Let's Learn Together - The Moon Cycle Cookbook by Loftus

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	Full Title:	The Moon Cycle Cookbook
	Author(s):	Devon Loftus; Jenna Radomski
	Publishing / Edition:	Storey Publishing, 2021

Click here for the Table of Contents of the book

Content Review

This is a cookbook with recipes that are intended to help women balance their menstrual cycles. The recipes are organized by which phase of the menstrual cycle that they are intended to impact. It is not immediately obvious what meal of the day each of them is supposed to be, so I have sorted them into tables to make it more clear...

• For Phase 1 of The Uterine Cycle, Menstruation:

Breakfasts	Lunches / Dinners	Side Dishes	Desserts / Snacks	Drinks
• Sweet Potato and Beef Breakfast Bites • Avocado Toast (Three Variations) • Coconut-Quinoa Porridge w/ Earl Grey Poached Pears • Adobo Tofu Breakfast Tacos • Sweet Potato, Kale, and Beet Lentil Hash	• Rosemary and Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Soup • Red Wine Braised Beef Short Ribs and Lentils • Vegan Mac and Cheese with Roasted Broccoli • Teriyaki Salmon Bowl with Carrots and Bok Choy • Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili • Steak and Zucchini Noodle Bowl	• Cucumber-Sesame Seaweed Salad • Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Maple Pecans	• Roasted Beet Hummus • Pumpkin and Flax Pesto • Chocolate-Avocado Mousse with Raspberry Compote • Hazelnut Brownies • Triple Berry Chia Pudding	• Vanilla-Cacao Elixir • Garlic Thyme Chicken Bone Broth

• For Phase 1 of The Ovarian Cycle, The Follicular Phase:

Breakfasts	Lunches/Dinners	Desserts/Snacks	Drinks
• Buckwheat-Almond Banana Muffins • Savory Millet Breakfast Bowl with Lemon-Garlic Tahini Sauce • Dark Chocolate and Cherry Grain-Free Granola with Sprouted Walnuts • Rosemary Sausage Quiche with Apple Crust • Vanilla Chai Overnight Oats • Cinnamon Pear-Almond Butter Parfait with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds	• Quinoa-Black Bean Beet Burger • Spring Mix Salad with Roasted Chickpeas and Miso Pesto • Chicken Fajitas with Honey-Chipotle Yogurt Sauce • Zucchini and Kimchi Frittata • Garlic Tempeh Tacos with Pineapple-Jalapeno Salsa • Baked Salmon Cakes with Lemon-Dill Aioli • Miso-Ginger Noodle Soup with Beef	• Oatmeal-Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Bites • Sauerkraut • Chili and Lime Kale Chips • Salt and Pepper Sprouted Almond Crackers • Cranberry-Walnut Yogurt Cookies • Coconut-Ashwagandha Fudge	• Honey-Cinnamon Latte

• For Phase 2 of The Ovarian Cycle, The Ovulation Phase:

Breakfasts	Lunches / Dinners	Side Dishes	Desserts / Snacks	Drinks
• Orange Sunrise Smoothie • Spinach-Tomato-Quinoa Breakfast Bites • Citrus Breakfast Salad with Honey-Lime Yogurt and Mint • Avocado Green Smoothie • Matcha Mango-Peach Smoothie Bowl • Kale, Black Bean, and Scrambled Egg Breakfast Burritos with Romesco Sauce	• Lemongrass-Coconut Chickpea Curry • Southwest Chicken Salad with Avocado-Jalapeno Dressing • Veggie Hummus Collard Rolls with Spicy Peanut Sauce • Mediterranean Tuna Salad	• BBQ Cauliflower Bites • Lemon-Garlic Asparagus • Shredded Brussels Sprouts Slaw with Toasted Walnuts and Grapefruit Vinaigrette	• Strawberry-Coconut-Lime Ice Pops • Maple-Tarragon Trail Mix with Brazil Nuts • Popped Amaranth-Tahini Chocolate Bars • Broiled Cinnamon Peaches with Coconut Whipped Cream • Banana Bites with Dark Chocolate, Toasted Coconut, and Hazelnuts	• Orange Ginger Fizz • Cilantro-Cucumber Mocktail

• For Phase 3 of The Ovarian Cycle, The Luteal Phase:

Breakfasts	Lunches / Dinners	Side Dishes	Desserts / Snacks	Drinks
• Maple-Apple Breakfast Crisp • Raspberry-Lavender-Lemon Chia Jam • Spinach and Cheddar Quiche with Brown Rice Crust • Cornmeal Waffles with Lemon-Blueberry Compote • "Everything" Sweet Potato Toast with Poached Eggs • Pumpkin-Cinnamon Swirl Muffins	• Chili-Mango Fried Brown Rice Bowl with Sesame Seeds • Sausage with Apples and Bok Choy • Beef Burger with Mushrooms and Caramelized Red Onions • Chipotle-Black Bean Tortilla Soup • Crunchy Thai Soba Noodle Salad with Ginger-Cashew Butter Sauce • Tumeric-Ginger Parsnip Bowl	• Creamed Spinach	• White Bean and Sage Dip • Nacho Popcorn • Almond Butter-Dark Chocolate Cups • Pumpkin-Chocolate Chip Cookie Ice Cream Sandwiches • Dark Chocolate Cashew Bark with Fresh Mint	• Red Raspberry-Mint Tea • Vanilla-Rose-Chasteberry Tea

One thing that I appreciate about the book is that each section begins with an introduction which describes how various vitamins and minerals impact the menstural cycle specifically. To summarize some of this information:

• Magnesium

Magnesium assists in the production of estrogen and progesterone, both of which increase during The Luteal Phase. Examples of dietary sources high in Magnesium are leafy greens (e.g.: kale, spinach, chard), brown rice, and chickpeas.

• Calcium

In combination with Magnesium, Calcium reduces fluid retention, thus minimizing PMS symptoms like bloating, headaches, and constipation. Examples of dietary sources high in Calcium are yogurt and sardines.

• Zinc

Zinc helps to break down prostaglandins, compounds that cause the uterus to contract. If there are too many of them within the bloodstream, it can cause inflammation and menstrual cramps. Zinc also assists in the production of estrogen and progesterone. An example of a dietary source high in Zinc is seaweed, as well as some nuts and seeds (like pumpkin seeds).

• Vitamin B₆ (Pyridoxine)

Vitamin B₆ helps balance out one’s levels of estrogen and progesterone, whether they be too high or too low. Examples of dietary sources high in Vitamin B₆ are bananas and garlic.

• Iron

Low Iron levels can be both a cause and a result of a heavy period, but one must be cautious of using Iron supplements. Examples of dietary sources high in iron are quinoa, lentils, and grass-fed beef.

Now, to add a few important macronutrients...

• Unsaturated Fats

These types of fats have a primary role in the creation of steroid hormones (e.g.: estrogen and progesterone). Examples of dietary sources high in this type of fat are avocado, coconut, and fish.

• Complex Carbohydrates

A lack of Iron and Vitamin B₁₂ (Cobalamin) can cause a loss of Serotonin and Dopamine leading to the fatigue and mood swings often associated with periods. Simple carbohydrates (i.e.: ones that have been "refined") can exacerbate the problem by causing blood sugar spikes.

Most whole vegetables are considered complex carbohydrates, such as cruciferous vegetables (e.g.: broccoli and cauliflower), root vegetables (e.g.: carrots, sweet potatoes, parsnips), millet, and oats. Nutritional yeast and natto are examples of foods high in Vitamin B₁₂.

• Antioxidants

These compounds help to lessen inflammation, so they also help to reduce cramps (and associated PMS symptoms like headaches and acne). This becomes especially important if estrogen and progesterone are low [*see Magnesium, Calcium, Zinc, and Vitamin B₆ above]. Examples of dietary sources high in antioxidants are cilantro, tumeric, dried ginger, plums, citrus fruits, and winter squash.

Selenium is a trace element that is needed for our body to produce glutathione, which is a protein that has antioxidant properties. Dietary sources high in selenium are Brazil nuts, whereas dietary sources high in glutathione itself are walnuts and asparagus.

All in all, it is an interesting and unique cookbook. Some of the recipes look delicious and I cannot wait to try them, even though they are not directly relevant to me as a man. My intention for researching this book was to help the women in my life. I really wish that there were more cookbooks that treat food as medicine in this manner.

Related Resources

• Lease the eBook from Google Play $

• Oh My Health...There Is HOPE! Podcast Episode #306: The Moon Cycle with Jenna Radomski and Devon Loftus

• Books with similar subject matter:

Romm, Aviva. Hormone Intelligence. HarperOne, 2021.