What Are Happy Hormones? with Aline Davies and Beth Wright

Welcome to our blog featuring Aline Davies and Beth Wright, authors of the beloved cookbook "Happy Hormones." We're excited to share their insights into the inspiration behind their work.

Also, don't miss their event on 18 November 2025 at Bookazine Tai Kwun from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM, where you can learn more in-depth about the power of nourishing food for hormonal health! You can register here: https://bookazine.com.hk/products/nourish-and-flourish-unlocking-the-secrets-to-happy-hormones

Now, let's jump into the interview with Aline and Beth to explore their passion for empowering women through nutritious recipes and valuable insights.

Aline and Beth, thank you for taking the time out of your busy schedule to speak with us here at Bookazine. We love your cookbook "Happy Hormones", and so do our readers!

What inspired you to write "Happy Hormones"?

Aline: We met on Instagram during the pandemic when Beth was looking for someone to create healthy, nutrient-rich recipes for the women she was working with. As we began collaborating on recipes for her programmes, we quickly discovered a shared passion for food, well-being, and a fundamental belief that food, with its healing qualities, truly is medicine.

This shared belief was the primary inspiration for our cookbook. We wanted to create a resource that provides inspiration and ideas on how to incorporate more whole foods, variety, and colour into one's meals through adaptable and approachable recipes. Ultimately, we believe that eating to support a woman's health and hormones should never be done at the expense of flavour!

Beth: I wanted to create a book that fed women’s souls as much as their bodies. Too often, the conversation around nutrition is about removing foods. I wanted to change that and show women what happens when we actively add nutrients - when we nourish ourselves from the inside out. For me, it was also essential that the book didn’t stop at recipes. I felt strongly about including an educational section on hormones - what they do, why they matter, and how food connects to them. That’s something unique about Happy Hormones: it’s not just a cookbook, it’s also a guide to understanding your body better.

Can you explain what "happy hormones" are and their importance in women's health?

When we talk about “Happy Hormones,” we are really talking about balance. Hormones like oestrogen, progesterone, cortisol, insulin, and serotonin don’t work in isolation - they are part of a network that affects everything from mood and sleep to metabolism and energy. When they are in balance, women feel more stable, resilient, and vibrant. When they’re not, we often see the opposite - fatigue, cravings, mood swings, poor recovery, or disrupted sleep.

What we want women to understand is that hormones aren’t something to fear or fight against. They are signals.  One of the most powerful ways we can support them is through what we eat and how we live - consistent meals with enough protein, fibre, and micronutrients; good sleep; stress management; and movement. “Happy Hormones” is about creating the internal environment where your body feels supported, not depleted.

Living in Hong Kong, did you find that Happy Hormones fills a particular void in the current cookbook market?

Aline: We wanted to create a resource that is both holistically focused on women’s health, combined with foundational educational information and approachable, hormone-balancing recipes to inspire women to add more whole foods and variety into their meals. This cookbook is about empowering women to optimise their health and well-being through food they can truly enjoy at any stage in life. With each recipe created and tested in Hong Kong, the book embodies the diverse fusion of food cultures this city has to offer, and we wanted to make sure to include a mixture of Asian and Western ingredients across the recipes. 

Beth: In Hong Kong, I noticed a real gap. Most cookbooks focus purely on flavour or convenience or a super star chef (!), but very few combine evidence-based education about women’s hormones with recipes that are actually practical for everyday life. That’s why I wanted Happy Hormones to be more than just a collection of dishes. It’s a resource for women at every stage of life - whether you are navigating perimenopause, menopause, or just trying to feel more energised.
Because it was created here, and due in large part to Aline’s cultural roots it truly reflects the diversity of the city - Asian and Western influences side by side, making it feel both global and local at the same time.

How do you hope this cookbook will change women's relationship with food and their bodies?

We want this book to help women reshape the way they see food and their bodies. For too long, the focus has been on restriction, guilt, and cutting things out. That leaves women feeling stuck in cycles of frustration and disconnection. For us, food is the opposite. It’s self-care. It’s information for your body. Every recipe in Happy Hormones was created to add something back - steady blood sugar, more energy, better gut health, a brighter mood. When you eat this way, you notice the difference right away - and you are also laying down the foundation for long-term health. Food can and should be joyful, nourishing, and powerful all at once. That’s the relationship we want women to rediscover.

What is the best piece of advice you have ever received when it comes to cooking, and how has it influenced your culinary journey?

Aline: Always taste the food as you cook! This fundamentally shifted my approach from following a recipe to cooking with intuition and trusting my senses. The other piece of advice I received is that cooking is about being present, being in the moment, and creating something nourishing.

Beth: The best advice I ever received was: Don’t overcomplicate it. You don’t need elaborate meals to eat well. Most of the time, it’s about a few good ingredients, balanced properly, and enjoyed. That's exactly how we approached Happy Hormones. The recipes are approachable, adaptable, and realistic for daily life. Food doesn’t have to be fancy to be nourishing and delicious.

What projects are you currently working on, and what can readers expect from you in the future?

We have a number of upcoming plans. The book's reception has been incredible since our quiet launch at the end of last year, and we're so thrilled that it has reached readers in many corners of the world - many of which we delivered ourselves in person or via post! Based on this demand, our next major focus is to make the book more globally accessible, including a new e-book version and an easier ordering process. We are also planning to host more cooking workshops and educational talks, both in Hong Kong and, hopefully, internationally!

If you want to learn more, you can get a copy of the cookbook here:
Book available here: https://bookazine.com.hk/products/happy-hormones-recipes-to-balance-and-thrive?_pos=2&_sid=ff61775cd&_ss=r

And don't forget to join Aline and Beth on November 18th  in Bookazine Tai Kwun to unlock the Secrets To Happy Hormones.
Register here: https://bookazine.com.hk/products/nourish-and-flourish-unlocking-the-secrets-to-happy-hormones?_pos=1&_sid=ff61775cd&_ss=r

About the Authors

• Website: www.sincerelyaline.com
• Instagram: @sincerelyaline

• Website: www.bfit-thewrightway.com
• Instagram: @bfit_thewrightway