Seed Cycling- Worth the hype?

YES. This literally helped me regulate my menstrual cycle and I can't recommend it enough.

Okay so what’s seed cycling?! Basically, certain seeds go hand in hand with estrogen and progesterone, where when pairing them during the certain phases in your cycle, you can help alleviate PMS symptoms and even regulate your period.

It’s spilt into two phases: During Phase One you eat 1-2 tablespoons of flax seed and 1- 2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds. During Phase Two you eat 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds and 1-2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.

Phase One is day one of your period and lasts 14/15 days right to your day of ovulation.

Phase Two is day 15 of your cycle until you get your period again.

It's that simple! Set yourself up for success and prep ahead. I like to get them in bulk online or at Whole Foods, grind them all up and put them into glass containers, pull them out when I need them.

Here are my favorite brands:

Glass jars

Flax seeds

Pumpkin seeds

Sesame seeds

Sunflower Seeds

*Things to note- always use raw (not cooked) and unsalted seeds. If possible, organic. Store them in the fridge to optimize their function and prevent oxidation.

Okay so you are probably wondering how to eat them? Literally put them in anything! Smoothies, pasta sauce, salads, rice, veggies, the choice is yours! During Phase One, I put the flax seed and pumpkin seed into my overnight oats and then during Phase Two, I put the sunflower seeds and sesame seeds into my salads every day.

Tracking your cycle:

If you don’t track your cycle, I definitely recommend doing so! If you have an Apple phone, you can use the Health app already built in to your device. If not, there are a ton of cycling apps out there. Not only does it help you plan your life BUT it helps you understand why you are feeling some type of way. Your cycle is split into 4 phases (the amount of times I've used phases in this blog is wild but stay with me here). Menstrual, follicular, ovulation and luteal. Lasting about a week each. Ever wonder why you have super low energy during your period, want to see all your friends and accomplish all the things right afterwards, curl up with a cozy book and stay in during the last week or so leading up to menstruation? That's due to your hormones.

Science time:

If you are like me I need to know the logical reasoning behind trying something new so basically what it breaks down to is that these certain seeds support the phases that you consume them in. During your menstrual phase your hormones are super low. During the follicular phase estrogen is being produced and then during ovulation it is at it's highest. Eating flax seeds and pumpkin seeds during your menstrual/follicular phases support the production of estrogen then helps the estrogen after production leave your system after ovulation. It's important for estrogen to be produced in the body

but just as important for it to leave the body. When estrogen is stored in your body after ovulation it can lead to PMS such as acne, mood swings, breast pain, all the things we hate. Essentially, both of these seeds contain phytoestrogens (an estrogen occurring naturally in legumes) that can help balance estrogen levels! Also, they have a good amount of zinc, protein and fiber. Now let's talk about sesame and sunflower seeds. During the luteal phase, when progesterone is at its peak, we can eat these seeds to help support progesterone. Sesame seeds and sunflower seeds are both anti-inflammatory seeds and are a great dietary source of vitamin E, great for reproduction, and support the health of your brain, skin and blood! All things that we need to prepare for the menstrual cycle.

Even if you are trying to get pregnant or in menopause incorporating these seeds in your diet is just as important as they are enriched in key vitamins we need! As always, consult your doctor if you have any questions or if you are experiencing delayed/irregular periods. This was recommended to me by my naturopath to help balance my hormone levels but everyone is different!

I've been seed cycling for about a year or more now and it has really helped me regulate my period (I would have my periods every 35-38 days and now I am around 29-30), decrease heightened emotions I would have leading up to my period (PMS was on 10/10), decrease my hormonal acne and lessen my cramps/headaches during the first few days of my period.

Let me know if you have tried this, have any tips or what your favorite dish you put your seeds in.

Enjoy! Until next time,

Bee