in case I start to feel a little hungry, choosing snacks that will help to keep my hormones balanced and my body nourished, before I get all moody and hangry!
Before I started to eat in a way that supports my hormones, I would wait a while after waking up before I’d eat breakfast. I always wondered why I’d feel like crashing in the afternoon, crave tons of sugar at the end of the day, and needed to snack on foods all day long to tide me over. ( I wrote an entire post about the importance of breakfast for your hormones, it’s a quick read full of yummy ideas if you’d like to check it out.)
Now that I eat in a way that keeps my mood balanced and has improved my sleep I’ve noticed when I do eat meals full of proteins, healthy fats and fiber I’m not usually hungry in between meals during the first phase of my cycle. I do notice that I’m usually hungrier a few days before my period arrives and my on the go snacks really do the trick in helping me feel satisfied.
What is most important about snacks is making sure that we get enough protein! Protein not only keeps us feeling satisfied, but it also helps reduce our afternoon and evening sugar cravings. For snacks we can aim for about 7-10 grams of protein. This can also help us getting a better night’s sleep and reduce the amount of time we wake up in the evening as well.
The best snacks for your hormones
Women’s trail mix
One of the most important minerals we need on a daily basis is magnesium. Magnesium helps to control insulin production, reduces sugar cravings, keeps your nervous system calm which helps reduce your stress hormone cortisol from rising to fast plus it helps with sleep, which we can all agree it would be nice to have more quality sleep! One of the best ways you can get magnesium into your body is with seeds like pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, cashews and flaxseed. I make my trail mix about once a week and lately I’ve been adding cashews and sunflower seeds.
Fruit
Craving Something Sweet? Have some fruit! Although its always been a staple of any well balanced diet, certain fruits have gotten a bad rap lately due to sugar levels, leading many of us to believe that we can no longer enjoy fruit. I think you’d be so much more satisfied if you had an apple with almond butter versus grabbing a skittles bag out of the vending machine. Not only is fruit full of fiber (which helps your digestive system and is key to hormonal balance) but it’s a lot more filling than a bag of candy, and also helps to support your liver. You could also have some berries or a banana with walnuts. I suggest pairing fruit with a protein to help keep your blood sugar levels more balanced.
Hummus & Veggies
Want Something Creamy? Eat More Hummus! This is one of those foods that I could seriously eat every single day and not get sick of it! They even sell snack pack sizes of hummus now so it’s something that I take with me when I’m out for a majority of my day with my corporate clients. Grab some carrots and some veggies next time you are craving something creamy.
Energy balls
There are a thousand different ways to make energy balls, hello Pinterest! I’ve tried a bunch and my favorite energy ball recipe is one with almond butter, ground flaxseed, honey and cacao nibs. It only takes a few minutes to make and I keep them in my fridge all week for a grab and go snack. Here is my favorite go to energy ball recipe.
Nuts
I’m all about keeping things in life as simple as possible. I know this might seem like an obvious snack idea, but please add them into your purse! You will never know when you might need them. I love walnuts, which are full of protein and is also a good healthy fat, cashews and almonds.
Sweet Potato Toast
My favorite to go snack lately is sweet potato toast! I roast lots of vegetables on the weekends for lunches and I always include sweet potatoes. I then reheat the sweet potatoes in the toaster over and add avocado or peanut butter with sliced bananas. It’s a super easy snack to make ahead of time and is really satisfying as well. You can also make avocado toasts or almond or butter butter on toast.
Chocolate
You can make my chocolate avocado pudding, my raw chocolate macaroons or my healthy hot chocolate anytime you are craving chocolate. One of the main reasons we crave chocolate is that we are low in magnesium, and real chocolate (cacao) is full of magnesium. I have chocolate every day, cacao nibs with my overnight oats or cacao powder in a smoothie or a chocolate bar with at least 70-80% cacao. My favorite chocolate bar is the Quinoa Crunch for Alter Ego.
smoothies
Smoothies are a great snack idea, especially if you are craving something creamy. It’s a great way to pack in lots of protein, fats and healthy fiber. You can add in nuts, nut butter, hemp protein powder or collagen powder for protein, lots of avocado, coconut butter or coconut oil for healthy fats. I also like to add in chia, hemp or flax seeds along with some low glycemic fruit like berries.
If you are looking for additional hormone balancing recipes be sure to check out my Happy Healthy Hormones Recipe Book.
It’s full of my favorite breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks and desserts to help keep you feeling supported all day for just $9.97. Check it out here!
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Information in this post and on this web site is provided for informational purposes only. The information is a result of practice experience and research by the author. This information is not intended as a substitute for the advice provided by your physician or other healthcare professional or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging. Do not use the information on this web site for diagnosing or treating a health problem or disease, or prescribing medication or other treatment. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Always speak with your physician or other healthcare professional before taking any medication or nutritional, herbal or homeopathic supplement, or using any treatment for a health problem.
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Thanks for the great suggestions, Katie! I also appreciate hearing from another woman better in tune with her body how her own hunger levels rise and fall throughout her cycle. Especially since my own cycle is (hopefully) on it’s way back and I try to decipher what the different cues my body is giving me might mean.
Thanks again!
Hi Chrissy,
You are so welcome! What snack ideas are you planning on trying first? Please keep me posted about your cycle too 🙂