All About Seed Cycling!
Hope you’ve all had a great Labor Day Weekend! If you’ve never heard of seed cycling, here’s some information to help you out!
Seed Cycling is essentially a naturopathic method of rotating through certain types of seeds throughout the month in order to help regulate your hormones. There are four types of seeds that are typically used to help with hormone balancing: pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds.
This method can use the power of food to help many people deal with symptoms related to PMS, endometriosis, amenorrhea, anxiety/depression, cramps, menopause, etc.
The concept is simple, these four seeds contain chemical compounds/nutrients such as “phytoestrogens” and “lignans” that can help balance your estrogen and progesterone levels. Managing your estrogen and progesterone levels can thereby help with managing the levels of other hormones like LH, FSH, Testosterone, etc
During this phase, we want our estrogen levels to be on the rise. Increased intake of pumpkin seeds and flax seeds, can help with both promoting estrogen production (through natural phytoestrogens) as well as the detoxification of excess estrogens (using lignans) in order to balance estrogen levels in the body.
Consume a minimum of 1 tbsp of pumpkin seeds and 1 tbsp of flax seeds PER DAY.
2.) Phase 2 (day 14 - 28): Ovulatory and luteal phase
During this phase, we want our progesterone levels to rise. Sesame seeds and sunflower seeds, both high in zinc and vitamin E, can help regulated estrogen levels and support increasing levels of progesterone in the body.Â
Consume a minimum of of 1 tbsp of sunflower seeds and 1 tbsp of sesame seeds PER DAY. Â
Ways to incorporate seeds into your diet:
1.) In a smoothie (blend it up!)
2.) Add it as a topping for your yogurt or oatmeal.
3.) Top your salad with it!
4.) In the form of nut butter (Nuttzo and Sunflower Seed butter)!
5.) Seed Cycling Balls
Seed cycling balls recipe
Add 1 cup of oats, 1/2 cup peanut butter, 1/4 cup of seeds (based on phase), 1/4 cup maple syrup/honey!! Mix well and roll into ball shapes. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes before enjoying. Eat 2 of these per day. You can make the seed cycling balls twice a month (to include both phases)!
Managing your hormones can often be a very delicate balance of a variety of factors. Many different kinds of factors like diet, exercise, environmental toxins, and sleep can play a role in where our hormone numbers are at, and how to improve them, so we can look and feel our best! Seed cycling is just one naturopathic method to help regulate the endocrine signals in our body. While research supporting the direct correlation of hormone levels and the intake of seeds is not strong, there is strong evidence that the incorporation of these seeds can benefit the body in many other ways beyond hormone health!
It’s definitely worth a try and has helped me during my journey! If you have tried it or are planning to try it, let me know! Send me a picture or message on Instagram and Twitter @mypathtofresh