When it comes to my health, one of the questions that often I get is about seed cycling, so today I’m sharing my experience with you!
As with everything, I’m only sharing my own experience here and am in no way saying that this is what will work for you as well. Be sure to do your own research and talk to your doctor or practitioner to decide what’s best for you.
First up, what is seed cycling?
Glad you asked! It’s easy to overcomplicate it, but it really is so simple. Seed cycling is all about eating specific seeds during the two phases of your menstrual cycle, which can help to promote the healthy balance of estrogen and progesterone levels.
I first gave seed cycling a go last summer, when my functional practitioner recommended that I try it, and the results were AMAZING. While I’ve read that it can take many women 3-4 cycles of seed cycling to notice a difference, I personally experienced drastic changes in just 2 cycles.
Not only did my cycle sync up with the cycle of the moon (which is pretty rad), but my PMS symptoms became so much easier to manage. It has made my cycles so much easier overall, which is why I swear by this.
What are the symptoms of hormonal imbalance?:
For me, hormonal imbalance looked like irregular cycles and PMS that always seemed to last for about a week. This is what seed cycling resolved for me!
For you, this could also look like fatigue, infertility, acne, PCOS, hot flashes, and more.
Why I decided to do seed cycling again:
About a year after my first round of seed cycling, I started to notice PMS creeping back in. Knowing that hormones are greatly influenced by diet, sleep, stress levels, exercise and toxins (both what we put on our skin and what is in our environment), I decided to take control of what I could, and give seed cycling another go.
One of the many reasons that I’m so passionate about Beautycounter products is because the majority of other brands contain ingredients that can disrupt hormones. Back when I had my hormone levels tested through my functional practitioner, she had mentioned that swapping out our skin care and beauty products can make a huge difference in the health of our hormones. It’s definitely something that’s worth looking into!
From what I’ve read, seed cycling can be used during any stage of a woman’s life, although it is especially beneficial when coming off of hormonal birth control, which can cause acne, irregular periods, and/or PMS…all of which I experienced.
Speaking of skin issues, if you’re dealing with acne/breakouts, like I once did, when I came off hormonal birth control, then I highly recommend checking out my post all about how I healed my acne for good.
I finished my second round of seed cycling in early August (2020), and I noticed a SUCH a difference. Now, my PMS and cramps are both very mild, my cycle is predictable, and my hormones have really leveled out. This time, I completed three cycles, which is what felt right for my body.
How to seed cycle:
You’ll want raw and organic seeds for this (I found them all on Amazon), and they’ll need to be ground, especially the flax seeds, as our body isn’t able to break them down when left whole.
Day 1-14 of your cycle:
- 1 tablespoon flax seeds
- 1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
- Bonus: take fish oil (I use Designs for Health, which I get through my practitioner)
Day 15-28 of your cycle:
- 1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- Bonus: take Evening Primrose oil (I use Standard Process, which I get through my practitioner)
Here is how I seed cycle:
I ground my seeds fresh every morning using a coffee grinder, and mix them with either yogurt and some fresh berries (or jam), or my new favorite dairy-free cashew milk drinkable yogurt, so that I can easily drink it. Stonyfield 100% grass-fed Greek yogurt is my fave and for the drinkable yogurt, I love Forager Project (I used blueberry in the image).
You can mix the seeds into whatever you’d like – again, no need to overthink it! You can also try adding them to smoothies, oatmeal, chia seed pudding, put them on avocado toast, adding them to granola and milk…really, whatever you’d like.
EASY routines are what make things like this sustainable for me, which is why I just stick with yogurt or something that I can drink quickly. This turns it into something that I don’t even have to think about. For some, this might get super boring, which is why you can totally switch it up – this is just what works best for me.
I’ve also read that you can grind up a bunch of seeds and store them individually in glass jars in the fridge/freezer so that you’ll have them on hand. I personally don’t mind grinding mine up fresh, but wanted you to know that this could be an option.
Knowing that this practice worked wonders for me twice now, I’ll continue to lean back into seed cycling, if my body ever needs it again.
If your hormones are feeling out of balance, then I hope that this gives you a great place to start! If you’d like to learn more about seed cycling and how it could work for you, you can check out another great article that I found HERE.
