What is Seed Cycling and Does it ACTUALLY Help Hormones?
Seed Cycling: what IS it and Does it ACTUALLY Help Balance Hormones?
What is Seed Cycling?
This holistic health practice rotated seeds, like flax, or sesame, with the intent to balance hormones through your monthly cycle. Seed cycling is said to help with period cramps, PMS, mood and energy.
All this in a little seed?
Maybe. Maybe not.
While there is conflicting evidence that seed cycling works, some women report positive results by incorporating seeds, which includes essential fatty acids, into their regular diet.
Seeds carry much needed fat for nervous system support, and hormonal support. The beauty of seeds are the Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) and lignans in them. These components are said to modulate hormones and block excess estrogen. EFA’s are found in seeds like flax*, sunflower* and pumpkin.
You do need good digestion for the absorption of the nutrients, in seed cycling, and in anything.
There may be an imbalance of Omega-3 to Omega-6 fatty acids in our modern diets. Some say this comes from cooking oils that contain Omega-6 fats, as well as factory farmed beef. Factory farming practices have animals eating grains, not grazing on wild grass, which some claim increases Omega-3 composition.
If you are on a budget, moving to grass fed beef may not be doable for you. I get it. As a single mom, I tried to keep up with organic products for my daughter, and my budget didn’t always allow for all the things I thought I was supposed to be eating to be “healthy”. We do what works, what makes sense and what is accessible to us.
Life is not perfect, why do we think we have to be?
We can incorporate what is do-able for us.
The balance of Omega-3 to Omega-6 is crucial to proper prostaglandin metabolism. The term prostaglandin refers to a compound with hormone like effects and these compounds are important for pain regulation and inflammation as well as hormone synthesis.
I think we can all recall a painful period more than once, no?
There is no scientific evidence FOR or AGAINST seed cycling in the peer reviewed research, from my studies. Consider this: in many instances, we need more essential fatty acids, especially Omega 3’s.
How to start seed cycling?
Start your seeds on day 1 of your cycle. This is the first day you start your period and it is called the Follicular Phase. (You count until the next day you start bleeding and that is your cycle.)
Phase 1: Day 1-14
This phase is the first half of your cycle, where estrogen spikes.
Estrogen is high in the first half of our cycles, and in the second half, it dips and progesterone starts to climb up. The imbalance of the two is one of the reasons linked to causing those pesky symptoms of PMS.
In this phase, you would eat 1 tbsp of ground flax* and 1 tbsp of ground pumpkin. You can also take an oil supplement that has Omega-3’s like a well sourced fish oil. Fish oil is something I make sure I take on the regular, ladies. If you don’t like or can’t tolerate the fish oil, you can omit, keep the flax, and even look at spirulina, a microalgae.
Phase 2: Days 14-28
Ovulation and luteal phase.
In this phase, day 14 - 28 roughly, you will eat 1 tbsp of ground sesame seeds and 1 tbsp of ground sunflower seeds. The sunflower seeds are a source of selenium and have been used in quit smoking strategies, to replace that hand to mouth behaviour!
In fact the sunflower seed has a history of being used to ENHANCE energy. This is why I have picked the sunflower for The Fullness Podcast!
SO big, yellow and beautiful.
These little seeds, raw, not roasted, have beed used as a diuretic, and for constipation. We need to POOP properly to rid our bodies of toxins we ingest, breathe, and even our own waste the body makes, including excess estrogen.
Here you can add in an evening primrose oil supplement. This oil has gamma-linoleic acid (Omega-6) and evening primrose is a building block of prostaglandins.
Why flax seed?
The lignans in the flax are said to process estrogen.
This is because of the fibre in flax.
Flax is also good for dry skin, and the fatty acids act as raw material for building hormones.
Flax is also good for constipation. That digestive system is a natural detoxification pathway, and keeping it moving supports your gut health, and hormones.
Why pumpkin seed?
Pumpkin seeds contain Zinc. This zinc in pumpkin seeds supports progesterone for the next phase of the cycle.
Zinc is also important for digestion.
They also contain Magnesium. Magnesium is important for more than 300 enzyme processes in the body, many of which involve your endocrine system. Many claim that pumpkin seeds have anti-parasitic action
Pumpkin seeds also have a good amino acid profile, besides magnesium. They are a great source of unsaturated fat. Cell membranes need fatty acids to be vital.There you have it.
That’s a simple version of seed cycling, even though we have FOUR phases in our menstrual cycle.
Can a menopausal woman seed cycle?
You can do this without a cycle, all in tune with the moon! We are already co-ordinated with the waxing and waning of the moon.
Our bodies run in tune with the moon, copying the waxing and waning.
Waxing of the moon is new to full moon. This is Phase 1.
Waning of the moon is full to new moon. This is Phase 2.
Just apply the seed principles in sync with the moon. It may take 3-4 months to feel any possible effects of the seed cycling process.
How to eat those seeds?
Sprinkle on salads, soups or cereals! Throw them in the blender with your smoothies! Make sure they are freshly ground every week, to maintain the properties of the seeds.
If you’re not grinding your flax seed, which you should, chew them well!
Part of Mindful Eating is to spend time chewing! This activates your salivary enzymes for better digestion. The flax seeds are really better ground.
Mindful Eating helps women feel satisfied with food, and their bodies, without shame guilt or TRADE-OFFS.
If you’d like to lean into cravings, and look at how you eat - fast, stressed, emotionally, my Cravings, Interrupted Class will help you!
*CAUTIONS:
*Some people may need to seek professional advice if they are on any blood thinners and taking excessive flax as well. There is some anecdotal caution that if you suspect that you have a problem with estrogen sensitivity, seek professional advice. This article is for information purposes only. You know to ask questions from the right professional.
There is some scientific suspicion that estrogen sensitivity is a gut issue. The microbiota in the gut affects how someone responds to the phytoestrogens in flax. Someone sensitive to phyto-estrogens or phyto-progesterones may notice an increase in breast tenderness, period cramps and symptoms, and can just cut back on the flax seeds.