To support your body in finding hormonal harmony, one thing you can start doing today is eating right for your unique body.

Eating right for you nurtures your blood sugar levels. When your blood sugar levels are out of balance it means your body is using sugars and proteins as a fuel source, rather than fats. This gives your body quick, emergency energy. The body actually interprets high blood sugar levels as a stressor which stimulates the release of cortisol. When too much cortisol is released, your body is in flight or fight mode, meaning your stress levels will be on the rise. 

When the body is in flight or fight mode, the body is prioritising stress hormones over sex hormones, essentially prioritising survival over reproduction. If we are constantly producing stress hormones, our hormones will become unbalanced – in particular, for women the long-term effect of stress is often a hormonal imbalance.

“If you can’t stabilise your blood sugar levels over a day, you won’t have any chance of stabilising your hormones over a month.”

This is because our sex and stress hormones share the same precursors. The short of it is, if you can’t stabilise your blood sugar levels over a day, you won’t have any chance of stabilising your hormones over a month.

So to get started in eating right for you, we've designed this meal to use any leftover food you have at the end of the week! It's great to use up any leftover ingredients you have in the house, and nice to end the week with a simple and nourishing meal.

While the proportions below are aimed towards a mixed type, just bump up the protein or carbohydrates depending on your BePure Macronutrient Profile.

Nourishing Bowl with Homemade Hummus

Serves 1 | GF, RSF

Ingredients

Hummus Ingredients

• 1 can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed 
• 4 cloves of roasted garlic (roast a whole bulb of garlic)
• 2 Tbsp tahini 
• 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil 
• 3 Tbsp water (use more if needed to thin it out)
• 1 tsp ground roasted cumin 
• ½ tsp ground roasted coriander
• ¼ tsp smoked paprika 
• ¼ tsp sumac (optional) 
• ½ tsp salt and pepper 

Platter Ingredients: (depending on what you have)

• Greens: Spinach, lettuce, rocket, kale, micro greens, sprouts, silverbeet, etc. 
• Veggies: Carrots, capsicums, cucumbers, zucchini, sugar snap peas, peas, radishes, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower etc.
• Fruits: Strawberries, pears, banana, papaya, mango, grapes, raspberries, apples, etc.
• Proteins: Quinoa, nuts/seeds, organic free range fresh egg, organic free-range animal protein. 
• Healthy fats:  Avocado, olive oil, nuts, seeds.
• Carbohydrates: Sweet potatoes, quinoa, millet, brown rice, wild rice.
• Optional add-ons: fermented foods i.e. Sauerkraut, homemade salad, kelp granules and flakes for added iodine and minerals, homemade hummus, apple cider vinegar, fresh lemon juice.

Directions

Hummus Directions:

1.    Preheat oven to 180 degrees. Rub extra papery skin off whole heads of garlic. Cut tips off each clove of garlic with serrated knife to expose a bit of garlic. Lay root side down on a sheet of tin foil or in a small baking dish. Drizzle with oil over the cut end of the garlic. Crimp foil closed or cover the baking dish with foil. Roast until the garlic cloves are soft and fragrant, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Open foil and let sit until cool enough to handle.
2.    Squeeze the garlic cloves out of their papery skin. Discard skin and transfer the cloves to a food processor.
3.    Add to the food processor the chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, water, roasted cumin, coriander, smoked paprika, optional sumac, salt and pepper.

Platter Directions ( a rough guide for a mixed type):

1. 10% leafy green base 
2. 20% veggies 
3. 10% fruit  
4. 20% protein 
5. 15% healthy fats 
6. 20% complex carbohydrate 
7. 5% extra nourish (add-ons)

If you give this a go, we'd love to see the result! Tag us in your pictures with @bepurebenwarren for your chance to be featured on our Instagram account.