Avocado & Beet hummus toast

• 6 cooked and peeled beets
• 1/2 can of chickpeas
• 2-3 tablespoons of tahini
• 1 garlic clove
• 3-4 tablespoons of olive oil
• lemon juice from half of a lemon
• Salt

With this Avocado & beet hummus toast, I’m going to focus my article on cycle-syncing according to the flo-living method from the book Woman code by Alisa Vitti.

I’ve been struggling with my hormones since I decided to stop taking birth control. I’m part of that generation of women who were told to get on the pill as soon as I hit puberty, that it was better & safer for me. Turns out that wasn’t what my body needed on the long term. But I won’t be getting into that topic today.

 

I started really understanding my hormones and body at age 28 when I went back to having natural cycles. Better late than never right ?

It had been so many years that I’d forgotten what PMS was. But 70% of women experience PMS today, it’s not rare. Some of us don’t even know we are experiencing it because it has been part of our lives for so long that it seems normal.

 

Some of us don’t pay attention to our cycles because it’s not a priority in our lives at that given moment. It’s when it does become a priority that we start to notice things. Because we don’t listen to our bodies enough. Have you ever wanted your period to come so badly on a specific date that it ends up coming late when you usually have regular cycles ? That’s because our minds can play tricks on our bodies, especially on our cycles.

I’m no hormone
specialist 😉 but I do listen to my body, it has been my number one priority
since forever and I have seen proof that these cycle-syncing methods can work
on my body if I adapt it to my needs.

We are what we eat.
We feed fuel to our bodies, so giving it the wrong type of fuel creates
problems such as PMS that can literally ruin up to 2 weeks of our lives every
month!

For me, it’s caffeine, sugar, gluten and alcohol. Those are my enemies during the luteal and menstrual phases of my cycles. It makes my PMS worse.

Lately I have been back into reading my hormone bible Woman Code because my past cycles have gotten annoying again. And I took a step back and looked at how my diet had been these past few months and I realized that I had been eating and drinking those listed enemies of mine wayyy too much. I don’t regret it whatsoever, I needed that break and it made me feel good. There’s no need to feel guilty about our diets as long as on the long term we are listening to what our bodies need.

Avocados and Beets are two of my favorite superfoods and does wonders on hormones to prepare my body for a healthy cycle. Recommended during your menstrual and follicular phases here are a few fun facts about each of them:

Beets: recommended during your Menstrual phase

 

1. Source of vitamins : manganese, iron, vitamin C, vitamin B-complex, copper, potassium
2. High in fiber : low in fat, bad cholesterol & calories
3. Powerful antioxidant: due to their strong concentration in betalain pigment, beets have strong anti-inflammatory properties
4. Regulates blood pressure : abundant in dietary nitrates, which get converted into nitric oxide in the body & helps relax and dilate blood vessels.

During our menstrual phase our uterus sheds it’s lining therefore we need extra energy, fiber and vitamins to compensate. It takes a big toll on our bodies so eating the right foods at this specific time will help us feel less tired. Having a healthy blood flow in our body helps this process along and will create a better base for the upcoming cycle. Blood pumps through all our organs to help them function properly, without the right blood flow in our uterus for example, our endometrium will not build itself properly in the next cycle.

In this recipe I have made a homemade Beet hummus to spread on my toast instead of cream cheese. Making a spread such as this one can replace fatty foods such as butter or cheese when making toast. A much healthier choice and great for your hormones throughout your whole cycle according to the reason you are eating it for.

Avocados: recommended during Follicular phase

 

1. Highly nutrient superfood : vitamin K, folate, vitamin C, Potassium (more than in bananas!), vitamin B5, vitamin B6, vitamin E
2. High in fiber
3. High in monosaturated fats: 77% of avocado calories come from good fats called oleic acids, the same fats present in olive oil believed to be an excellent monosaturated fatty acid.
4. Antioxidant: eating avocados helps your digestive system process antioxidant absorption

During our follicular phase we are preparing our bodies for the upcoming cycle. This moment is important because if our hormones are healthy and balanced during this time, the rest of our cycle is likely to be easier, therefore PMS less present. Avocados contain healthy fats that we need for the production of our hormones during this phase.

This can be made such as I did, the beets as a spread and sliced avocado on top, or the opposite, avocado as spread and cooked sliced beets on top!

Usually I add some additional flavoring on top such as feta cheese, scallions, sesame seeds, some lemon juice, sprouts, nuts.. whatever you have on hand can work. Works great on a bagel, gluten free bread, rye bread… It’s entirely up to you !