Balancing Your Hormonal Cycle with Food and Female Intuition: An Interview with Holy Mama

I am thrilled to be here with Jodie Louise, who I would love to hug right now because we do hug each other when we're in Ibiza or Bali. But right now she's in Bali and I'm in Ibiza. So Jodie, we have known each other for a couple of years, and you're obviously multi-talented and multifaceted, like I believe all humans are, but you're really expressing So Jodie's also the beautiful creatrix behind a lot of our videos. So those of you who are enjoying the videos from Bali, that's thanks to Jodie. And she's also done some in Ibiza. So I'd like to know, 'cause I know you are so passionate about this work and about how women especially can heal themselves and nurture themselves Through food and through different practices. But let's start with the food and how did you get into this?

Yes, thank you for having me. I'm so excited and wish I could give you a hug as well. And yeah, I'm so passionate about talking about this because over, I think it's about 12 years ago now, I got really, really sick. So I started trying every single diet, all the different things and kind of never getting anywhere. And it's only really been in the last 18 months that I've been like, oh my God, I get it, I get it, it makes sense. And the missing link for me was realizing that I was detoxing and trying diets that had been only studied on men. So all of the information you read online, the videos you watch, the books that you read, they've all been studied on men because it's cheaper. In order to study on a woman's body, they literally need to know what level their hormones are at. And so it's— and every woman's different. So women don't all ovulate on the same day. We all ovulate on different days. Sometimes our flows are longer. From month to month, it's different. So to do market research on a woman is virtually impossible. So when I realized that I was detoxing and dieting like a man, I had the biggest aha moment and I started to then eat cyclically and live cyclically and everything shifted. My moods, how I felt in my body, my digestion, my skin. I had, I think you saw me, I had the worst skin. Do you remember? Like I used to get really bad pimples and things on my face. And since I've started to understand what's going on in my body, I just look more vibrant and more compassionate in my body too.

That's so inspiring. That, that's amazing. And can you— the difference— so when you say you were detoxing like a man, what, what does that mean and how does it look different now?

Yeah, so I was doing extreme detoxes. I was doing 30-day juice cleanses, eating nothing but fruit for 2 months straight. I went raw vegan for a year. And so I was eating very restrictive diets. And when I started to understand that women had a monthly cycle, which is called the infraradian rhythm, that different phases of the cycle we need different nutrients. So for example, the beginning of our cycle is called the follicular phase, and during this phase the metabolism goes right down. So the body's not as hungry and the body's actually consuming the fats that are already in the body, so it's burning the existing fats. But in the second phase of the cycle, the metabolism goes up. And the reason that's happening is because the body is thinking, maybe I'm going to get pregnant, there was an egg here, is it going to get fertilized? You know, so the body is holding on to nutrients. So if you detox in the luteal phase of the cycle, what happens is the body is going to store fat. So you can actually gain weight. So I used to wonder why sometimes I did a detox and I lost weight, and other times I actually gained weight. And that's because the hormones are doing different things. So if you detox from days 7 to maybe 14, 15, it's a really good time for the body to do a little detox. But if you detox all month long, your hormones are going to go way out of balance. Your body is going to be in fight or flight. You're going to have adrenal fatigue. The nervous system is going to go crazy. I mean, I've had women come to me borderline suicidal on a detox. And I was like, this doesn't make sense. Why? Why? When men do this detox, they're fine. Why are men thriving? So that helped me understand the difference, because for men, every single day, the hormones are doing the same thing. It's not changing.

That is revolutionary and fascinating. And I think it's, it's It's great that you, you know, it's often when we do this kind of work, it's because we've been on our own journey with it. And I can see that you had to be on that journey to get to this place, to have that understanding and to have that compassion for others as well, and understand the struggle and have that transformation, have that shift to how you're— because you feel it in your own body, how it's different now. Speaking of putting on weight, I'm now officially, I think, or semi-officially in this perimenopausal period. And I spoke to Pauline about this as well because, you know, this for me, I was saying, I wish I'd have known this stuff when I was 18 and to go through the cycle like this and be able to really get in sync with it and more or less schedule around it and also detox in the right way. What do you know about this phase? And I mean, women tend to. So I've suddenly— I do feel like I'm a teenager, which is interesting hormonally because we're— it's like I'm suddenly getting that teenager fat back that I haven't had for a long time. It's not like I want to be super skinny, but what would you recommend in terms of detox and diet for any women who are— well, actually, let's do 2. Let's do first of all this perimenopausal or menopausal period. And then if you could also speak to the women who are postnatal. Because that's a similar kind of thing. We have like a little bit of— sometimes women put on weight during pregnancy and they want to lose weight. So how can we do that in a healthy way?

