Nutritionist-approved recipe: chicken, black rice and blackberry summer salad

Serves: 2

Prep time: 20 mins

INGREDIENTS

2 chicken breasts

100g black rice, cooked

100g mixed salad leaves

1 red pepper, finely sliced

100g shelled edamame beans

75g blackberries

30g Parmesan, shaved

¼ red onion, finely sliced

1 tbsp pumpkin seeds

METHOD

Rich in Antioxidants to Reduce Hormonal Inflammation

The vibrant blackberries and black rice are packed with anthocyanins, powerful antioxidants that give them their deep purple colour. These compounds help protect cells from oxidative stress and inflammation, both of which can negatively impact hormone production and accelerate ageing.

For women navigating PMS, perimenopause or fertility concerns, reducing inflammation is often a key piece of the puzzle.

Provides Essential Building Blocks for Hormone Production

Hormones are made from nutrients, so ensuring adequate protein intake is essential.

The chicken, Parmesan and edamame beans provide high-quality protein containing amino acids needed for hormone signalling, neurotransmitter production and tissue repair. Protein also supports satiety, helping to reduce the cravings and blood sugar swings that many women experience throughout their cycle.

Supports Healthy Oestrogen Metabolism

One of the body’s primary pathways for processing and eliminating excess oestrogen involves both the liver and the gut.

The mixed salad leaves, red pepper, red onion and lemon provide fibre and phytonutrients that support these natural detoxification pathways. Fibre is particularly important because it helps bind and eliminate metabolised hormones through the digestive tract, reducing the likelihood of reabsorption.

When women experience symptoms such as heavy periods, breast tenderness, mood swings or worsening PMS, supporting healthy oestrogen clearance is often an important consideration.

Nourishes the Gut Microbiome

The gut plays a surprisingly significant role in hormone balance. Research shows that certain gut bacteria help regulate circulating oestrogen levels through what is known as the estrobolome.

This salad contains a variety of gut-supportive ingredients, including:

• Fibre from black rice, vegetables and berries
• Polyphenols from blackberries and extra virgin olive oil
• Fermented dairy from Greek yoghurt
• Prebiotic compounds from red onion

Together, these ingredients help nourish beneficial bacteria and support a more diverse and resilient microbiome.

Provides Key Minerals for Women’s Health

Pumpkin seeds are one of my favourite additions to salads because they provide zinc and magnesium—two minerals commonly depleted in women experiencing stress, PMS, irregular cycles or poor sleep.

Magnesium supports nervous system regulation, blood sugar control and healthy progesterone function, while zinc plays an important role in ovulation, fertility and skin health.

A Freya Clinic Approach to Food as Medicine

At Freya Clinic, we focus on identifying the root causes of hormonal imbalances and using nutrition strategically to support the body’s natural processes.

Meals like this demonstrate how food can become a powerful therapeutic tool. By combining quality protein, fibre, healthy fats, antioxidants and key micronutrients, we create meals that not only taste delicious but actively support hormone balance, gut health and sustainable energy.

Small choices, repeated consistently, often create the biggest changes in how you feel. This is exactly the approach we take with the women we support every day at Freya Clinic.

Want More Hormone-Balancing Summer Salads?

If you loved this recipe, you’ll be pleased to know that salads don’t have to be boring.

That’s why we’ve created a Hormone-Balancing Summer Salads eBook, packed with 10 of our favourite nutrient-dense salad recipes designed to nourish your body while still being delicious, satisfying and easy to prepare.

Each recipe combines the key foundations of hormone health, including quality protein, fibre, healthy fats and colourful plant foods to support blood sugar balance, gut health and optimal hormone function.

The Hormone-Balancing Summer Salads eBook is currently included free of charge with our Metabolic Reset Bikini Shred Programme this summer.

Whether your goal is to improve energy, reduce bloating, support fat loss or simply feel more confident in your body, these recipes are designed to help you fuel your hormones and feel your best.

Because healthy eating should never feel restrictive.

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