What should you eat in the luteal phase?

Eat your usual balanced meals, plus a little more. Most women eat a bit more in the luteal phase, the week or two before a period, so plan one extra snack with protein and fiber instead of fighting the hunger, and lean on whole grains, beans, calcium-rich foods and leafy greens. Easing off salt, alcohol and caffeine may help with bloating and sleep, but no single food changes your hormones, and the evidence behind most "luteal phase food" lists is thin.

What changes in the luteal phase

The luteal phase starts after ovulation and ends when your next period starts. Progesterone rises and stays high for most of it, then both progesterone and estrogen fall in the last few days. On a 28-day cycle that's roughly days 17 to 28, but cycle lengths vary, so treat any day numbers as a rough guide. Our luteal phase workouts guide covers how training can shift across these weeks.

The last few days are when premenstrual symptoms tend to show up. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) lists food cravings, appetite changes, bloating, fatigue and stomach symptoms among the common physical ones. To count as PMS, symptoms have to appear in the 5 days before a period for at least three cycles in a row, ease within 4 days of it starting, and get in the way of normal life.

You'll probably be a little hungrier

A 2024 meta-analysis in Nutrition Reviews pooled 15 studies of 330 women and found they ate more in the luteal phase than in the follicular phase, about 168 calories a day more on a crude average. The authors listed real limits: most intake was self-reported, few studies confirmed cycle phase in more than one way, and results varied a lot between studies.

The BioCycle study followed 259 healthy women with regular periods for up to two cycles. Appetite, cravings for chocolate, cravings for sweets and cravings for salty flavors were all higher in the late luteal phase than during your period, the follicular phase or ovulation. Protein intake was highest in the mid-luteal phase too, at about 65 g a day against 61 to 62 g in the other phases. Total calories were a bit higher mid-luteal, but in that study the difference wasn't statistically significant.

So cravings before your period are common and not a lack of willpower. The size of the change is modest, though: think one extra snack, not a different diet. Our cycle syncing meal plan goes through calories, protein and iron across the whole month.

Your gut may change too

In a 2014 survey of 156 healthy women in BMC Women's Health, 62% reported bloating in the 5 days before their period, 58% reported abdominal pain, 24% diarrhea and 15% constipation. It relied on women remembering their last few cycles, so the numbers are rough, but bloating matters for the fiber advice below.

What to eat more of

A planned snack, with protein and fiber

If you know your appetite climbs in the days before your period, plan for it. ACOG suggests either six small meals a day or slightly smaller main meals plus three light snacks, to keep your blood sugar steady. Mayo Clinic suggests smaller, more frequent meals to ease bloating and that overly full feeling.

Mayo Clinic notes that high-fiber foods tend to be more filling than low-fiber ones, so pair a fiber-rich carbohydrate with some protein. A few that work:

• Greek yogurt with fruit and oats
• Whole-grain crackers with hummus
• An apple or banana with a handful of almonds

This isn't the week to cut calories harder. Eating a little more now is normal.

Complex carbohydrates

Both ACOG and Mayo Clinic recommend foods high in complex carbohydrates for PMS. ACOG puts it this way: "A complex carbohydrate-rich diet may reduce mood symptoms and food cravings." Note the "may": it's sensible, low-risk advice, but not well tested for PMS.

Good options are whole-wheat bread and pasta, oats, barley, brown rice, potatoes, beans, lentils, fruit and vegetables. If you train in this phase, some carbohydrate before a session helps fuel it.

Calcium-rich foods

This is the nutrient with the strongest single study behind it. In a 1998 trial in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, about 500 women with moderate to severe PMS took either 1,200 mg of calcium a day (as calcium carbonate) or a placebo for three cycles. By the third cycle, total symptom scores had dropped 48% from where they started in the calcium group and 30% in the placebo group. All four symptom groups it tracked, including food cravings and water retention, were significantly lower by the third cycle.

That result is encouraging, but keep it in proportion. It's one large trial from 1998, it tested a supplement rather than food, and it involved women with fairly strong symptoms. Mayo Clinic sums up the evidence for calcium, magnesium, vitamin E and vitamin B6 supplements as "limited or lacking." ACOG is a little more positive about calcium.

Food is the easy first step. MedlinePlus puts the daily target at 1,000 mg for women aged 19 to 50 and 1,200 mg from age 51. Good sources:

• Milk, yogurt and cheese
• Canned salmon or sardines, with the soft bones
• Fortified soy milk, fortified orange juice and tofu made with calcium
• Kale, bok choy, collard greens and broccoli
• Almonds, tahini and dried beans

One catch: MedlinePlus notes that spinach, rhubarb and wheat bran can bind calcium and reduce how much you absorb, so spinach isn't your best calcium green. If you're thinking about a calcium supplement, talk to your doctor first. More isn't better: MedlinePlus sets the safe upper limit at 2,500 mg a day for adults up to 50, counting food and supplements together.