Yes. Okay. So this is information that I'm slowly starting to learn because, as you said, I feel like we learn through our own bodies. So when we get to that phase, we start to learn that information. But it's always a curiosity of mine. And I've got a few friends that are at that phase now of their cycle. And the general feedback that I've got, and these are women that are working in this space, is that as you start to go into perimenopause and menopause, the body is going more into the spring phase again. So what you shared around feeling like a teenager again kind of makes sense. So like, I've heard like many women, all of a sudden they're starting to feel more like flirtatious and playful and more like an innocent child again, like emotionally. But what I've been told is it's actually— so for, for myself and where I'm at, I'm 33 years old, intermittent fasting is only really good for me around the follicular phase. Intermittent— in the second phase of my cycle, I'm feeling hungry in the morning, so I'm eating breakfast. And it's important to honor those hunger. But as you're getting into, you know, post, like anywhere from 45 up, you're starting to get into that, into that phase. And that's when you can actually start to intermittent fast more. The body's shifting and changing. And I've heard from many people that the ketogenic diet can actually be better in this phase. And this isn't generally a diet that I recommend. Could you—

sorry, could you just clarify for those who aren't familiar with it, what's intermittent fasting and the diet you just mentioned?

Sure. Sorry, I forget people don't know these things because I'm talking about it all the time. So intermittent fasting is where you will take a break of time each day. So it's where maybe from 6 PM at night till 9 AM the next day, maybe you take a break away from food and you can extend that even longer. And this is a really great approach to get the, get the body into more of a fasted state, but in a gentle way daily. So that can work for some women, depending on what your goals are. And in a ketogenic diet, which kind of sinks in, they highly recommend doing intermittent fasting, which can help to bring the body into a state of ketosis. And the ketogenic diet recommends quite a high-fat diet, which for me, this is something that I've, I've tried ketogenic diet and it didn't work for me. But what's really interesting is women that are perimenopausal and going through menopause, I'm hearing that eating higher fat can be really beneficial and more of the intermittent fasting as you're getting into that phase. So that's about where I am at with knowledge around that topic. I'm certainly not an expert around it as yet, but I'm wondering if you're craving more fats at this time. Are you finding that?

You're wondering what? Sorry.

Are you craving more fats?

Not particularly, no. I mean, I've always had my chocolate, dark chocolate cravings. That's never gone away. But no, I'm just noticing it with my clothes, you know. It's interesting. I'm not— I mean, it's just interesting, I think, for a woman to be observant and to be in sync with her body and respond accordingly and respond not according to, like you say, all these studies that have been done on men, but look for the new information. I mean, that's why I'm interviewing you. That's why we're including this as a really important theme because I believe women need to get empowered about this. So the other one, so post-baby, of course, a lot of women and mothers are then breastfeeding so that they don't really want to lose weight, but is there anything about diet? I mean, that's probably a time when it's not necessarily recommended Do any fasting, or is there anything you'd like to say to the mums who want to lose weight after a baby, or who just want to be as healthy as possible? What kind of diet should they be eating, especially if they're breastfeeding?

Definitely. Well, number one, if you're breastfeeding, you don't want to be going into any kind of heavy detox. Very, very gentle. You can Certainly eat lightly, but it all comes down to taking it slowly in and out, so slowly removing food. So if during pregnancy maybe you were eating like quite heavy foods, you'll be slowly taking those away. And I'd certainly be recommending going on to the hormonal kind of eating diet where you're eating with your cycle. So I have a great chart which I'd like to give to everyone that watches this video. Which talks about what's going on at each phase and then the foods that are needed. So when a woman first comes off, basically once she gets her first period, I'd recommend you could start following that kind of protocol. But ultimately, when the baby's first born, I mean, the intuition is so high for women that they know, they know what they need to eat. And it's important to listen to what's needed and You know, obviously anything that you're eating is going to be passed on to the baby, so being mindful of what that is. And I would be recommending, you know, high nutrient-dense foods, easy to digest, and just anything that's not causing any stress. You know, I wouldn't be having any caffeine or highly stimulating foods. It's really gentle, simple foods— fruits, vegetables. Yeah, nourishing foods are critical.

Great. And I'd like to ask you, you're there, we've got a different video from you, a different recipe for each part, phase in the cycle. Could you just mention this, how you eat now and how this has shifted for you, and maybe some pointers? Like when we're bleeding, it's, I guess it's good to take, get a lot of iron. And when we're— when we are in the follicular phase. I mean, I don't know if— could you just give us some general pointers? And thank you for gifting us the chart, that's so generous, because Jodie usually charges for this, everyone. So thank you.

