Why fasting is different for women compared to men

Women play crucial roles in everyone's life, from the person who brought you to this world to your beautiful spouse whom you love and to the pretty special daughter you have at home!.

Women have been brilliantly designed different from men such that they are supposed to fast differently from men. Let me point this out, women are not fragile!, rather their unique hormonal responses require thoughtful fasting practices different from men.

Now, I'm not talking about the holy months where each religions fast at least 1 month in a year, women can fast during the holy months considering the timing for their menstrual cycles and 

So, why women should fast differently from men?

Women have mainly two sexual hormones which are; Estrogen and Progesterone and these two hormones require different approaches, where;

• Estrogen does amazing with fasting, although they are highly individual!
• Progesterone does bad with fasting

If a woman is doing one meal a day, over and over again during the year, she is going to lose her progesterone, and that is why most of the religious months for fasting are at least a month throughout the year.

What happens if women lose progesterone?

• Anxiety
• Trouble sleeping
• Hair falling
• Mood changes
• Irregular menstrual cycles, and so on..

Now, you might ask yourself what are the advantages of these hormones to a woman's body?

Advantages of Estrogen & Progesterone

1. Estrogen:

   • Bone Health
   • Cardiovascular Health
   • Brain Function
   • Skin Health
   • Reproductive System

2. Progesterone:

• Pregnancy Support
• Mood Stabilization
• Breast Health
• Bone Health
• Menstrual Cycle Regulation

Women are supposed to know what each hormone needs and at what time, this is very important to them!

On the other hand, men have only one primary sexual hormone that controls them which is testosterone, and is produced every time in their bodies.

For women, they have 3 primary sexual hormones, estrogen, progesterone and testosterone.

When men fast for 24 hours, they do so well by boosting their testosterone (which is amazing for fasting), women only get testosterone during ovulation and get estrogen during the front half and progesterone in the back half.

Did you know?

Women are insulin resistant the week before their monthly flow, which is an advantage for the progesterone since progesterone needs glucose to be higher.

WHY WOMEN CRAVE CHOCOLATES A WEEK BEFORE THEIR CYCLES

Ask any woman a week before her monthly flow, and all she wants to do is to sit in a couch with a box of pizza and chocolates (definitely with some ice-cream), and absolutely do nothing (maybe watching a Korean series, crying!), craving more chocolates, isn't that interesting?.

The progesterone (unlike your moody wife, no offense), demands the woman to raise glucose since it needs it, hence they crave carbs and magnesium which is used to make progesterone, and end up craving chocolates and sweets.

Yet, many women villainize that week before the monthly flow, and push through the last week since some of them haven't been taught the importance of the last week of their cycle, thus why some women suffer from hormonal mess!

Also, the carbs and magnesium that most of the women take aren't healthy at all, I mean chocolate is nice, tasty, tempting, I'll have to admit that, yet moderation is key, too much intake can cause other dangerous diseases, so I'll list some alternatives for you to choose instead of taking lots of chocolate;

1. Magnesium-Rich Alternatives:

• Almonds: These crunchy nuts are not only delicious but also packed with magnesium.
• Pumpkin Seeds: Sprinkle them on salads or enjoy them as a snack.
• Leafy Greens: Spinach is an excellent choice, some will say yuck!
• Avocados: Creamy avocados contain magnesium and healthy fats. Add slices to your salads.

2. Carbohydrate Alternatives

• Sweet Potatoes: These orange gems are rich in complex carbs, vitamins, and fiber. .
• Steel-Cut Oats: Opt for steel-cut oats over instant oats. They provide sustained energy and are perfect for breakfast.
• Brown Rice: Swap white rice for brown rice. It’s higher in fiber and nutrients.
• Whole-Grain Bread: Choose whole-grain bread over refined white bread. Top it with avocado, sounds healthy to me!

That's all for today, thank you for staying with me, and please do take care of your health's!💟