Seed cycling

Seed cycling is a natural 'food as medicine' way to balance out your hormones which is both effective and super practical! Whether you suffer from irregular periods, PMS, acne, post birth-control irregularities or if you're just feeling like you are out of touch with your flow, this is a fabulous way to reclaim your hormone health by rebuilding with the necessary nutrients.

So let's get into the nitty gritty...

What you'll need is whole flaxseeds (pre-ground stuff won't work as well), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.

Seed cycling is broken up into two two distinct phases which mirror the phases of your menstrual cycle.

1) your follicular phase through to your ovulation and

2) your ovulation through to your luteal phase

Therefore you may cycle in 14 day rotations if you are a 28 day cycle lady, or 12 day rotations if you are a 24 day cycle lady.

On the first day of your bleed, your menstrual phase, in seed cycling this will mark the first day of your follicular phase and you start with the flaxseeds and pumpkin seeds. You need to ground the flaxseeds into a powder (any way you can but suggestions are a mortar and pestle or a spice grinder) then eat 1-2 tablespoons along with 1-2 tablespoons of pumpkin seeds. You can add them to your breakfast or a salad at lunch- whatever works for you! Continue this every day for your first phase which will last through your ovulation.

After ovulation you switch, grinding 1-2 tablespoons of sunflower seeds and sesame seeds and adding them to your daily diet regime. You continue this up until you start your bleed when you rotate back to phase 1 again.

So what if you don't know when you ovulate? Firstly, this practice is a fantastic way for any woman who isn't in touch with the intricacies of their cycle to get better at reading their monthly signs and start living in flow with their infradian rhythm. But to get started, if you know you are a 28 days cycle lady but have no idea about your ovulation - just start cycling every 14 days and the process itself will align your cycle and after a few rounds you'll start ovulating when you are meant to - around day 14.

The benefits of seed cycling is totally attributed to the nutrient profiles of the seeds and their effects on your hormones:

Flaxseeds ~ are a great source of phytochemicals called lignans which have positive effects on oestrogen metabolism -the main hormone in the follicular phase- helping eliminate excess (and often harmful) oestrogen thereby maintaining healthy oestrogen levels.

Pumpkin seeds ~ on the other hand, are a rich source of zinc which supports healthy testosterone production - the other hormone to peak in this phase. It also helps with progesterone production, the hormone to peak after ovulation. They are also rich in antioxidants which protect the health of our reproductive organs.

Sunflower seeds ~ are another great source of lignans and along with healthy levels of iron and selenium (great of the liver!), it's nutrient profile further supports healthy oestrogen metabolism. They are also a great source of vitamin E which helps with PMS symptoms, and magnesium, a nutrient which has wide spread deficiency, and which can reduce inflammation and period cramps.

Sesame seeds ~ are mainstay in Chinese medicine, used regularly to treat hormone health in women possibly due to their lignan content but also their ability to reduce inflammation in the body, and reduced inflammation plays a huge role in the health of your adrenal glands and hormone health.

One thing I would suggest is do not rely on this practice alone to maintain a healthy hormonal balance. The outlook on all health practices is that there isn't a simple one step "fix it" process. You need to embrace a holistic outlook including a healthy diet and lifestyle, to allow such treatments to work their magic.

It can take a few months to have effect, realign your cycle and any irregularities you are having - so stick with it because it is well worth empowering yourself with a happy hormonal balance and the follow on effect of being in tune with your female infradian rhythm.