When food stops nourishing - and starts pushing

Posted by The Breath Gallery

Your cylcle affects your stress response - and food affects your nervous system.

Learn how to eat in a way that supports hormonal balance, energy and real nourishment.

Many women today feel drained, restless, overwhelmed. They eat “healthy”, exercise, stay hydrated. And yet their nervous system is running on empty.

What’s missing? Not discipline. Not another plan.

But deep, consistent nourishment – aligned with your cycle, your energy, and your

nervous system.

What food has to do with your nervous system

Cortisol is not the enemy. It’s your natural stress hormone – it gets you going in the morning, sharpens your focus, helps you survive.

But if cortisol spikes too high or stays elevated – through under-eating, long gaps between meals, excessive caffeine or emotional overload –your system goes into survival mode.

And this affects everything:

• Sleep

• Mood

• Cycle regularity

• Blood sugar

• Mental clarity

Your cycle changes how your body responds to food

– and vice versa

Follicular phase (Days 1–14)

• Higher cortisol sensitivity

• More drive – but also more reactivity

• What helps: structured meals with all macronutrients

• A slightly higher protein intake in the morning can support stability

Ovulation (~Day 14)

• Peak clarity, higher sensitivity

• What helps: regular meals, good fats, avoid skipping food even if appetite drops

Luteal phase (Days 15–28)

• Progesterone slows the system down – your body wants calm, rhythm, warmth

• What helps: complex carbs in the evening, less caffeine, more regulation

• No fasting – your system needs to feel safe

Most women do the exact opposite

• Only coffee in the morning

• Light snacks at lunch

• Afternoon energy crash

• Evening cravings and poor sleep

Not because they’re doing something wrong – but because no one ever explained their body’s actual rhythm to them.

What your body really needs – practically speaking

Each meal:

• A balance of protein, healthy fats and complex carbohydrates

• Not restriction – but stability through combination

Morning:

• Include all macronutrients

• Slightly more protein (e.g. eggs, oats with nut butter, Greek yoghurt)

• Avoid: just fruit, just caffeine, or skipping breakfast

Mid-morning or afternoon snack:

• A handful of nuts + one piece of fruit

• This regulates blood sugar and prevents nervous system crashes

Evening:

• Warming, grounding meals with complex carbohydrates

• Supports serotonin production and improves sleep quality

More protein does NOT mean less of everything else

At The Breath Gallery, when we say “slightly more protein in the morning”,we do not mean “cut out fats or carbs”.

We mean: adjust the proportions, not the quantity.

Support the system – don’t restrict it.

Eat fully. Eat cyclically. Eat to feel safe.

If you’re unsure what works for you: Reach out. We tailor everything individually.

Book a session

Conclusion: Food isn’t about control. It’s about connection.

Your body isn’t inconsistent – it’s intelligent.

It doesn’t need more rules – it needs relationship. With food. With safety. With yourself.

You don’t need another plan.

You need real nourishment.

The Breath Gallery stands for a way of eating that regulates, not depletes.

That sustains you through the day – without the crash.

That brings you back into connection – not into control.