The menstrual cycle is an important part of many people’s lives. Despite this, misinformation, silence and shame abound around the topic. For menstrual hygiene day, I set out to write an article strictly about how you can use food to optimize your wellbeing during your period but I ended getting a lot more than that from my interview with Gilbert Nsanzimfura, a nutritionist with TMR International Hospital. He shared in detail about the 4 stages of the menstrual cycle, how you may feel, what you can eat and what you should avoid to get through each like a champ. Enjoy! Nutrition takes place for the entirety of mankind’s life, but for this article we are going to focus on nutrition for women of reproductive age. The menstrual cycle has 4 phases: Menstruation phase , Follicular phase , Luteal phase and Ovulation . Follicular phase: This is the phase between the first day after blood flow has stopped up to about the 13 th -14 th day when ovulation normally occurs. This stage involves a follicle stimulating hormone which facilitates the growth of follicles. These follicles will harbor a mature egg during the ovulation phase. Ovulation phase: This is where a mature egg (ovum) is released from the fallopian tubes. This is the shortest phase of the cycle, it can last up to 24 hours. This is called the excitement phase of the entire menstruation cycle. Luteal phase: It normally collides with menstruation and sometimes they are even confused to be the same phase. In the Luteal phase, the body is getting ready to start mothering an embryo; the egg is already released into the uterus for fertilization. This stage involves multiple hormones at the same time, including progesterone and oestrogen. These two hormones are very stubborn in that their reactions are very rapid. They both, each at a time, support the thickening of the uterine walls. This stage lasts about 10 to 15 days, from your ovulation day to the day you experience your first drop of blood flowing through the vagina if fertilization does not take place. Menstruation: This is normally the most distressing phase of the entire cycle. It lasts about 3-7 days although some might experience it for up to 10 days. Some women have them heavy, others light, others painful and others very painful. NUTRITION AND THE MENSTRUATION CYCLE First there are foods that need to be taken throughout each of these phases. These are foods you cannot do without, the first being Vitamins and minerals. The body cannot manufacture them on its own. The good news is that the body does not need a lot, this is why they are called micronutrients. Others are proteins, carbohydrates for energy and lipids. NUTRITION DURING THE FOLLICULAR PHASE At this point, your body has gone through changes. −You have lost blood, iron and minerals −Dizziness may be felt −You may feel weak Here it’s like building a house from ruins. You need to take all the food stuffs but mainly you need to replace the lost iron, the lost calcium and the lost magnesium. Foods to eat