This month I visited my friend Dolores in Lisbon, Portugal! It was my first time ever visiting Lisbon and I *loved* it so much. I’ve been documenting what I eat each month as part of a series to showcase how to eat to support your menstrual cycle. When you’re on vacation it’s important to support your body but it’s also important to enjoy yourself. That being said, I really enjoyed myself in Portugal. Here’s everything I ate in Lisbon!
As a reminder: I am not a doctor, nor do I claim to be! Any claims in this article about everything I ate in Lisbon are based on personal experience and research. Please read my full medical disclaimer before engaging with my content or anecdotes. This post may contain affiliate links to certain products. I may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you!) if you make a purchase based off of my suggestions.
Pastel de Nata
Pastel de nata (pastéis de nata or pastel de Belém) is a Portuguese egg custard pastry and a visit to Lisbon would not be complete without them. Traditionally they’re sprinkled with cinnamon and other times with powdered sugar. I preferred them sprinkled with both.😛 I had my fair share of pastel de nata’s and my only regret is not having more.
Oysters, Oysters, Oysters 🦪
I love oysters and so does Dolores! We had Portuguese oysters almost everyday.
Lots of Affogatos, Cappuccinos + Espresso
An affogato is espresso served over gelato and it’s one of my favorite things about Europe. I stopped drinking coffee regularly about two years ago to support my nervous system health but I still love coffee. So I happily indulged (multiple times a day) while in Lisbon.
Dinner at Bichomau
My favorite meal in Lisbon was dinner at Bichomau. Bichomau embodies everything I adore in a restaurant. The chic decor (with a relaxed atmosphere), a menu that is ever-changing based on local ingredient availability, paired with flavorful, creative, and visually stunning cuisine.. were legit perfect. Dolores and I opted for the tasting menu because who wants to make decisions? Each plate was prettier and more delicious than the last!
Ginger Tea, Ginger Water, Ginger Juice… Ginger
I drink a lot of ginger tea, as is, but I like to double (or triple) up my intake when I’m traveling. I know it likely doesn’t work this way but I considered all the ginger I was consuming as an offset all the gluten, processed sugar, caffeine and wine I was drinking. Subsequently, I drank a lot of ginger in Lisbon. I like to steep ginger in water overnight to make it really potent (below left). I also like to juice other fruits like pomegranate and orange and add it to the ginger tea (below right).
Tacos
Dolores is from California originally so it felt right that our first meal in Lisbon was at Coyo Taco. We tried a shrimp taco (top left) a mushroom taco (top right) an octopus taco (bottom right) and a pork taco (bottom left). I NEVER would have paired beets with octopus but it just worked.
Wine & Champagne
Prior to my time in Lisbon I could count on one hand how many times I had any form of alcohol in 2023. I very rarely drink. However, much of the wine in Portugal is natural wine that doesn’t have a ton of additives that typically give you a headache. So, naturally, I indulged. Besides, what are oysters without a side of rose or champagne?
Breakfast
I eat breakfast everyday at home, however, it’s typically pretty basic. One of my favorite things about being in Lisbon was going out for breakfast and switching up my normal breakfast routine. Another one of my favorite things was the matcha pancakes with lemon curd (🤤🤤🤤🤤) I had one morning at Fauna and Flora.
Lots of Fruit
I love, love, love fruit. I love it especially when traveling because it can help to keep things ~regulated~ in the bathroom. I ate (and drank) lots of (local!!) fruit in Lisbon, including the cutest, tiniest applies and pears I’ve ever seen.
McDonald’s
Yes, yes, you read that right.. I ate McDonalds in Lisbon. I, unfortunately, got my period while I was in Lisbon. Pairing the first day of my period with rainy weather led to a nice little ~netflix & chill~ afternoon. We decided to order food and when I opened up Uber Eats and saw, “McDonald’s”… a Big Mac was all I could think of.
When I was living in Italy I would go to McDonald’s when I really missed home. Now it’s ironic because I eat McDonalds to remind me of being home in the States.. but I also don’t eat McDonalds in the States.
Pizza, Pizza
Staying on the theme of “I had my period”.. we also ate a lot of pizza.
Dessert + Gelato EV-ER-Y-DAY
I love dessert and I almost never skip dessert at home. However, at home I typically make healthy spins on dessert that have no added sugar – like these almond joy bites. When I was in Lisbon – I ate all of the dessert, all of the gelato, and all of the sugar.
Brazilian Steak
If you’ve never had Brazilian steak please do yourself a favor and go find a Brazilian steakhouse (preferably not a chain one) and then thank me later. Steak and potatoes are two things that are really great to eat in the luteal phase (you can read more about which foods to eat in which phase in this article). This steak was so good that I even had it twice.🤤
Supplements
I really try not to take supplements – instead opting to get my nutrients, minerals, vitamins and enzymes from whole, organic foods. There is, however, a time and a place for everything. While I’m traveling and unable to acquire certain foods like raw dairy or organic produce, I like to support my digestive health with supplements. I take grassfed colostrum and organic cranberry when traveling which both can support digestive health and have anti-inflammatory properties. The cranberry is also high in antioxidants and the colostrum has antiviral and antibacterial properties and they both also support the immune system which is an added bonus when traveling!
I honestly ate my little heart out in Lisbon and I would do it again! I also brought some sardines, pates, teas and honey to prepare some different eats and treats with Portuguese products here at home. Have you ever been to Portugal and/or Lisbon? What were your favorite eats there?
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