When I first heard about seed cycling it sounded a little hippie-dippy and intimidating. However, once I actually sat down and researched it- it made complete sense. I was surprised by how simple and straight forward seed cycling is. The practice of seed cycling is to help women naturally balance my hormones and having a healthy menstrual cycles. I haven’t been doing seed cycling long, but I was getting a lot of questions from you guys and figured it would be nice to have it all written out in a blog post to reference.
Follicular Phase is the first half of your cycle before you ovulate. During this phase you consume one tablespoon each daily of ground flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds.
Flaxseeds are high in lignans which can help bind to excess estrogen and help eliminate it; therefore, flaxseeds help reduce excess estrogen. Pumpkin seeds are high in zinc, which supports progesterone production in the upcoming luteal phase. Both seeds are good sources of omega 3s which help to reduce inflammation.
Luteal Phase is the second half of your cycle after ovulation until your period comes you menstruate. Switch to one tablespoon each per day of sesame and sunflower seeds. Sesame seeds are also high (but not as high as flaxseeds) in lignans to help keep estrogen in check (prevent buildup). They are also have zinc which helps progesterone production. Sunflower seeds are high in vitamin E which will help boost progesterone and also support liver detoxification due to their high concentration of selenium.
Benefits of Seed Cycling
While there are no clinical studies to support these claims, so many women have had significant positive health outcomes from seed cycling consistently. It’s cheap and can’t hurt you, so why not give it a try if you’re suffering from one of the following hormonal issues:
- hormone imbalance
- irregular menstrual cycle
- PMS symptoms – cramping, breast tenderness, acne, painful periods…
- amenorrhea (lack of period)
- infertility
- conditions like PCOS, endometriosis, and ovarian cysts
How to Seed Cycle
Day 1-14 of your cycle: one tablespoon ground flax + 1 tablespoon ground pumpkin seeds for a total of 2 tablespoons daily.
Day 15-28 (or until you start your period): one tablespoon ground sesame seeds + one tablespoon ground sunflower seeds for a total of two tablespoons daily.
Ideally the seeds you’re consuming are raw, organic, and ground up daily to increase bioavailability. I like to add the ground up seeds into smoothies, oatmeal, or yogurt. I also made this seed cycling granola recipe that’s pretty good if you like chocolate! Somedays I honestly just eat them as is.
While, I have not been seed cycling long enough to notice any changes yet I think it’s a promising practice to implement into my routine to help with balancing my hormones throughout my cycle.
xx, A
