Can these $15 brownies REALLY ease period pains?

Periods cause cramps, exhaustion and often ravenous cravings for sugar and carbs. 

It’s a catch-22 situation: loading up on refined sugar and gluten can exacerbate the pain and pimple outbreaks.

But this new West Coast-based bakery claims their sweet treats can both feed a woman’s cravings and alleviate the onerous symptoms of PMS.

Moon Cycle Bakery is a month-to-month delivery service, which costs $15 for one treat, $20 for two, and $30 for three, with free shipping. 

While that may deal a blow to your bank balance, founder Devon Loft, an avid baker and wellness fan, insists it is a worthwhile investment since all of the recipes are void of refined sugar, and contain nutrients which studies have shown to be beneficial for combating hormonal fluctuations.

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Founder Devon Loft, an avid baker and wellness fan, pictured with the cake mix for her hazelnut brownies. She insists Moon Cycle Bakery is a worthwhile investment for women who crave sweet treats during their period but do not want to exacerbate their symptoms

These include anti-inflammatory boron as well as magnesium, which plummets during the menstrual phase of the cycle thereby causing constipation and headaches. 

‘When you’re on your period, something that is delicious and sweet can be so comforting,’ Loft remarked to Daily Mail Online.

‘But we thought, wouldn’t it be great if you could feed those cravings with something that is good for your body.’

Loft, who has been baking since she was a child with her Italian and Canadian grandmothers, came up with the idea last summer when she was having a pre-wedding party with her then-fiancee in California’s Bay Area.

Her husband, a trained chef, had made a chocolate cake with cookie dough icing and chocolate ganache. 

A friend came up to him at the end of the party and said ‘I don’t know whether it’s because I’m on my period, but that cake was so delicious it made me emotional’. 

‘We told her, don’t worry about it, we’ll bring you a piece a month,’ Loft recalled.  

According to Loft, that jokey conversation triggered her to investigate the relationship between food and the menstrual cycle. 

She got in touch with various dietitians, acupuncturists and physicians assistants to discuss the research on this topic, and hear about what drives certain cravings, and what minerals and vitamins we lack during that cycle.

The raspberry brownie is made with black beans instead of flour to make it gluten-free

The chocolate cups (left) are sweetened with ginger and honey, while the matcha bites (right) are filled with chia seeds, flax seeds, coconut, cinnamon, almonds and nutmeg

‘Speaking to the industry, and to women in general, it became very clear that women want and need to be gifted during that period; to turn something that doesn’t feel great into something that is enjoyable, that you look forward to, that makes you feel good, nourishing your body and soul.’

After months of research, Loft came up with three recipes with the help of her husband’s expertise in flavor combinations and the medical know-how from registered dietitian and trainee physicians assistant Katie Lemon. 

The first is a Matcha coconut ‘bite’. It contains Matcha green tea which is full of antioxidants, as well as flax seeds and chia seeds which are full of fiber to beat indigestion, coconut, nutmeg, cinnamon, almonds, ginger, and vanilla extract. As with all the others, it is sweetened with honey. 

The second is a raspberry brownie made with black beans instead of flour to make it gluten-free. The other ingredients – which are ‘top secret’ to protect the recipe – are said to be full of vitamin C, iron, calcium, magnesium and omega 6’s.

The third is a chocolate cup sweetened with ginger and honey. 

As Loft admits, the recipes are not based on a wealth of peer-reviewed science. 

Sweet treats are a tricky business during the menstrual cycle, as many health professionals are well aware. 

Abbey Sharp, a registered dietitian who regularly advises patients about what to eat during their cycle, warns that sometimes it can do more harm than good.

While our fluctuating hormones drive cravings for sugar and carbs, that doesn’t necessarily mean sugar and carbs are useful for treating all the other symptoms we’re dealing with.  

‘It’s a very common idea that women need to eat sweets during their cycle to prevent or reduce PMS,’ she explains. 

‘The reality is, the research in this area is really lacking but what we do know is that when the hormones estrogen and leptin are high in the luteal phase (aka PMS time), women tend to experience cravings for sweet and carb-rich food. 

‘This spike in hormones doesn’t seem to be the case for all women, so it’s likely that reaching for carbs is a learned behavior since we tend to feel crumby at this time of our cycle and carbs give us a boost in our feel good hormones.’

It’s a point Devon and her collaborators who helped create Moon Cycle Bakery have considered. 

‘The science is fresh, we’re just beginning to understand how this all works,’ she concedes. 

‘But there is more to it than just cravings during your period. It’s about gifting yourself a moment, and not denying yourself anything. All of us need a moment when we just allow ourselves to sit, have some time, and enjoy something delicious. 

‘Even if you’re not on your period, we all have times when we need a treat.’ 

ANOTHER RECIPE FOR THAT TIME OF THE MONTH: GLUTEN-FREE HAZELNUT BROWNIES 

These are the hazelnut brownies Loft has designed as a period-friendly treat

Ingredients:

• ⅔ cup 70% cacao dark chocolate
• 5 Tbsp avocado oil or coconut oil
• ⅓ cup coconut sugar (you can swap out for ⅔ cup of maple syrup)
• ⅓ cup maple syrup
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp of hazelnut extract
• ¾ cup chopped almonds
• ⅔ cup blanched almond flour
• 2 Tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
• ½ tsp baking soda
• ¼ tsp pink Himalayan sea salt
• optional add-ins: chia seeds, hazelnuts

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line an 8×8 baking pan with parchment paper or spray with nonstick spray.
2. In a small saucepan, melt chocolate and oil over low heat until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs and maple syrup until mixed well. Set aside.
4. In another bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients–almond flour, cacao, baking soda, and salt.
5. Whisk the egg/sugar/maple syrup mixture into the saucepan of the melted chocolate. Whisk until smooth. Stir in the hazelnut extract and mix in.
6. Stir in the dry ingredients and mix until fully combined.
7. Fold in the additional chocolate chunks.
8. Pour the batter into your brownie pan and smooth the surface.
9. Bake at 350 degrees 25 minutes, or until edges are set and the center is still ever so slightly underdone. (The center will set as it cools)
10. If you’d like, let cool and add coconut oil ganache on top for an extra treat!