Honouring your bleed
Nutrition, herbs and lifestyle practices to experience your bleed with ease.
The menstrual bleed phase is the first stage of the menstrual cycle and is often a time when women feel the need for rest, reflection, and nourishment.
Day 1 of your cycle = First day of your bleed (proper flow, not pre-period spotting)
This phase, which typically lasts 3-7 days, signals the shedding of the uterine lining and can bring with it physical and emotional changes. Understanding how to care for your body during this time (and in the previous weeks) can help ease symptoms like cramps, fatigue, and mood swings, while honouring the natural rhythms of your cycle.
The Menstrual Bleed: What’s Happening in the Body?
During this phase, hormone levels of estrogen and progesterone drop, triggering the shedding of the uterine lining. Blood loss can leave some women feeling drained, making it important to restore the body with specific nutrients and practices that support regeneration, relaxation, and balance.
Nutritional Support for the Bleed Phase
What we eat during the bleed phase can have a profound impact on how we feel. Since the body is working to replenish lost blood, focus on nutrient-rich foods that help restore iron, build the blood, nourish the body, and promote anti-inflammatory responses.
Iron-Rich Foods: Since you're losing blood, replenishing iron is key to avoiding fatigue. Include plant-based sources like lentils, spinach, and quinoa, as well as heme-iron from grass-fed meats, liver and spleen. Pairing iron-rich foods with vitamin C (like citrus or capsicum) improves absorption.
Magnesium: Known for its muscle-relaxing and cramp-easing properties, magnesium can reduce period pain. Incorporate foods like pumpkin seeds, dark leafy greens, cacao (hello Loco Loves), or a good quality magnesium glycinate.
Healthy Fats: Omega-3 fatty acids, found in mackerel, sardines, grass-fed red meats, extra virgin olive oil, avocado, chia/hemp/flax seeds and walnuts, have anti-inflammatory properties that may help alleviate period pain and reduce bloating.
Hydrating Fruits and Vegetables: Stay hydrated with water-rich fruits and vegetables like cucumbers, watermelon, and leafy greens. Proper hydration supports circulation and reduces bloating.
Herbal Teas for Soothing: Herbal teas can help ease discomfort during the bleed. Try raspberry leaf tea for uterine support, chamomile for relaxation, or ginger tea to ease nausea and bloating.
Herbal Allies for Menstruation
Herbs are powerful tools for supporting the body’s natural processes during menstruation. Here are examples of some gentle yet effective herbal remedies:
Cramp Bark (Viburnum opulus): A classic herb for menstrual cramps, Cramp Bark works as a smooth muscle relaxant and is often used to ease uterine spasms.
Raspberry Leaf (Rubus idaeus): Raspberry leaf is a uterine tonic, helping to tone the uterus and ease menstrual discomfort over time. I recommend drinking raspberry leaf tea during the luteal and menstrual phases.
Ginger (Zingiber officinale): With its anti-inflammatory and warming properties, ginger can reduce period pain and improve circulation.
Vitex (Vitex agnus-castus): While more commonly used to balance hormones over the entire menstrual cycle, vitex may help with regulating irregular cycles and easing PMS symptoms that can carry over into the bleed phase.
Lifestyle Practices to Honour Your Cycle
Lifestyle choices can profoundly affect your experience during menstruation. Creating space for rest, reflection, and gentle movement can make a big difference in how you feel both physically and emotionally. You may notice you don’t feel like being too social, going to that 6am gym class, saying yes to that extra shift, even cooking!
Rest and Reflection: The menstrual bleed is a time of release—physically and emotionally. Allowing time for rest, meditation, or journaling can help you process feelings, recharge, and honour this natural pause in your cycle. Avoid over-scheduling yourself and listen to your body's need for slower days. Schedule work around this time (if you have the ability to do that), prepare meals in advance so you don’t have to cook, sleep in, nap, look after yourself!
Gentle Movement: While high-intensity workouts may feel exhausting during this time, gentle movement such as yin yoga, walking, or light stretching can ease cramps, promote circulation and will feel more restorative.
Heat Therapy: Using a heating pad or hot water bottle on your lower abdomen can help relax the muscles and ease cramping.
Mindful Menstruation Rituals: Consider incorporating rituals such as herbal bath with lavender, chamomile, rose petals and Epsom salts to relax and relieve muscle tension. Light beeswax candles and read a book.
Please Note
If you are experiencing heavy menstrual bleeding, bleeds that last longer than 7 days, excessive pain, PMS or PMDD or conditions such as endometriosis, adenomyosis, PCOS, fibroids - please reach out for a consultation - these conditions or symptoms do not have to be a something we ‘just have to deal with’ as women.
Kira -
