Getting Chills in July? (Part 1: What French Women Know That We Don’t)

Recipe: Three Favorite Warming, Hormone-Health Drinks

*This newsletter is not intended to be medical advice. Supported by Mandy Murphy Carroll, RD MPH, Dr. Rosa Keller, PHD RD, Dr. Ricki Pollycove OBGYN, & Dr. Claire Packer OBGYN

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Welcome to Modern Women’s Nutrition!

Empowering the busy modern woman to understand her hormone & metabolic health, and how to eat to thrive at every step of her journey—from fertility to menopause and beyond.

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3 warming drinks

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Hi friends,

It was 72 degrees on the sunny beaches of Basque Country.
The sun was gold. The sky was silk. The water glistening turquoise. The women at the café wore loose linen dresses and sandals.

And I? I was in a cardigan, curled around a mug of tea, wondering (again) why my hands felt like ice.

This isn’t new. I have Raynaud’s, my circulation gets cranky, no matter what the temperature outside. But it’s more than that. I know the signs now: Low warmth. Feet feel like I’m walking on ice. Teeth chattering. Fingers drained of blood. Low mood. Low resilience.

I opened my Oura app and there it was: my body temp had dropped just after my period, right on schedule. But instead of brushing it off, I made lunch. A warm one. Lentils, olive oil, a runny egg, something green. I took a walk instead of pushing through a workout.

Because living here, watching how French women feed themselves, move through the seasons, and never shame the need for softness, I’m learning that cold isn’t just weather. It’s a whisper.

I’m not saying that they don’t have their own hots and colds with moods and circulation. But they tend to listen.

Cold in the Body = Slowed Fire Inside

If you constantly feel cold or low-energy (and this might not be you—even better), especially when others seem fine, it may not be your imagination. It may be your metabolism, your thyroid, or even your nervous system asking for help.

For paid readers: Here is where we dig deep into how your hormones, thyroid, fatigue, and metabolism play a role in feeling low energy, and sometimes cold with poor blood circulation. Plus, plenty of kitchen and eating tips, as well as everyday hacks, to improve this for your own body.

When you’re under stress, under-eating, or in a hormone dip, your body conserves energy by slowing down metabolism, and that means less internal heat (source).