I’m Katie, a women’s functional health coach sharing what I've learned about gut health, hormones, nutrition and the nervous system - without making wellness more complicated than it needs to be.

For more, come say hi at @harayahealth on Instagram & TikTok.

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My period is coming...and apparently my gut got the memo first

It’s the week before my period, and as reliably as ever, my digestive system has decided to become a little more dramatic.

I'm bloated, a bit more gassy, and my cravings are going a bit wild (and usually around 9:03pm).

Before becoming a nutrition and health coach, I treated digestive symptoms as completely random. I’d blame the last thing I ate, eliminate another food and wonder why my stomach was suddenly betraying me. But now, I pay much more attention to when symptoms happen.

And when bloating, constipation or a more reactive gut consistently appears before your period, it may not be that your digestion has suddenly “broken.”

Hormonal changes throughout our menstrual cycle can influence how quickly food moves through our gut, how sensitive our digestive system feels and how much fluid the body retains.

Basically: sometimes your gut knows your period is coming before you do.

Let’s make that make sense

During the luteal phase (the time between ovulation and our period) progesterone rises and then falls again before we menstruate.

For some women, higher progesterone can slow movement through the digestive tract (me). This can mean food and gas hang around for longer, leaving us feeling constipated, bloated or uncomfortably full.

Then, as our period approaches, prostaglandins become prevalent. These compounds help our uterus contract and shed its lining, but they can also stimulate the bowel. That’s one reason our digestion might go from nothing is moving to why have I visited the toilet three times today?

Hormones aren’t the only possible cause of digestive symptoms, but noticing a monthly pattern can help us respond with a little more compassion and a lot less panic.

This week, I focused on supporting my gut and hormones by:

• Eating regular, balanced meals instead of relying on random food in the kitchen (or the bodega on my road).
• Including protein, fibre and healthy fats to support steadier energy and fewer chaotic cravings
• Choosing more cooked vegetables and warm meals when my digestion felt sensitive
• Adding magnesium-rich foods such as dark chocolate, pumpkin seeds, leafy greens and avocado
• Drinking plenty of water and including electrolytes when needed
• Keeping fermented foods gentle rather than assuming more is always better
• Letting myself have something sweet without turning it into a moral crisis (see my magnum bar recipe below)

None of this guarantees a perfectly flat stomach and that isn’t the goal. I’m simply giving my body the nourishment and consistency it needs during a phase when it (and me) may feel a little more sensitive.

Try this: take a ten-minute digestion walk

After one meal today, go for a gentle ten-minute walk. Light movement can support digestive motility and help trapped gas move through the gastrointestinal tract. It may also help with that heavy, overly full feeling after eating.

This is not a power walk, workout or punishment for your lunch. Think: headphones on, shoulders relaxed, leisurely little stroll around the block.

And if you can’t get outside, gently walking around your home absolutely counts.

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FOR REGULAR GIRLS 💩

Because good digestion deserves good food.

Healthy-ish peanut butter Magnum bars

Makes: 6 small bars
​Prep: 15 minutes, plus freezing

You'll need:

• For the coating:
  • 150g dark or milk chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 30g roasted almonds, finely chopped

• For the filling:
  • 250g thick Greek yoghurt
  • 2 tablespoons smooth peanut butter
  • 1–2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • Small pinch of salt

To make it:

• Mix the yoghurt, peanut butter, maple syrup, vanilla and salt until smooth
• Spoon the mixture into six small ice-lolly moulds and insert the sticks.If you don’t have moulds, create small bar shapes on a lined tray and add the sticks once they’ve firmed up slightly
• Freeze for at least four hours, or until completely solid
• Melt the chocolate with the coconut oil, then stir through the chopped almonds
• Remove the frozen bars from their moulds and dip each one into the melted chocolate. The coating should set almost immediately
• Place them back in the freezer for ten minutes, then enjoy or store in an airtight container for your next luteal-phase emergency

Until next time,

Katie x

Big thank you from me for joining my little corner of the internet for women who want to understand their bodies better - from gut health and hormones to nutrition, stress and everything in between.