Seed cycling can be a quick win for hormone balance in women generally and therefore, it could be supportive if you have CFS / ME and your cycles are giving you a tricky time.
What is seed cycling?
The concept is based on eating certain seeds at certain times of the month. The beneficial fatty acids in each specific seed works with the female body to promote a healthy cycle.
Although there is not much research behind it, anecdotally many clients have found it invaluable. I often recommend it to instigate a quick win, however, it may not work for everyone and it may not clear up all of your problems.
That being said, it is easy enough to do and always worth a try.
How to seed cycle
Consume 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed and 1 Tablespoon ground pumpkin seeds from day 1 to day 14 of your cycle or until you know you have ovulated. Ovulation may be confirmed by a change in body temperature (my oura ring tells me when I ovulate as my body temperature increases above baseline), using an ovulation predictor kit, a Mira Fertility Device or changes in your cervical mucus (not always guaranteed).
For additional benefits, supplement with a good quality fish oil during this time. I usually recommend the Bare Biology Fish Oil which contains 3g of EPA and DHA per teaspoon. You may not need as much as 3g per day but anywhere between 750mg to 3000mg could be beneficial depending on the person – I normally prefer to test using an omega 3 fatty acid profile.
After ovulation, consume 1 tablespoon ground sunflower seeds and 1 tablespoon tahini/sesame seeds from day 15 to day 28 of the cycle, or until you menstruate. For additional benefits supplement with Evening Primrose Oil or GLA in this time.
Top Tip: Make sure you grind your seeds or if consuming pumpkin and sunflower seeds that you chew them very well. If you have any reactions to the seeds themselves for GI reasons you can alternatively use 1 teaspoon of the cold pressed oil (flax, sunflower, pumpkin or sesame) instead. Make sure you buy oils in dark bottles and store them out of sunlight.
If you don’t have a cycle or your cycle is irregular, you might make sense to align your seed cycling with the moon; full moon represents ovulation and new moon, menstruation.
Seed Cycling Balls
To make seed cycling simple and easy I created a recipe for Seed Cycling Balls. You can view the recipe here.
Ingredients
Luteal Phase Ingredients (Days 15-28)
- 100g sunflower seeds
- 100g sesame seeds
- 150g walnuts
- 100g medjool dates
- Extra sesame seeds, toasted (for coating the balls)
- Dark chocolate
Follicular Phase Ingredients (Days 1-14)
- 100g flaxseed
- 100g pumpkin seed
- 150g walnuts or switch up and use Brazil nuts which are great for selenium and thyroid health
- 100g medjool dates
- Dessicated coconut toasted (for coating the balls)
- Dark chocolate
Method
- Blend sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, walnuts and medjool dates in a food processor.
- Roll into 30g balls, to make 14 balls.
- Toast the extra sesame seeds in a dry frying pan. Pour the toasted seeds from the frying pan into a clean plate.
- Melt 70g dark chocolate and pour onto a separate plate.
- Roll each ball in the dark chocolate and then rolle the chocolate covered ball in the sesame seeds so that it is fully covered in both chocolate and seeds.
- Place in the fridge until the chocolate sets and then store in the freezer, remove 1 ball each day and enjoy as a snack.
- Repeat the same process with the ingredients for the follicular phase.
Bonus: Other Cyclical Interventions
In the last 3 days of your cycle progesterone and oestrogen are beginning to drop off. I would personally experience a sudden drop in energy, change in mood and increased tearfulness around this time. It is not uncommon to also experience increase carbohydrate cravings, chocolate cravings, anxiety or difficulty sleeping.
To offset the drop in oestrogen specifically, you can increase your consumption of foods known as “phyto-oestrogens” up to seven days before your period is due. Phyto-oestrogens have a weak oestrogen effect in the body and my compensate for the cyclical drop in oestrogen, which is often more noticeable when oestrogen is more dominant.
The most studied phytoestrogens are soy and flaxseed. Others include:
- Fennel, celery and chicory
- Buckwheat, rye* and brown rice
- Sesame seeds, flax / linseeds, sunflower seeds
- Mung Beans and chickpeas*
- Garlic and onions*
*these foods can be tricky on the gut so watch out for any symptoms.
Personally, I would add edamame beans into salads, make edamame bean hummus and just have them as a snack from day 21 of my cycle, through until day 7 of my new cycle. This helped to smooth out mood and energy dips and helped with cyclical headaches.
In this part of your cycle you may also want to consume iron rich foods to compensate for blood loss, especially if your ferritin levels are on the lower end of the reference range (<50ug/L) or you have a known history of iron deficiency anaemia.
Red meat and organ meats will offer the best sources of iron but vegetarian sources include soybeans, lentils, tofu, blackstrap molasses, quinoa, chickpeas, pinto beans, black eyed peas, swiss chard, tempeh, black beans, turnip greens, prune juice, spinach, beet greens, tahini, lima beans, sunflower seeds, dried figs, dried apricots.
Supplements
Foundations are always built of food, lifestyle and good nervous system support. That being said, sometimes supplements can give the extra leg up when required. The following may be complimentary in the run up to your period:
- Evening Primrose Oil or GLA as part of your seed cycling protocol
- 400mg-800mg Magnesium Glycinate for the whole cycle or from day 21 until the heaviest part of your period is over (you can use my code 2IF3B6 to join Amrita and get 10% off)
- A vitamin B-complex or vitamin B6 specifically – either for the whole cycle or or from day 21 until the heaviest part of your period is over
- L-theanine and Lemon Balm – to support anxiety and sleep
- A drop in dopamine may be associated with lack of motivation, feelings of low self worth and hopelessness, loss of temper and bursts of anger for no reason or in response to minor stress. If my clients identify with any of these symptoms I may recommend supplementation with a product called Dopaboost which contains important nutrients for dopamine production.
All of the above can be helpful and supportive but remember that the bigger picture is working on the “Big Rocks” of fatigue recovery and supportive overall hormone balance through managing inflammation, stress and blood sugar.
