Women’s cycles are a superpower that can be tapped into, if you know when, how, and what to do. Cycles also go through different phases that must be understood and respected. 

 

Today on the podcast I’m interviewing Megan from Zesty Ginger. Megan talks about the nutritional approach she uses for women with hormonal imbalances, and how, in her experience, intermittent fasting and keto diet are not the best in these cases.

 

Megan co-created Zesty Ginger with Alex, and both of these women have gone through their own personal journeys regarding hormonal balance, and learned how to optimize their bodies’ functions according to the phase they are going through instead of going against them.

 

There are four different phases of the menstrual cycle (considering a standard 28 days cycle):

• ● Release Phase: Starts on day 1 of your full period. Time to slow down!
• ● Rise Phase: Starts at day 8 and extends to day 14. This is an ovulatory phase and is the most powerful one! 
• ● Plateau Phase: Starts on day 15 and goes all the way to day 21. During this stage women tend to find balance between the old habits and the new ones. The focus during this phase is on supporting your body in the process of detoxification.
• ● Pause Phase: The last stage, lasts until the 28th day. It is the time to experience gratitude and let go of past failures. Depending on your body, this can be the phase where you feel cravings, cramps and irritability. This phase is also focused on detoxification. 
• Megan also shares her knowledge about other factors that can contribute to hormonal imbalances, such as mold, gut infections, and toxic loads in the liver as a result of the usage of chemicals that come in beauty and hygiene products.
• Listen to this show to acquire a better understanding of your menstrual cycle, going through each phase and its characteristics, and also discovering other factors that have an impact on your hormonal balance.
•  
• Wishing you more simplicity and ease in all that you do!
• Meet the creators of Zesty Ginger
• Alex Golden (M.D.) and Megan Blacksmith (Health Coach & Functional Diagnostic Nutrition Practitioner) of Zesty Ginger work with pre-menopausal women in an online group format. They focus on balancing hormones and supporting detoxification by teaching women to use the phases of their menstrual cycles to their advantage. The natural ebb and flow that happens to our hormones, organ systems, and bodies overall as women is there to renew and strengthen us. When we work with the natural cycles of our bodies, we allow ourselves to heal and recover on a level that few of us ever reach when we operate within the "rules" of the hectic modern world. Even the alternative medicine world has lost its connection to how the female body operates. Most protocols and health programs out there show no regard for the cycles that govern the flow of our bodies as women. By focusing on different activities, elixirs, foods and rituals each week of your cycle we can help the body to detoxify naturally.
• Get in touch with Alex and Megan
• Zesty Ginger
• Find out more about their cycle detox
• Zesty Ginger on Instagram
• Zesty Ginger on Facebook 
• Online working with Jenn:
• To register for my signature program The Hormone Project and work with me 1:1 to support your health, hormones and more, please join the waitlist at jennpike.com/thehormoneproject
•  
• Learn more about Jenn’s work:
• Jenn Pike
• The Hormone Project 
• The Simplicity Project Shop for books, DVDs, programs and much more!
• Get your free Syncing Guide!
• Simplicity TV on Youtube
• Quotes:
• “Tampon commercials implicity tell us: Be a man but in a female’s body.”
• “Listen to your body when it is telling you to slow down.”
• “Your pre-conception lifestyle is so important because it is setting the foundation for the pregnancy, birth and beyond”
• Additional Information About Jenn:
• Jenn studied and graduated with honors in Human Anatomy and Physiology with such a passion that it propelled her to continue her education over many years. Jenn is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist, Medical Exercise Specialist, Registered Yoga Instructor and Faculty of the Toronto Yoga Conference, Pre & Post Natal Yoga Expert, STOTT Pilates trained instructor, Twist Sport Conditioning Coach, Spin Instructor Crossfit Level 1 Coaching, among other certifications she got along the way. She is also a guest Holistic Expert for Breakfast Television, Global, CHCH, Rogers Tv and writes columns for STRONG Fitness Magazine, iRun magazine, Savvy Mom and contributes to Inside Fitness Magazine, The Toronto Star and Sun. She is also a proud educator and ambassador to Genuine Health, Nature’s Emporium and Juice Plus.
• Jenn is a proud mama to two beautiful souls and her best teachers of life. She resides on Lake Simcoe in Keswick with her husband and two children.