Looking for some hormone-friendly breakfast recipe ideas? We’ve got you covered.
As part of our #SelfCareSeries Certified Women’s Health Coach, Jessica Duffin, has shared some super yummy breakfast recipes with us. Jess specialises in endometriosis.
The recipes are hormone-friendly, aim to help with reducing inflammation and help you feed your body with nutrients that give it strength.
Hazelnut Red Velvet Smoothie
This smoothie is perfect as a decadent but healthy breakfast towards the end of your period. The flavour is earthy yet rich and luxurious. Period expert Alisa Vitti recommends beetroot, cacao and blackberries during the menstrual phase to replenish antioxidant and mineral levels, whilst Shannon Lerparski suggests upping our intake of hazelnuts during this time.
Because I’m so sensitive to sugar, I can’t drink this any earlier than day four of my period as there are naturally occurring sugars in blackberries and beetroot (though, there’s not a very high quantity in this smoothie), but see what feels like a good time for you.
If you’re really needing an energy boost during your period, try adding some cordyceps. You could also top with whipped coconut cream and enjoy as a healthy milkshake!
Serves 1
Ingredients
– 300ml/1¼ cups hazelnut milk
– 150ml/⅔ cup water
– About ¾ cup frozen blackberries (roughly 80g/2¾ oz raw weight)
– ¼ beetroot (I prefer to freeze mine)
– 30g/1 oz hemp seeds or a scoop of unsweetened protein powder
– 2-3 tablespoon raw cacao powder
– 1 tablespoon hazelnut butter
– Optional: Your preferred serving size of cordyceps
– Toppings: Cacao nibs
Method
Blend all ingredients in a blender until smooth, adding the water until your smoothie reaches desired thickness.
Sprinkle cacao nibs on top. Make sure you chew before you sip!
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
This pumpkin pie smoothie is a really energising way to start the day and is a great alternative to high sugar smoothies. It’s also a good smoothie to go for in your luteal phase, the phase just before your period. The cauliflower supports your body to clear out excess and old oestrogen, whilst the squash can ease PMS and cravings thanks to the B-vitamins and natural sugars, as well as helping to stabilise mood.
If you’re low on energy and want to spend as little time preparing as possible, buy pre-chopped squash and make sure your veggies are steamed and frozen ahead of time. I try to always have frozen cauliflower, squash and sweet potato in the freezer, so I can easily make a smoothie most mornings.
Serves 1-2
Ingredients
– ¾-1 cup frozen squash or pumpkin
– 1-3 small cauliflower florets (feel free to omit if you really can’t get down with cauli in your smoothie or build up from 1 to 3 in order to adjust to the taste)
– 300ml/1¼ cups nut milk (sub for water if you prefer)
– 200ml/¾ cup water
– 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
– 1 tablespoon almond butter
– 1 tablespoon chia seeds
– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– ½ teaspoon ground ginger
– ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
– ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
– Topping: A few crushed pecans
Method
– Chop, steam and freeze the squash in advance. Allow the veg to cool before freezing, otherwise you get very icy veg that sticks together! You still may need to leave the veg out of the freezer for five minutes to make it easier to separate before using.
– Add all the ingredients, apart from the crushed pecans, into the blender and blitz.
– Add more water/milk if it’s too thick.
– Pour into a glass and top with a sprinkle of pecans – don’t skip this step! Chewing the pecans will begin the digestion process in your mouth and let your stomach know that food is coming. Remember, gut health is essential for managing endo!
Overnight Coconut Pinhead Oats
I’ve opted for a less refined type of oats here – pinhead oats. These take our guts longer to digest and therefore release glucose over a longer period of time, rather than in one short burst. If you don’t have these, you can use normal oats.
Pinhead oats are also known as steel cut oats, and they’re much harder when raw. Soaking them overnight creates a deliciously chewy breakfast.
You can flavour this recipe any way you like. I think it could be lovely to keep the coconut base but add pistachios instead of pecans. You can also stir your fruit through when preparing but to keep the fruit fresh, I prefer to add it in just before eating.
Serves 4
Ingredients
– 160g/5¾ oz gluten-free pinhead oats
– 440ml/1¾ cups nut milk
– 30g/1 oz hemp seeds (or protein powder)
– 30g/1 oz pecans
– 30g/1 oz desiccated coconut
– A few spoonfuls of coconut yoghurt (I like Coconut Collaborative)
– 1 tablespoon chia seeds
– Optional: 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, 2 teaspoons of Troo syrup
– Toppings: Low sugar fruits (I like raspberries with this flavour combo), a sprinkle of
coconut flakes, seeds/nuts of choice if desired
Method
– Check the sell by date on your yoghurt, some only last 2-3 days, so ensure you can eat all
the servings in that time before you add the yoghurt in the following step.
– In a large bowl, add all the ingredients and stir well to combine. If your yoghurt has a
short shelf life, leave the yoghurt and stir through just before eating. If adding protein
powder, you might need to stir a bit longer or more vigorously to ensure the lumps
disperse.
– Separate into airtight jars or containers and refrigerate overnight, at least. The oats will
get softer each day they spend in the fridge.
– Before eating, stir through the yoghurt if not added beforehand, and top with your chosen
selection of nuts, seeds or fruit.
A little bit more info about Jess…
Jessica Duffin is a women’s health coach specialised in endometriosis. She is the founder of blog and podcast This EndoLife, and is a writer at Endometriosis Net and Endometriosis News. Her cookbook; This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast, is currently available for free to celebrate Endometriosis Awareness Month and to support anyone who’s struggling financially during the current climate.
If you’d like to learn more about managing and reducing your endometriosis symptoms, or would like support with making changes to do so, you can book in a free consultation call with Jessica to discuss your symptoms and challenges, and find out how her one-on-one endometriosis health coaching programme could help you. Jessica is currently offering £300 off her regular programme price in honour of Endometriosis Awareness Month, as well as single two-hour one off sessions for those whose incomes have been affected by the coronavirus. Head to her site to book in.
Let us know if you try any of the recipes! Follow the rest of our #SelfCareSeries on Instagram.
