Seed Cycling for Hormone Balance

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Seed Cycling is an easy and effective way to help reduce PMS symptoms and promote overall hormonal balance. You may have seen it around some and wondered what exactly is it or if its worth it to have to eat seeds everyday?! I’ll cover some of the basics and how you can eat the seeds in a delicious way that helps to make it easy!

What is Seed Cycling?

Seed Cycling is the practice of eating raw, freshly ground seeds every day, switching them up with the different phases of your cycle. In the first half of your cycle you consume flax seeds and pumpkin seeds to support the production and metabolism of estrogen for healthy levels. The second half of your cycle you eat sesame seeds and sunflower seeds to support your body’s production of progesterone.

            Follicular Phase – Ovulation (Days 1-14) 1-2 Tb flax seeds and pumpkin seeds

            Ovulation – Luteal Phase (Days 15-28) 1-2 Tb sunflower seeds and sesame seeds

Day one of your cycle is the first day that bleeding starts, and the other days are determined from there. The example shown is for an average cycle, but if you are cycle tracking with morning body temperatures, you can switch to the second phase of seeds once you have ovulated. If your cycle is longer than 28 days just continue taking the Luteal Phase seeds until menstruation begins.

How Does it Work?

In the first half of your cycle, flax seeds help promote balanced estrogen levels. They do this by both having a light estrogen mimicking effect as they are phytoestrogens, but they also can help rid the body of excess estrogen that can often contribute to symptoms of PMS. Low estrogen levels can cause unwanted symptoms such as hot flashes, dryness, irritability, fatigue, and irregular cycles. You want to have a nice balance of healthy estrogen levels to feel your best. The fiber in these seeds helps with blood sugar stability and a healthy gut microbiome, both essential to healthy hormone production. Fiber also keeps you regular which is an important way to detox excess estrogen.

              Flax Seeds:

• omega-3s
• lignans
• magnesium
• fiber
• phytoestrogens

Pumpkin seeds help in this phase of your cycle by being rich in zinc and promoting progesterone production for the next phase of your cycle. Increasing progesterone production can help ease PMS symptoms which is often caused by estrogen dominance (high estrogen to low progesterone).  These seeds are also full of antioxidants and vitamin E which helps reduce inflammation in the body. They also contain zinc for healthy testosterone levels, and magnesium and tryptophan for restful sleep. As an added bonus, studies show eating these seeds can reduce your risk of breast cancer.

Pumpkin Seeds:

• Antioxidants
• Vitamin E
• Magnesium
• Fiber
• Zinc

In the second half of your cycle, the lignans in sesame seeds keep estrogen levels from being too high. These seeds help regulate blood sugar, reduce inflammation and improve the gut microbiome as well. In this phase of your cycle progesterone becomes the dominant hormone and these seeds contain zinc to boost its production. Sesame seeds also support cholesterol metabolism which is essential as sex hormones are made from cholesterol.

              Sesame Seeds

• Vitamin E
• Iron
• Zinc
• Lignans
• Selenium, calcium and manganese

Sunflower seeds contain vitamin E to boast progesterone to help reduce symptoms of PMS. They contain antioxidants to reduce inflammation and magnesium which supports healthy prostaglandin levels. Both of which can help reduce period pain from cramping. Along with sesame seeds, sunflower seeds contain selenium which is a nutrient that supports thyroid health. This is important as hypothyroidism can contribute to hormonal imbalances.

Sunflower Seeds

• Vitamin E
• Thiamine
• Magnesium
• Selenium
• Lenoleic fatty acids
• Antioxidants (such as phenolic acids and flavonoids)

How to Implement Seed Cycling

 If you are having a period, simply start eating the seeds that correspond to where you are at in your cycle each day. If not, start with one of the phases and continue cycling the seeds in around 28 day cycles.

Make sure your seeds are raw, organic and freshly ground. Keeping the seeds in the fridge is best to keep them fresh and then grinding in a coffee grinder for optimal nutrient levels. I grind my seeds at the beginning of the week to use daily.

Give yourself time and be patient as seed cycling can take one to three months to show results. The more consistent you are the better, but it can be a little difficult to remember until it becomes a habit.

Now seed cycling alone is not going to fix your hormones, if you are not taking care of yourself and making sure you are sleeping well, hydrating, reducing stress, getting movement and sunshine, and fueling with nutrient dense foods. Seed cycling works even better with other hormone supporting practices such as castor oil packs, avoiding toxins, and using hormone balancing herbs such as maca root, red raspberry leaf and vitex (talk to your practitioner). Check out this post for more ways to support hormonal balance!

To save time, I grind my seeds fresh at the beginning of the week. You can sprinkle the seeds on oatmeal, yogurt, or toast, add to smoothies, or make energy bites! I like making seed cycling energy bites as its easy to reach in and grab one or two out of the fridge to eat while I’m getting my toddler his afternoon snack. It helps give me some energy and keep my blood sugar stable during that afternoon slump too!

These bites also include medjool dates which are full of fiber for healthy digestion, potassium, copper, B-vitamins, vitamin A, magnesium and calcium. They also contain manganese which can help support sex hormone production and regulation. They help bind the seeds together for the energy bites and provide natural sweetness.

Another optional superfood to add to your energy bites is maca for additional support for your hormones and energy level. This root contains polysaccharides to draw energy from food and is also an adaptogen that lowers cortisol, a stress hormone that can throw our bodies out of balance when in excess. Maca root can also help balance estrogen as it contains 1-3-C which can metabolize excess estrogen for more balanced hormones.

Feel free to experiment with adding different flavors to these bites! I like mine with cinnamon and vanilla, but I may try doing a pumpkin spice bite for fall or even a gingerbread bite for the holiday time!

This recipe makes about enough for one weeks worth for me!