Magnesium-rich foods

ACOG says magnesium supplements may help reduce bloating, breast tenderness and mood symptoms, while Mayo Clinic files it with the supplements whose evidence is limited. Either way, food is a safe place to start.

According to MedlinePlus, most dietary magnesium comes from dark green leafy vegetables. Other sources include almonds, cashews, beans, peas, seeds, tofu, brown rice, millet, bananas, avocados, dried apricots and milk. Women need about 310 mg a day at ages 19 to 30 and 320 mg from 31.

The same foods keep turning up in these lists: beans, whole grains, nuts, seeds, dairy or fortified alternatives, and leafy greens. A few of them at most meals covers complex carbohydrates, calcium, magnesium and fiber at once, with no special shopping list.

Fiber, but build it slowly

Fiber helps prevent constipation, and Mayo Clinic notes it may also help firm up loose stools. The daily recommendation is 25 g for women aged 50 or younger and 21 g after 50.

Here's the part most luteal phase guides miss. Mayo Clinic warns that adding too much fiber too quickly can cause gas, bloating and cramping. If you're already bloated before your period, suddenly loading up on beans and bran that week can make it worse. Build fiber up gradually over a few weeks, all month, and drink plenty of water so it can do its job.

What to ease off

• Salt. Mayo Clinic advises limiting salt and salty foods to reduce bloating and fluid retention.
• Caffeine and alcohol. ACOG and Mayo Clinic both advise avoiding them for PMS. If stopping completely isn't realistic, try a smaller amount or an earlier cutoff, and note whether your sleep or mood changes.
• Fat and sugar. ACOG suggests cutting back, which doesn't mean banning chocolate. A planned portion after a meal usually goes better than resisting all day and finishing the bag at night.

Simple swaps for the week before your period

A sample day in the late luteal phase

This is one example, not a prescription. Swap in foods you like, can afford and can eat safely.

What to do this week

• Find your place in your cycle. Count from day 1 of your last period. If your periods are irregular, plan by symptoms instead, as our guide to cycle syncing with irregular periods explains. If you use the combined pill, your hormones don't follow the usual luteal pattern; see cycle syncing on birth control.
• Plan one extra snack for the days your appetite climbs, with protein and a fiber-rich carbohydrate.
• Aim for two or three calcium-rich foods a day, all month.
• Raise fiber slowly across the month, not all at once.
• Write it down. Both ACOG and Mayo Clinic suggest tracking your symptoms for two to three cycles. Rate hunger, cravings, bloating and mood from 1 to 5 each day and mark your period dates. You'll see your own pattern instead of guessing.

If you'd rather not work out the timing yourself, HerShape estimates your phase from your last period and cycle length, then plans your meals and training with it in mind.

What to watch for

Food changes are worth trying for mild symptoms, but they're not a substitute for care. Talk to a doctor or gynecologist if:

• Your symptoms disrupt work, relationships or daily life. ACOG notes that severe symptoms can be a sign of premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD), which a doctor can help with. It also says about half of women seeking treatment for PMS have depression or anxiety, and that thyroid disease, irritable bowel syndrome and perimenopause can look like PMS.
• You're considering supplements. ACOG notes that most products sold for PMS haven't been tested or shown to work, and that too much, or the wrong mix with medications, can be harmful. Mayo Clinic points out that St. John's wort makes birth control pills less effective.
• You have pain that's severe or getting worse. Pelvic pain that stops you in your tracks needs a medical check, not a diet change.
• You have a health condition that changes your needs. This includes PCOS, endometriosis, kidney disease, inflammatory bowel disease or a history of disordered eating, and being pregnant, postpartum or in perimenopause. A clinician or registered dietitian who knows your history is the right person to shape your plan.

The bottom line

In the luteal phase, eat what you normally eat, plus a little more: a planned snack, meals built on whole grains, beans, greens and calcium-rich foods, and less salt, alcohol and caffeine if bloating or sleep bother you. Calcium has the best single trial behind it; the evidence for most other "luteal foods" is thin. Track your symptoms for a few cycles and let your own pattern guide you.

Sources

• ACOG: Premenstrual Syndrome (PMS)
• Mayo Clinic: Premenstrual syndrome (PMS), diagnosis and treatment
• Nutrition Reviews (2024): The Effect of the Menstrual Cycle on Energy Intake: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis
• European Journal of Nutrition (2016): Changes in macronutrient, micronutrient, and food group intakes throughout the menstrual cycle in healthy, premenopausal women
• BMC Women's Health (2014): Gastrointestinal symptoms before and during menses in healthy women
• American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (1998): Calcium carbonate and the premenstrual syndrome: effects on premenstrual and menstrual symptoms
• MedlinePlus: Calcium in diet
• MedlinePlus: Magnesium in diet
• Mayo Clinic: Dietary fiber: Essential for a healthy diet