What the Craze - Seed Cycling?

Yup, you heard that right, seed cycling is the new talk of the town amongst women of 2020. Moreover, seed cycling could be the next big savior for women struggling with fertility!

As most of us already know, hormones are essential to women - practically our best friend, this helps stabilize our mood, emotions, reproduction, sleep, energy, libido, skin, hair and weight, honestly, the list is endless. Thankfully, when things take the wrong turn, we can always return to mother nature to allow our bodies to gear up for what's considered normal.

So first comes first, what all is seed cycling?

Keep in mind that these findings are based on my own experience, research available online & first-hand insights from friends that have tried this out.

So let's jump right in - Seed Cycling is using Nature’s goodness to your advantage, says Katherine Takayasu, MD, MBA from the Center for Integrative Medicine & Wellness. It is also known as seed rotation by many, a natural method for balancing hormones that have its roots in naturopathic philosophy.

*In Chinese medicine, yin or yang qualities are assigned to different seeds to match how they nourish different phases of the hormonal cycle.

By simply consuming a set of four seeds at different stages in your menstrual cycles you can gain an optimal hormonal balance of estrogen and progesterone. There are certain seeds that carry fatty acids, vitamins, and nutrients that support a women's hormonal system, so being mindful of amounts and timing can be quite wonderous to feeling more whole.

Women with regular menstrual cycles can use your menses to guide their ways into consuming these seeds. *If you are peri-menopausal or post-menopausal without a regular cycle, then use the moon cycle to guide you. One of the most beautiful things I heard from a mentor is that as women we never lose the need to feel one with a cycle, so use the moon’s cycle to re-regulate your rhythm.

There's minimal evidence available for men that are actively looking into seed cycling so various purposes including acne - men can simply use the moon cycle to plan their seed rotation as well.

Next step, how do you seed cycle?

*The female cycle is divided into two main phases, the follicular phase, and the luteal phase. Seed cycling can boost estrogen levels during the follicular phase, and progesterone levels during the luteal phase:

• In a typical 28-day cycle, the follicular phase lasts from day 1 to 14 (around the time of ovulation), and this when your body is producing estrogen. During this phase, we recommend eating flaxseed and pumpkin seeds (1 tablespoon daily), which are rich in phytoestrogens, a gentle, naturally-occurring form of estrogen.

• The luteal phase lasts from day 15 to 28, and during this phase, your progesterone levels steadily increase (until your flow starts). It is beneficial to eat sunflower and sesame seeds (1 tablespoon daily) during this time as the high levels of zinc in sesame seeds and vitamin E in sunflower seeds promote progesterone production.

It is simplest to grind the seeds in one go, or perhaps grind the ones that you will be consuming in the upcoming fortnight. You should consume TWO tablespoons of mixture each day ideally - either it will be a combination of (1 tablespoon) flax seeds with (1 tablespoon) pumpkin seeds in the first phase of your menstrual cycle or the combination of (1 tablespoon) sunflower seeds with (1 tablespoon) sesame seeds in the latter phase of your cycle. Once ground, the seeds are sensitive to oxidation and can go rancid, so store in the refrigerator in an air-tight container.

Ways to consume the seeds

Different people prefer different ways to incorporate these seeds in their diets on a daily basis, perhaps for some ground seeds work well on top of oatmeal, in yogurt, on a salad or sautéed vegetables, or even mixed with a little almond milk.

FORMAT

DAY 1 OF PERIOD UNTIL OVULATION (NEW MOON TO FULL MOON)

1 Tbsp ground organic raw pumpkin seeds

1 Tbsp ground organic raw flax seeds

*Helpful addition: 1200mg per day of high quality Omega-3 rich fish oil (I like a blend of DHA and EPA,

consider Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega)

OVULATION UNTIL START OF NEXT PERIOD (FULL MOON TO NEW MOON)

1 Tbsp ground organic raw sunflower seeds

1 Tbsp ground organic raw sesame seeds

Duration

*Give this protocol about 3-4 months to see a change. Be patient. Nature takes time!

Also, be aware of any signs that your body might signal during the process, you should increase your ground seed consumption slowly over a few days. *The body doesn’t like swift changes, so if you’re sensitive and not used to eating this much fiber or fat at one time, it can lead to a little bloating, or fullness, or even temporary alterations in the stool.

This brings us nearer to our end of the discussion, as to WHY should we consider seed cycling?

The modern world is a tough environment to exist in, all the world's stresses, environmental toxins, food additives, digestive issues, food intolerances, and excessive consumption of processed foods and coffee can disrupt this balance - are the reasons as to why we should give seed cycling a try at least before deciding to be on the for or against side. Also, it's extremely cost-effective too when compared to all those artificial hormones inducing medications.

"These hormone imbalances may manifest as pre-menstrual syndrome(bloating, mood swings, headaches, sugar cravings), irregular periods, heavy flow, low libido, insomnia, hair loss, breast or ovarian cysts, endometriosis, fibroids, infertility, and polycystic ovary syndrome". - says Vera Martins, Ph.D.

Your last takeaways from this article should be - As with any diet or health protocol, balance and moderation are key, and seed cycling should not be relied on exclusively for balancing hormones. Seed cycling should be done hand in hand with a proper protocol, alongside a healthier lifestyle to regulate your hormones only. Following a well-balanced diet with a wide variety of foods, looking after your gut health, managing stress and 7-8 hours of minimum sleep should be essential to your regime.

Until next time! #BeingWell

References

o https://www.stamfordhealth.org/healthflash-blog/integrative-medicine/seed-cycling/

o https://www.mariongluckclinic.com/blog/seed-cycling.html

o www.pexels.com - Photo Credits