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Some healthy eating principles apply to just about everyone – drinking enough water and consuming plenty of fresh fruit and veg, for example. But when it comes to hormones, a lot of diet advice neglects to mention the vast difference between women’s and men’s health. “Women are very under-represented in research, mainly because we have a menstrual cycle,” says functional nutritionist and author Pauline Cox. “My passion and mission is to empower women with the information and knowledge that can radically change their immediate health and their long-term health.” Cox, 43, who started her career as a physiotherapist before becoming a nutritionist, now mainly works with groups of women online and has just released her second book, Hungry Woman: Eating for Good Health, Happiness and Hormones. “I felt there was a lot of information that could be shared with women to help them understand their hormones, and understand that we don’t have to get frustrated with ourselves and fight our female physiology.” At the heart of the issue is the balance (or lack thereof) between oestrogen and progesterone levels. “When our progesterone levels are low, our oestrogen can become dominant, and that’s when we start to see things like PMS, heavy periods, painful periods, flooding at the beginning of our periods,” says Cox, who lives in Somerset. “A lot o women accept that as part of their monthly cycle, but when we bring our progesterone levels back up, it helps to balance the effect of oestrogen.” Here, she explains five ways women can tailor their diets to keep their hormones in check… 1. Look after your liver “Oestrogen is a driving-growth hormone,” Cox explains, using the analogy of grass growing on a lawn to explain how the two hormones interact. “Progesterone is like the lawnmower. It comes along and it keeps the grass in check. When we lose progesterone, oestrogen gets out of control.” That’s why it’s important that our bodies are able to clear oestrogen efficiently through the liver, gut and bowels. “How much oestrogen we clear can be influenced by what we eat and how we live,” says Cox. “There’s a lot of cruciferous in the book – cauliflower, broccoli, these are really great vegetables to support liver detoxification.” 2. Add fermented foods To deliver beneficial bacteria to your gut, try including fermented foods like pickled vegetables, kefir, kombucha or natural yoghurt as part of your daily diet. “Our gut diversity declines as we age and microbiome diversity has been linked with longevity and good health,” says Cox, who suggests just a tablespoon of sauerkraut a day can make a difference. “These are easy wins…to maximise our longevity and optimise our gut-brain axis, which is incredibly important.” 3. Avoid ultra-processed foods There’s been a lot of talk recently about how detrimental ultra-processed foods are, and that includes the effect on hormone levels. “When we’re eating high sugar, processed foods, our inflammatory levels go up and our cortisol level goes up, which robs us of progesterone,” Cox says. Plus, filling up with these empty calories – as delicious as they often are – means we have less room for nutritious foods. “They can often be devoid of nutrients, so you’re not getting the nutrients you need for building hormones and supporting hormonal health like magnesium, zinc, B vitamins, and omega three fatty acids.” 4. Create an eating window It’s not just what you eat, it’s when. Cox recommends having an ‘eating window’ during the day that ends around 6pm, so that there’s a gap of a few hours before you go to bed. “When your blood sugars go up at night, your kidneys have to kick in to try and remove this excess blood sugar, which then means you’re up in the night urinating,” she says. “A lot of women associate this with drinking a lot before bed, but actually eating late at night can also be for that reason.” Choosing meals that are nutritious and satisfying is the next step. “Within that window, start becoming a bit more conscious of your carbs and upping your protein,” she continues. “So you’re feeling full, your body’s getting all the amino acids it needs, and you’re maybe not having so much of the grab-and-go food like the sandwiches, the pasta, the crisps.” 5. Monitor your magnesium “Most women are sub-clinically deficient in magnesium,” Cox explains, which can cause insomnia, and the risk increases with age. “As we get to about the age of 40, we absorb less magnesium than we would have in our 20s.” Diet also plays a role: “If we have high blood sugars and levels of inflammation when we’re stressed, we lose magnesium.” She recommends taking a magnesium glycinate or bisglycinate supplement before bed to increase your chance of getting a good night’s sleep. “The glycine part of that helps to reduce your core body temperature, which is what the body wants when it’s going to bed,” she says. “That compound also helps get you into what’s called REM sleep, which is the sleep where you’re consolidating memories and learning.” Hungry Woman by Pauline Cox is published by Ebury Press, priced £27. Photography by Luke Albert. Available Now. 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The Princess of Wales continued the theme of red, white and blue for the coronation weekend with a sky-coloured blouse on bank holiday Monday. Kate looked the epitome of country chic in a loose-fitting, long-sleeved blue top and casual dark khaki skinny jeans during a volunteering day for the Big Help Out. Alongside the Prince of Wales and their three children, the 41-year-old helped to renovate and improve the 3rd Upton Scouts Hut in Slough. The princess made sure she was dressed practically for the occasion with flat Chelsea boots. She wore her long brown hair in a relaxed style and ensured Louis’s outfit co-ordinated perfectly, with the five-year-old in a pale blue polo shirt and shorts. Kate wasn’t afraid to get her hands dirty either and could be seen digging a patch of dirt and picking up a wheelbarrow full of sand before trying her hand at archery. The royals also helped reset a path, revarnished a door, and contributed to a mural on the front of a building. Prince Louis even got to operate a digger with his dad. Kate’s outfit choice ends a spectacular weekend of fashion choices for the royal. She recycled a sleek red suit to Sunday’s Coronation Concert – an Alexander McQueen outfit she previously wore for a Shaping Us event last January. It had an unusual asymmetric, wrap blazer, which she wore with a silver necklace by Van Cleef & Arpels. Earlier on Sunday, Kate had chosen a £298 pale blue linen blazer by Reiss and black trousers to meet royal fans at a Big Lunch gathering in Windsor. For the coronation ceremony itself, Kate wore a deep blue Royal Victorian Order mantle edged in scarlet, over an Alexander McQueen embroidered ivory silk crepe dress. Breaking from tradition, she chose not to wear a tiara, instead topping her outfit with a silver headpiece by Jess Collett x Alexander McQueen. In a touching tribute to William’s late mother, Kate wore pearl and diamond earrings that had belonged to Diana, Princess of Wales. Read More Charity boss speaks out over ‘traumatic’ encounter with royal aide Ukraine war’s heaviest fight rages in east - follow live Read the poem James Nesbitt performed at the coronation concert in full How to grow Chelsea Flower Show’s dazzling irises Joanna Lumley and Suella Braverman among celebs in eye-catching hats at the coronation

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