Why I love Nut Butters For a Healthier Period!

Nuts, Nuts, Nuts!  Who doesn’t love’em? I definitely do! They’ve become a staple in my hormone journey and are an integral and simple step in making my period comfortable every month! Let’s talk about how!

Hi! My name is Jenn J - I’m a women’s hormone health coach and family nutritionist. My practice is built on empowering women living with uncomfortable and debilitating hormonal symptoms like painful periods, mood swings, PMS, weight issues, and low energy to reclaim their lives and put their period problems to rest while helping the whole family eat healthier!

Watch the video or continue reading below!

Have you ever had a moment where you just can't figure out what to eat? You're staring into your refrigerator or pantry, and nothing looks appealing. All of the sudden, an idea pops into your head: Nut Butter! 

I'm not going to lie, I am a huge fan of nut butter. From almond butter to peanut butter, tahini, and hazelnut butter -  I love them all. There's just something so satisfying about dipping a piece of fruit or toast into a creamy spread that is packed with nutrients.

Nut butter is a great way to add some protein and healthy fats to your diet, both of which are crucial for well-balanced and healthy hormones. It’s a total bonus that they come in many different flavours.

When it comes to our menstrual cycle, there is so much going on at different times, so it’s important to ensure that nutritionally, we’re supporting our body the best that we can. Understanding how food affects your body and your hormones is helpful in learning how to best support your hormonal journey through womanhood. 

Here are some basics that you should know:

1. Many of our sex hormones are produced from scratch in our ovaries and adrenal glands. They rely on cholesterol and fats to build a healthy flow of these hormones.
2. Other hormones necessary for a healthy period are made in other glands of our endocrine system and are built on protein peptides, making protein a critical ingredient in healthy hormone production.

So when it comes to eating a healthy hormone-friendly diet, these are nutrients we need to keep in mind.  And nut butter is a great way to add both of these to our day to day.

Here’s how:

1. Nut butter is high in both fiber and protein which can help us feel full and satisfied when our PMS food cravings kick in.  
2. Fiber is also important for phase 3 detoxification processes in our body, which is our bowels.  Keeping our elimination processes moving efficiently daily will help us avoid reabsorbing excess toxins and hormone metabolites that are being prepared for expulsion.  If we reabsorb these, particularly estrogen metabolites, then we run the risk of having excess estrogen in our endocrine system, thereby throwing off our ideal and healthy ratios of progesterone to estrogen, and leading to risks of Estrogen Dominance.
3. Proteins found in nut butter are a simple and easy way to add more protein to your daily diet to encourage healthy hormone production within our endocrine system - especially if you’re following a plant-based diet or have difficulty consuming enough protein with ease.
4. The healthy fats found in (pure) nut butter are great for facilitating the efficient synthesis of our sex hormones within our adrenal glands and ovaries. With healthy levels of estrogen and progesterone, we see fewer Symptoms of a Hormonal Imbalance in Women!
5. Nut butter also provides essential nutrients, minerals, and vitamins that we need for a healthy period.  Nutrients like iron, zinc, calcium, magnesium, chromium, vitamin B6, vitamin E, and potassium are all crucial nutrients used by our ovaries, thyroid, and adrenal glands to properly modulate our sex hormones.  Not to mention that maintaining healthy iron levels are helpful in combatting heavy periods, while calcium, magnesium, and potassium can be helpful in reducing painful period cramps.

Earlier I mentioned that your nut butter should be pure. What does this mean? It means that the only ingredients in your nut butter should be the nuts themselves! No added oils, salts, or sugars. They’re not needed!

Now that you know this, here is my favourite way to make my own healthy & pure nut butter.

1. Choose your nut of choice: I truly love almonds!
2. Optional, but recommended: roast your almonds in the oven at 325℉ for 10-12 minutes, or until they’re brown and fragrant
3. Remove from the oven and add them to a high-speed blender
4. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the blender to ensure it’s all incorporated.
5. Store in an airtight glass jar in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
6. Then check out my favourite way to use nut butter right here!

Hope this was helpful! Keep living healthy, one bite at a time!