Seed Cycling 101: Hormone Benefits & How To Do It

If you’ve been looking for ways to help balance your hormones or regulate your menstrual cycle, you might have come across the term ‘seed cycling’. But what is it, what does it involve and does it really work?

What is seed cycling?

Seed cycling has become a bit of a growing trend lately, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a fad. Used properly, seed cycling can be a great way to not only get in some vital nutrients, but to help support a healthy hormone balance naturally through diet alone. It’s a beautiful way to truly use food as medicine, and from making such a simple change to the diet, it’s incredible to have seen some amazing results with clients.

So what does it involve? Seed cycling basically means that you rotate eating flaxseeds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds at different times of the month to help with the natural balance of hormones involved with your menstrual cycle. Seed cycling has also been said to help support skin health, PCOS, and even help ease menopausal symptoms like hot flushes and mood swings. While it can help women at age stage of their life, seed cycling can be a particularly useful and natural way to help rebalance hormones while coming off the oral contraceptive pill or other hormonal birth control methods.

How does seed cycling work?

To understand how seed cycling works, it’s important to know how a woman’s hormones fluctuate with the menstrual cycle each month first. Hormones estrogen and progesterone are two of the key players that help regulate the menstrual cycle. During the first half of the cycle, the follicular phase, estrogen levels rise. Estrogen’s role is basically to help grow, thicken and mature the uterine lining (which is then shed during menstruation), as well as to help mature the egg prior to ovulation. In the second half of the cycle, the luteal phase, progesterone levels start to rise. Progesterone is known as our natural ‘relaxing hormone’, and works in the second half of the menstrual cycle to thicken and maintain the endometrial lining, to help a fertilised egg implant in the wall of the uterus. If pregnancy doesn’t take place, progesterone levels begin to fall, and it is this which causes the lining of the uterus to shed, and voilá! Your period begins.

Hormones are delicate little things, and if there is an imbalance between estrogen and progesterone throughout your cycle, well you’re likely going to encounter some #periodproblems. This can lead to both emotional and physical PMS symptoms including bloating, sore breasts, acne, headaches, diarrhoea, anxiety and irritability as well as issues such short luteal phases, irregular cycles, heavy clotted periods and menstrual cramps. Sounds bloody awful if you ask me! Enter, seed cycling…

Using different seeds at specific times throughout your cycle provides certain nutrients such as phytoestrogens, ligans, zinc and vitamin E, that can help naturally balance hormones and promote a healthy cycle. Seed cycling typically involves eating flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds in the first half (the follicular phase) of your cycle, and a combination of sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds in the second half (the luteal phase) of your cycle. For those women who may be postpartum, postmenopausal or those who are not getting a period at all (amenorrhoea), then seed cycling is best timed with - and as kooky as this sounds - the moon cycle. For example, you would start phase one of your seed cycling protocol on the first day of the new moon (eating flax seeds and pumpkin seeds), and begin your second phase of the protocol approximately 14 days following this when the full moon arrives (eating sunflower and sesame seeds). Weird and wonderful, I know, but don’t knock it ‘til you try it.

The seed cycling protocol

1) Day 1-14: The Follicular Phase:
Day 1 of your follicular phase is the first day of your period, and the estrogen-dominant phase of your menstrual cycle. When your period arrives, eat:

• 1 tablespoon of raw, ground flaxseeds, and

• 1 tablespoon of raw, ground pumpkin seeds

Incorporate these into your diet each day, for 14 days. These seeds are rich in omega 3 essential fatty acids and nutrients, including zinc and selenium which are vital to help produce healthy hormones. The are also a great source of fibre and lignans which is important in healthy estrogen metabolism, and work to support healthy levels of estrogens in the body while preventing estrogen dominance. Previous studies have shown that including flaxseeds in the diet can decrease androgen levels in women with PCOS, which can cause excess hair growth and acne, plus improve the cyclical breast tenderness that affects many women before their period.

2) Day 15-28: The Luteal Phase:
The second half of your cycle is where progesterone levels start to rise and peak. After ovulation, or on day 15 of your cycle, eat:

• 1 tablespoon of raw, ground sunflower seeds, and

• 1 tablespoon of raw, ground sesame seeds

Like flaxseeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds also contain lignans and essential fatty acids like omega 6 that help to block excess estrogen and support a healthy hormone balance. Sunflower seeds also provide a great source of selenium which helps to support the liver with detoxification, therefore helping with better hormonal balance.

The best way to eat your seeds

You can add your seeds to smoothies, yoghurt, your morning porridge, or you can sprinkle them over salads or make them into bliss balls, homemade muesli bars or muffins. Make sure you purchase fresh, whole seeds and grind them yourself before consuming. It’s advised not to use pre-ground seeds as they are susceptible to oxidation, can go rancid and therefore don’t have the same therapeutic benefits. Prepare a 2-3 day batch in advance and store them in an airtight container in the fridge.

When will you see results?

Some women may notice changes in their cycle within the first month, although be prepared that it may take 3 months to truly notice a significant change. If you are experiencing irregular cycles, heavy or painful periods, have PCOS or other concerns, you may also benefit from a personalised nutrition plan and herbal medicine formula.

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