Valérie Létourneau

Studying naturopathy + obsessed with metabolism.
Sharing a pro-metabolic approach to hormonal health, energy & skin. ☀️

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

Scarcity is out
Abundance is in

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

Because even if you never want children, fertility still matters.

The same things that support a healthy cycle also support:

metabolism
thyroid function
energy
mood
bone health
skin health

Your period isn't just about reproduction.
It's one of the body's clearest ways of telling you whether it has enough resources to thrive instead of just survive.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

Have you ever been told that your menstrual cycle is your 5th vital sign?

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

Symptoms like these:

painful, irregular or missing periods, spotting between cycles, unusually heavy bleeding, very short or very long cycles…

None of these should be dismissed as "just part of being a woman."

They can be valuable signals that something deeper may need attention.
Your cycle is feedback.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

How I drink my coffee ☕

Not black.

I usually have it after eating, with:
-milk or cream
-a touch of honey, maple syrup or unrefined cane sugar
-a pinch of salt
-sometimes an egg yolk

Why? Because coffee is naturally pretty stimulating. Pairing it with carbs, minerals, protein, and fat helps it feel much smoother and gives more stable energy.

Quick disclaimer: I’m not saying to drink tons of coffee on an empty stomach or use it instead of food.

The wellness world gave us bulletproof coffee. I’ll raise you this one instead.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

It’s lowkey doing wonders for your gut too.
Coffee is transforming your gut microbiome.
Regular drinkers have more beneficial bacteria, higher butyrate production, a stronger gut barrier, less inflammation, and better metabolic health.

Even better: it works with both regular and decaf. Polyphenols (not just caffeine) are doing the heavy lifting.
Coffee might be one of the most gut-friendly things in the modern diet.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

So many people I talk to feel bad about drinking coffee and are constantly trying to cut back.

A lot of people see it as a “drug” or guilty pleasure. I see it as a functional food. Here’s why 👀

Study after study shows that regular coffee drinkers have a significantly lower risk of fatty liver, cirrhosis, and liver cancer.

One major analysis found that coffee drinkers had a 38% lower risk of chronic liver disease and a 34% lower risk of liver cancer.
Do we really need another reason to drink coffee? Yet somehow, not drinking coffee is still treated like a health flex. The research doesn’t back it up.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

A metabolism-supportive breakfast isn’t about trying to survive on iced coffee and vibes until 1pm.

Current hyperfixation breakfast:

- eggs (runny yolks >>>)
- fruit and/or fruit juice (my favorite is orange or pomegranate)
- Greek yogurt or cottage cheese (to up the protein)
- yolky coffee + flaky salt AFTER food

Simple things genuinely move the needle.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

The “big breakfast” group lost significantly more body fat than the “big dinner” group.

Again: same calories.

Your body handles food differently at 8am vs 10pm.

Humans are naturally more insulin sensitive earlier in the day.

Your metabolism has a circadian rhythm too.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

A study published in the journal Obesity put women on the exact same diet but changed WHEN they ate most of their calories.

One group ate most of their calories at breakfast and the other at dinner.

Same calories.
Same macros.

The women front-loading calories earlier in the day had:

- better insulin sensitivity
- more fat loss
- improved satiety (via measured ghrelin levels)

Meanwhile diet culture still acts like:
“just eat less lol”

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

honeymaxxing ftw

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

Elite combo:

Cooked apples + cinnamon + pinch of salt + butter.

Basically the wellness-girl version of comfort food.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

After a few months of consistently supporting digestion, blood sugar, and estrogen clearance, a lot of women notice their hormones feel noticeably more balanced.

Think:
Less bloating around your cycle
Clearer, calmer skin
Less breast tenderness
More manageable, less painful periods
More stable energy and fewer intense cravings
Feeling less “puffy” or inflamed overall

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

🍎 Rich in pectin → a soluble fiber that can bind compounds in the gut and support healthier elimination
🍎 Can help support estrogen clearance by reducing estrogen reabsorption in the intestine
🍎 Cooking breaks down some fibrous structures → making cooked apples easier to digest than raw
🍎 Gentle soluble fiber fermentation may support beneficial bacteria + short-chain fatty acid production
🍎Softer cooked fruit is often better tolerated in people with bloating/SIBO tendencies (hi🙋🏻‍♀️)
🍎Warm foods may support parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) nervous system activity

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

When estrogen isn’t being properly eliminated, that can contribute to hormonal imbalances and symptoms like PMS, breast tenderness, heavy periods, bloating, and hormonal acne.

A surprisingly simple way to support this process? Cooked apples.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

Criminally underrated wellness food for hormone health: cooked apples. 🍎

I personally eat them daily for staying regular.

One thing people don’t talk about enough: hormonal health and digestion are deeply connected.

For example: your body is supposed to process estrogen through the liver, send it into the gut through bile, and eliminate it. But when digestion is sluggish, bowel movements are infrequent (less than 2x/day), or the gut environment is off, some of that estrogen gets reabsorbed and re-circulates instead of being properly eliminated.

[Carnivore Aurelius ©🥩 ☀️🦙 @AlpacaAurelius]

ladies, your placenta is built from HIS genes.

meaning, how healthy the guy is that gets you pregnant, will completely change how your pregnancy goes AND the health of your child.

guys, you have a duty to get healthy before having a baby.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

Maybe the real metabolic superfood was milk all along.

[Valérie Létourneau @glowwithval]

If milk bothers you, it may be worth experimenting instead of assuming all dairy is “bad.” Some people do better with:

A2 dairy
goat or sheep milk products
Greek yogurt or aged cheeses
lactose-free milk
smaller amounts introduced gradually
having dairy WITH meals instead of on an empty stomach
raw dairy (where available)

Tolerance is often highly individual, and sometimes improving overall gut health/metabolic health changes dairy tolerance over time too.