Seeds and oil cycling is a great gentle way to help balance hormones.
Commonly, women can experience signs of PMS including irritability, bloating, acne, food cravings, sleep changes, low mood and back pain a week before their cycle begins.
When you do experience PMS, this in an indication that your hormones may be unbalanced, your estrogen levels often becoming dominant and progesterone typically being low.
While there are many natural ways to balance your hormones, it’s great to start with the diet. I recommend experimenting with seed cycling: a naturopathic method of rotating different seeds at different times of your menstrual cycle.
There are four seeds that can help balance your hormones and alleviate PMS symptoms: flaxseed, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and sunflower seeds.
Using seeds and oils can actually bring back that balance gently by using foods. It can be a game changer for many women by incorporating this into their diet. The cycling of seeds can promote the right oils and nutrients it needs to produce the appropriate hormones during your cycle.
This is how you do it:
Days 1-14 eat 2 tablespoons of both fresh ground flax seed and pumpkin seeds. Bonus if you eat 2 tbsp of each. Also add in fish oil or flax oil (4g/day).
These seeds contain zinc, fibre, omega 3 fatty acids. These nutrients help detoxify excess estrogen, prime the body for the next phase’s progesterone production, and support ovulation. Tip: grind your flax seeds to aid in absorption.
Days 15-28 eat 2 tablespoons of sesame and sunflower seeds. Add in Evening Primrose oil (4000mg/day in divided doses)
The second rotation combines sesame seeds and sunflower seeds to support your body’s ovulatory and luteal phase. These seeds’ contain magnesium, calcium, omega 6 fatty acids and selenium which work to ease PMS, boost immunity, reduce inflammation, detoxify excess hormones, and support progesterone levels.
Try it out!
