Seed Cycling: Part 2
Hi friends!
It’s about time we cover the second part of seed cycling. As I mentioned before, seed cycling is a practice that is said to aid in keeping hormones balanced throughout your cycle due to the different nutrients, minerals, and vitamins each seed contains. In my previous post we covered the first two seeds Flax and Pumpkin and dove into their individual benefits. If you haven’t already go check out the first post “here”. In this post we will cover the second set of seeds: sesame and sunflower seeds.
Recommended Daily Intake:
During luteal phase (post ovulation, progesterone dominance)
1 tbsp daily sesame seeds
1 tbsp daily sunflower seeds
First up: Sesame Seeds
I was pleasantly surprised to find more research on sesame seeds and their effects on hormones and other benefits. Sesame seeds have been considered a medicinal food dating all the way back to ancient Egypt and Babylon (1), its an important food in Ayurvedic medicine (5), and is medicinally used in countries like Germany, China, India, Iran, and across Latin America and Africa (2, 3, 6). I am seriously floored by the amount of information I found on the benefits of sesame seeds. At a basic level they are high in protein, fibre, copper, manganese, calcium, and magnesium. Out of all four seeds I would say sesame seeds have the most research linking them to their beneficial effects on our bodies and hormones. One study found that introducing sesame seeds to the diets of a group of women with oligomenorrhea and amenorrhea (infrequent or no periods) helped them re-establish bleeding within 2 weeks on average (3, 7). In terms of the menstrual cycle, here are other things sesame seeds could help with:
PMS symptoms (3)
Irregular or missing periods (3,7)
Excessive or little to no bleeding (3)
PCOS (3)
endocrine and thyroid disorders (3,9)
post-menopausal symptoms (10)
improve milk supply when breastfeeding (9)
Other benefits sesame seeds could have:
treat and prevent breast cancer (4)
reduce risk of other cancers (3)
reduce cholesterol
reduce risk of heart disease (3)
could help help improve quality and quantity in sperm in men (3)
Next: Sunflower Seeds
The most beneficial nutrient in sunflower seeds is its high levels Vitamin E which is an important vitamin for everyones diet but especially for pregnancy, babies, and the elderly (13). Sunflower seeds also contain other important nutrients like Zinc a deficiency of which is linked to PMS and dysmenorrhea (11, 12).
Among some of the other benefits sunflower seeds could have are:
prevent disease (13)
helps heal skin (13)
good for hair, skin, and eyesight (13)
protects against Alzheimers (13)
protects against different cancers (13)
protects against heart disease (14, 15)
If you read the first article I wrote on Seed Cycling you are probably starting to notice that introducing these seeds into your diet not only can potentially positively affect your menstrual cycle but they are all rich in nutrients that are important for all humans. Plus they are so easy to add into basically any recipe! The bottom line is that while I don’t think these seeds need to be taken at specific times and doses, it is clear that their nutritional value is compelling enough to want to add them into my daily diet.
How to add the four Seed Cycling seeds into your meals
Flax Seed
mix a spoonful into a glass of water or orange juice
sprinkle over breakfast oatmeal
add it to yogurt
throw it in your smoothie
Pumpkin Seed
Add it to stir-fry or any cooked meal for texture
sprinkle over avocado toast
add it to salads
use as topper for any creamy soup
mix with other nuts for snacks
Sesame
blend sesame seeds and salt to make Gomashio seasoning
top your stir fry with sesame seeds
sprinkle over avocado toast
add some to yogurt or oatmeal
top any salad or buddha bowl
Sunflower Seeds
Top any salad
season and sauté to top any dinner meal
mix with other nuts for snacks
add it to granola bars or cereal