Foods to Raise Progesterone and Secret Hormone-Boosting Hacks Every Woman Should Know
If you've ever dealt with PMS, anxiety, mood swings, or spotting before your period, you might be dealing with low progesterone. But good news—there are some pretty simple things you can start doing today to help support and raise those hormone levels naturally.
Let’s dive into the best foods to raise progesterone and a few lifestyle tweaks that might surprise you.
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What exactly is progesterone, and why you should care.
Everyone throws around the term low progesterone, but what does that actually mean?
I like to call it the "keep calm and carry on” hormone, and for good reason. After you ovulate, your body starts producing progesterone, the dominant hormone, in the second half of your cycle ( luteal phase). Once you ovulate, that follicle that released the egg forms what is called the corpus luteum and produces progesterone!
If you get pregnant it is the corpus luteum that produces your progesterone in that first trimester until it passes that job off to the placenta. This is why progesterone is often only thought of in terms of fertility.
But progesterone’s role goes beyond just making babies. It helps:
Calm the nervous system and reduce anxiety
Improve sleep quality
Stabilize mood
Keep estrogen in check (aka prevent estrogen dominance)
Support thyroid health and metabolism
Regulate your cycle and reduce PMS symptoms
Pretty impressive, right?
So, Why Does Progesterone Get Low?
Progesterone can’t thrive in a stressed-out, depleted body. Our bodies react to stress differently than a man’s to stress. Let’s look at our built in survival system.
You produce both progesterone and cortisol (your main stress hormone) from the same “mother hormone” called pregnenolone. When your body feels stressed, unsafe, or undernourished, it says, “Forget fertility—let’s just keep this woman alive!”
That means our body will ALWAYS prioritize making cortisol over progesterone, leaving progesterone in the dust.
Some major reasons your progesterone might be low:
Chronic stress or fight-or-flight mode
Not ovulating regularly (no ovulation = no progesterone)
Undereating or low-fat diets
High inflammation from food sensitivities or toxins
Poor sleep or light exposure at night
Hormonal imbalances, like high estrogen (estrogen dominance)
Low progesterone isn’t just a "hormone issue"—it can affect every part of how you feel.
If you’ve been dealing with PMS that knocks you flat, mood swings or anxiety before your period, trouble falling asleep, spotting before your period, and infertility you NEED to pay attention to progesterone.
And here’s the thing—while it’s easy to slap on a supplement or cream, if you don’t get to the root of why progesterone is low, the problem sticks around. That’s why I want to dive deep into foods that raise progesterone as well as lifestyle, and those “secret hacks” that create a body where progesterone can actually thrive.
5 Foods that raise Your progesterone
Nutrition is a powerhouse tool when it comes to supporting progesterone. Instead of quick fixes, let’s focus on adding in these powerhouses of food that help your body raise it’s progesterone naturally.
1. Magnesium-Rich Foods
Magnesium is your nervous system’s best friend. It promotes relaxation and helps calm the body—setting the stage for progesterone to flourish.
Foods that contain magnesium
Dark leafy greens (spinach, chard)
Avocados
Almonds
Pumpkin seeds
Black beans
Dark chocolate! Yum
Pro tip: Pair magnesium with potassium-rich foods (like bananas or sweet potatoes) and vitamin B6 for better absorption.
2. Vitamin E-Rich Foods
Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant and supports healthy progesterone production, especially during the luteal phase. To add more Vitamin E, try these foods:
Sunflower seeds
Almonds
Hazelnuts
Avocados
Olive oil
3. Vitamin C-Rich Foods
Vitamin C has been shown to support progesterone levels by nourishing the adrenal glands (your stress managers).
Load up on:
Bell peppers
Strawberries
Oranges
Kiwi
Broccoli
4. Zinc-Rich Foods
Zinc is essential for ovulation, which is when progesterone starts being produced. No ovulation, no progesterone—it’s that simple.
Zinc-rich choices:
Oysters (yes, really!)
Chickpeas
Pumpkin seeds
Cashews
Lentils
If eating all these foods to raise your progesterone seems like a daunting task you can bring in some supplementation. Remember that running tests is always going to be the absolutely best way to determine what YOU are deficient in and need, this is something we do in the Hormone Reset Program for you!
I did put together some of my favorite brands of different supplements that can support progesterone, you can find them here. Just create a free account and you should be able to see them under plans on the left!
5. Soluble Fiber (Seed cycling is a great way to support this)
Soluble fiber helps the body eliminate excess estrogen, which is often the root of the “estrogen-dominance” that leads to relative low progesterone. Less estrogen overload = more hormonal balance.
Enter seed cycling:
Day 1 to Ovulation: 1 Tbsp pumpkin seeds + 1 Tbsp flaxseeds (freshly ground and organic)
Ovulation to Period: 1 Tbsp sesame seeds + 1 Tbsp sunflower seeds
My go-to: Funkit Wellness seed cycling kits – organic, ground fresh, and from B Corp certified farms. Use code LEAH15 for a discount!
If you want to know other ways to raise your progesterone naturally, watch this!
Eat Enough. Seriously.
No, really. Chronic undereating is one of the biggest culprits behind hormone imbalance. Your body needs calories—especially from healthy fats—to make hormones.
Make sure you’re getting:
Enough calories, I promise you if we can balance your hormones the weight will come off.
Healthy fats like avocado, coconut oil, ghee, grass-fed butter, nuts, and seeds
Quality protein with each meal, I recommend aiming for 1 pound of protein per pound of ideal body weight.
Remember, your body doesn't know you're on a diet if you are chronically under eating—it thinks you're in a famine. And in famine, baby-making (and progesterone) gets shut down.
Clients from the Hormone Reset Program® are astounded at how they finally start losing weight as they are eating more! Your body can’t balance out your hormones if it constantly is trying to protect you from a famine. A big part of this is going to be creating safety around food, if you have been a chronic dieter then mentally and emotionally we have to create a different narrative around nutrition.
I take you step by step through that in the Hormone Reset Program.®
The first steps you can take to start raising your progesterone naturally
Let’s recap the simple, actionable things you can do to raise your progesterone naturally, starting today
Add in progesterone-friendly foods. Think magnesium, zinc, vitamin E and C, and lots of fiber.
Eat enough. Especially healthy fats.
Remove inflammation and toxins. Dig into gut health, food triggers, and hidden stressors.
Low progesterone doesn’t have to be the norm. Start with just ONE thing today and you will start to notice a difference!!