Hormones, a Balancing Act
Many women are battling with an imbalance in hormones. Some may not realize that their frustrating symptoms could be caused by an imbalance of estrogen and progesterone. When these hormones are imbalanced, it can lead to menstrual irregularities, PCOS, perimenopause, acne, severe PMS symptoms, irritability or anxiety, low mood or depression, unexplained changes in weight, prolonged fatigue, difficulty sleeping, infertility, or low libido (1).
Hormone imbalances occur when there is too little or too much of a certain hormone circulating through the blood stream. Now I only know so much about how and why hormones become imbalanced, I’ll leave it to the pros Dr. Reid and Dr. Scott to explain it in great detail! Visit these additional blog posts…
The Role of Sleep in Stress Management, Dr. Jenna Scott
The Menstrual Cycle explained
Many women are never taught (in great detail) how their menstrual cycle works or what is happening in the body throughout the cycle.
- Day 1 of a women’s cycle is the first day of her period
- Day 1-14 is the follicular phase where estrogen is dominant
- Day 15 is typically (but not alwasy) when ovulation occurs. Day 15-28 is known as the luteal phase (2)
Seed cycling, how can it help?
Seed cycling is an ancient practice that involves eating certain estrogen and progesterone boosting seeds daily throughout a women’s menstrual cycle to help harmonize reproductive hormones.
It involves rotating the estrogen promoting seeds through the follicular phase and the progesterone promoting seeds through the luteal phase. This helps ensure optimal levels of these hormones when they are present during the cycle.
Day 1-14 (Follicular Phase), Flax and Pumpkin Seeds
Eating seeds that contain phytoestrogens can naturally support estrogen production.
To keep estrogen levels in balance, we cycle with flax seeds that contain phytoestrogens that adapt to the body’s estrogen needs during this phase. If estrogen levels get too high, the lignans in the flaxseeds can bind to the excess so it can be eliminated from the body (3). Contrarily, if estrogen is low, the phytoestrogens can mimic the hormone enough to support a balance in the body (4). Pumpkin seeds are added because they are high in zinc to support progesterone production in the next phase.
Day 15-28 (Luteal Phase), Sesame and Sunflower seeds
The luteal phase where progesterone takes the center stage. This phase is brought on by a sudden drop in estrogen right after ovulation. Progesterone levels begin to steadily rise to build up the uterine lining to prepare for implantation. Estrogen can also rise here to prepare for menstruation however if this too much is created, severe PMS symptoms and painful periods can occur. Progesterone is a hormone that keeps estrogen in check so our focus is to support the body’s production of progesterone during this phase.
During this cycle, we replace flax seeds with sesame seeds. They are high in zinc and selenium which help block excess estrogen which in turn, helps progesterone levels. We also replace the pumpkin seeds with sunflower seeds which are high in vitamin E.
Does it work?
There are a few studies that have shown women who incorporated these seeds into their cycle reported improved cycle regularity, hormone levels and reduced cyclical breast pain or tenderness (5)(6).
More studies need to be conducted to truly show the benefits of these seeds in relation to the menstrual cycle. What we do know is that they contain healthy fats and nutrients that hold many health benefits and incorporating them into your diet is a great way to promote good health.
All four seeds are rich in fiber, manganese, magnesium, copper, thiamine, vitamin E, and healthy fats. These nutrients are vital to optimal health, including reproductive health (7)(8)(9).
References:
- https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321486#natural-remedies
- https://www.yourperiod.ca/normal-periods/menstrual-cycle-basics/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6429205/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5429336/
- https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/8077314/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5651668/
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/169414/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170556/nutrients
- https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/170562/nutrients
