Giulietta Durante - Fight the Patriarchy by Nourishing the Cyclical Needs of Our Hormones

Written By Anne Remy

“I'm a big believer that PMS holds a lot of wisdom, a lot of truth.” - Giulietta Durante

Hormone health is something I’ve struggled with my whole life. Fortunately I’m surrounding myself with some truly badass experts in the field who have learned to approach horomone support with kindness, personality and personalization. Note, this episode discusses periods, menopause and perimenopause, but we’re tackling it in a way that is inclusive of all gender expressions. And to all my cis, straight dudes out there, this is for you too! There’s a lot to learn from each other’s biology.

Having a uterus and ovaries isn’t for the faint of heart. Just when we’ve figured out how to deal with periods and (for some) pregnancy, the body takes us back to school for a whole new round of learning. Welcome “the change.” Hormone fluctuations aren’t the problem. In fact they’re normal, healthy and helpful. The problem is that many who wish to align with the ebb and flow of our natural cycles of menses, perimenopause, and menopause are met with disdain. Why? Because the patriarchy does not like “deviation” and most of the people who have made the rules don’t have these powerful cycles. Never mind that roughly half the world will experience an entire spectrum of estrogen-based biological processes.

Giulietta Durante, the nutritionist and women’s health expert behind Hormones In Harmony and one-half of the Femme Powered Podcast team, wants folks to get curious about how their menstrual cycle can help them access the most complete version of themself via hormone-healing nutrition. Bonus, she does it in a way that is truly open and supportive to all gender expressions. Listening to our bodies, whether we menstruate or not, is an act of resistance. Likewise, tuning into how others operate (or are forced to operate) under oppressive systems is vital to our joint liberation.

“When I did my degree, no one mentioned the importance of the menstrual cycle on nutrition!” Giulietta says. “I'm untangling the patriarchy that underlies my training, my thoughts, and the way I approach my client work. Nutrition has a lot of that going on in it.” Of course, it does! Despite what we’ve been taught, our hormones (especially estrogen) aren’t agents of chaos. They’re merely informing us of when and where we need to take care and become aware. That messaging interferes with the patriarchy’s love of the status quo, and with the way society is set up.

Cutting through patriarchal static doesn’t get any easier as we age. Perimenopause and menopause are spoken about so rarely that we don’t know what to expect. “We have to carry on talking about these transitions,” Giulietta insists. “We have to redefine what this life stage means.” She’s keeping her nutritional support simple and accessible. “There's this belief that eating [to] support your hormones and health is expensive…That's another classic patriarchal message, right? It's not actually complicated, and it doesn't cost that much money.”

Leaning into your own cycles is a badass act of rebellion and I’m so glad we’ve got people like Giulietta out there to support us!

Let’s be friends! You can find me in the following places…

Anne Remy
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