Hormone-Balancing Overnight Oats

Have you ever eaten a big bowl of oats only to find you’re starving an hour later? This is because oats can spike your blood sugar, resulting in a crash shortly afterwards because your body has quickly transferred all that glucose from your blood to your cells for energy or storage. Oats that have been more processed, like rolled oats, are generally easier for the body to breakdown and to convert into our primary source of fuel, glucose, whereas less processed oats, like pinhead oats, are tougher and more fibrous, so they deliver energy over a longer period of time.

These blood sugar spikes and dips can actually have a pretty big effect on our hormones, causing issues like estrogen dominance, which can further worsen the symptoms of endometriosis.

That’s why I like to use pinhead oats in this recipe and why I combine my oats with fat, extra fiber and protein, because all three help to slow down the release of glucose and keep our blood sugar levels steady. And steady blood sugar levels equals happy hormones!

Prep time: 5-10 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients for hormone-balancing overnight oats

• 160g/5¾ oz gluten-free pinhead oats (I like Bob’s Red Mill)
• 440ml/1¾ cups nut milk
• 30g/1 oz hemp seeds
• 30g/1 oz pecans (or any nuts you’d like)
• 30g/1 oz desiccated coconut
• A few dollops of unsweetened coconut yogurt
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• Optional: 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder, 2 teaspoons of a sugar-free maple syrup alternative like this or this
• Toppings: Raspberries, blueberries and coconut flakes

Directions for hormone-balancing overnight oats

1. Combine all the ingredients into a large bowl and stir well, to ensure the protein powder is well incorporated and not lumpy.*
2. Spoon into glass jars or toxin-free Tupperware and place in the fridge overnight to allow the pinhead oats to soften. On the first day, they’ll be chewing, but with each day that passes, they’ll soften up!
3. Top with berries and coconut flakes to serve.

*If your yoghurt has a short shelf-life, don’t add at this stage and just stir in before serving, to prevent the overnight oats from spoiling.