You're so welcome. And yeah, I'll try and keep it simple because the worst thing we want to do is make it complicated. You know, ultimately my greatest passion is empowering women to really come back to themselves because we know what to eat. It's all the information out there that's got us confused. And I've tested this on with some of my clients. I don't give them the chart straight away. I actually ask them like, where are you at in your cycle right now? What are you craving? Sweet potato. I'm like, okay, that makes sense. And they're like, oh my gosh, I'm connected to my body. And it helps them realize, because ultimately that's what we want. We want to be able to trust ourselves. So everything I share, I, I kind of invite anyone to not feel overwhelmed with a new way of eating and being like, well, I can't eat this at this phase. So I'm also encouraged to not worry about cutting things, but just add more of these foods at those phases. That's a much nicer way of focusing on it. So at the beginning of the cycle, day 1 is always your period. So as soon as you get your period, that's, that's day 1. And during this phase, as you shared, iron is important because we're losing blood. So we're wanting to focus on things that are going to build the blood. So whether you're eating meat or not, there's many different things that are critical for anything that's going to help you, you know, definitely iron. So vitamin C helps with iron absorption. So I love to have lemon juice, orange juice, it's really critical. Dried fruits are great, beetroot. And if you are eating meat, you could have some really high-quality beef. Seaweeds, anything that's really nutrient-dense, mineral-dense is critical. And then what's actually happening at this phase is your hormones are super low, so your estrogen is like going right down. But then as the days progress, the estrogen starts to increase, and that's when you're starting to feel good again. So you'll be feeling a bit like low in energy, then all of a sudden the estrogen comes in, you're like, oh, I feel back to normal again. And it's during this phase that what's starting to happen is the metabolism drops. And so you're not going to be feeling as hungry, you're not going to be needing to eat much food, you're going into more of that springtime. So menstruation is winter, and then you're moving into, into your inner spring. So lighter, more summery, steamed foods. And in this phase, it's really good to get enough omega-3s. So chia seeds are great, walnuts. And if you're eating fish, a really great time to have fish, but you just won't be as hungry. So it's, it's important to like notice, oh, during like menstruation I was more hungry and now I'm not, and listening to those hunger signals. And during this phase, you're also wanting to be encouraging healthy levels of estrogen and ensuring that the body is detoxing and cleansing. So in the second phase of the cycle, you're going to be able to absorb the vitamins and minerals that are critical. So this is a great time to fast and detox, whether you go deep into a cleanse with juices or just lighter eating. And then coming into ovulation, this is when the estrogen levels are super, super high and you're feeling amazing. Your body's more symmetrical, everything feels great. But it's at this point that you're wanting to make sure that the liver is definitely not being like You know, you want to be supporting the liver at this phase, like bitter foods. Broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus are really, really good at this time because they're high in DIM, which helps the body to detox out excess estrogen. And then you're coming into the luteal phase, which is the longest phase of the cycle. This can be up to 14 days, and this is where women will experience PMS, bloating, uncomfortability, but it doesn't have to be that way. The reason women are experiencing PMS is because they're not getting enough progesterone, usually because they're estrogen dominant. So progesterone is the sedating hormone. And this, this comes from ensuring that you detox the estrogen out of your body in that first phase by eating, like detoxing and eating lightly. And then the second phase, it's important to manage the blood sugars and to eat more food because your metabolism goes up. So the body can actually eat 200 more calories in this phase, but the digestion is weaker, so it can't digest raw foods as well. So more stews, cooked vegetables, soups, really nourishing foods that are low GI during this phase. And so you kind of— in Chinese medicine, they say the first phase is more, more yin, and the second phase is more yang in how the body is.

responding.

So cooling, warming, that type of thing. So yeah, it sounds complicated, but the chart that I have, I promise, makes it really easy.

So it's fascinating, and you've actually, you've broken it down really well. So I think we've got a good overview there. So I'm so happy to have you as part of this, and it was actually Jodie's initiative that we're doing this 4-month journey. So thank you for For sowing the seed, for planting the seed. Obviously, you're taking groups now through this. You're working one-on-one with women. Is there anything else you'd like to say? Maybe either a personal anecdote or something you've seen in any of your clients that is an example of what happens when we eat according to our cycles or when we, you know, get really intuitive? I mean, there's another way to— There's— I know there's a whole new movement around intuitive eating and being much more intuitive in how we're eating. Is there anything you'd like to add or a story you'd like to illustrate this?

Definitely, yeah. It takes 3 months from eating cyclically to really notice the differences, so it's nice to remind people that it's not instant. And so Sometimes it's just through the awareness of knowing where we're at in our cycle. And I can speak from my personal journey, and I am seeing this with my clients, but with myself, I'm now, when I get to certain phases of my cycle and I understand what's going on, I get, it's like I have this breath of like relaxation and appreciating my body. You know, every single woman's body every month is trying to create life.

Yeah.

And that's a big thing, like it's huge. So when we understand, okay, right now my body's released a follicle and it's about to really— it wants to release an egg and it's searching for sperm and it's doing this. And when we understand what's going on and correlate that to our lives, it really shifts. It's really empowering, you know. And then we do connect deeper to our intuition and we, we know what's going on, as opposed to being like, I feel like a crazy person today. It's But if we understand why we feel crazy, we can usually just go inward, take a day to ourselves, not react. And yeah, it's beautiful. Really is.

Very empowering. Yes. So thank you. Thank you so much for sharing and all your wisdom and for, yeah, for the continuous work you're doing for, for the Holy Mama community. And I look forward to giving you that hug at some point.

Me too. Thank you so much.

Thank you.