As we approach midlife, progesterone begins to decline. So women over 40 or going through their menopause years will inevitably experience an up and down roller coaster and subsequent decline in progesterone as you go into postmenopausal years. If this might be you, I also recommend grabbing my new book, The Menopause Reset for tips and tricks on how to navigate menopause years with grace and ease.

If not due to menopause, the other way progesterone gets out of balance is if you are fasting at the wrong times of your cycle. Women of any age need to be careful about this, saving longer fasts for Days 1-17. Doing too much fasting, at the wrong time in your cycle may lead to unknowingly depleting progesterone. https://drmindypelz.com/fasting-to-support-progesterone/

Between Day 1 and Day 17, you’re welcome to do all of the below types of fasting:

• Intermittent fasting
• Autophagy fasting
• One meal a day, or “OMAD” fasting
• 3+ day water fasting
• Dry fasting 
• Happiness fasting
• Ketosis

Between Day 21 and Day 28, the week before your period, you will want to avoid fasting so as not to deplete hormones. If you don’t have a cycle, timing may still matter. A Dutch Test hormone panel can help determine this. I love this test for all women because it helps give us insight into your unique hormonal state.

What to add & avoid when building progesterone

During the progesterone building timeframe, again Day 17 through Day 21, you will want to avoid the following:

• Avoid fasting for more than 15 hours
• Avoid ketosis
• Avoid longer fasts
• Avoid carb restricted diets
• Avoid strenuous exercise, running a marathon or pushing yourself with a hard workout
• Avoid stress

During this time you will also want to lean into foods that support progesterone, that might not be otherwise ketogenic foods:

• Pumpkin
• Beans
• Squash
• Tropical and citrus fruits
• Nuts and seeds
• Andreas Seed Oils, we love the Pumpkin Seed Oil for progesterone (use code PELZ for discount), Flax Seed Oil will help with estrogen
• Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts
• Grass fed meat, we like ours from Grassland Beef or Crowd Cow

• Eat healthy fats: coconut oil, olive oil, avocados, nuts, seeds, grass-fed/pasture raised meat, wild-caught fish, etc.
• Foods that contain phytoprogestins: Foods with phytoprogestins (plant-based chemicals with progestogenic effects) are fairly rare (there are many more foods with phytoestrogens than phytoprogestins).
• Herbs/spices include: oregano, verbena, turmeric, thyme, red clover, and damiana.
• The flavonoids “naringenin” (found in grapefruit, oranges, and tomatoes – skin) and “kaempferol” (found in apples, grapes, peaches, blackberries, raspberries, tomatoes, potatoes, onions, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and cucumbers) are also considered phytoprogestins.
• Foods high in vitamin B6: sunflower seeds, walnuts, poultry, chickpeas, bananas.
• Foods high in vitamin C: citrus fruits, bell peppers, guava, kiwi, broccoli, tomatoes, berries, leafy greens.
• Foods high in zinc: beef, oysters, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, chickpeas.
• Foods high in magnesium: leafy greens, nuts and seeds (pumpkin seeds, almonds), avocados, bananas, figs, dark chocolate.
• Foods high in L-arginine: beef, poultry, salmon, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, peanuts.
• L-arginine improves luteal function.
• Foods high in fiber: fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, beans/legumes. Fiber promotes the excretion of excess estrogen.
• Seed Cycling: This may be done by women of all ages – whether they are premenopausal, peri-menopausal, or menopausal.
  • Day 1-14: Flax seeds & Pumpkin seeds (promote estrogen)
  • Day 15-28: Sesame seeds & Sunflower seeds (promote progesterone)
  • Directions: Consume 2 Tbsp of one seed or 1 Tbsp of each of the two seeds during each phase.
  • Premenopausal women with regular cycles can follow their cycle