Seed cycling is a natural, healthy way to help the female body to balance hormones and promote fertility. This smoothie is a delicious and easy way to make seed cycling a part of your daily routine.
Hormones need healthy fats to develop and function well in our bodies. Fat-free diets or diets low in the right balance of fats can wreak havoc on hormone levels over time. In the Western world, we tend to eat too many pro-inflammatory fats. This creates inflammation in the body which our reproductive health is especially sensitive to.
Enter a simple and gentle solution to help your body to re-balance hormone levels: eating seeds! Taking in certain seeds as certain times can help to balance estrogen and progesterone levels, naturally.
Seed cycling may gently and naturally help with irregular periods, painful periods, PMS, a heavy flow, menopause, polycyctic ovarian syndrome, endometriosis, fibroids, excess estrogen and balancing the body after a period on the birth control pill.
Why this works: The first half of your cycle, days 1-14, you take 1T. of flaxseed and 1 T. pumpkin seeds daily. The first half of your cycle is estrogen-dominant. Flaxseeds are high in omega-3 fatty acids and lignans, a phytoestrogen that stops the body from producing too much estrogen. Pumpkin seeds and high in omega-6 fatty acids and zinc, which promotes healthy fertility and progesterone production.
Signs of excess estrogen in the system can include: breast soreness, mood swings, hair loss, weight gain, fibroids, endometriosis and polycystic ovarian syndrome, PMS and water retention.
The second half of the your cycle, days 15-28, you take 1T. of sunflower seeds daily and 1 T. of sesame seeds. Sunflower seeds are high in omega-3 and lignans. Sesame seeds are high in omega-6 and vitamin E. The sunflowers aid the in bioavailablity of the vitamin E in the sesame seeds, and this combination aid in a healthy reproductive system and immune function.
I add spinach to the daily smoothie because it improves menstrual regularity. Bananas and strawberries deliver a dose of potassium and vitamin C. This smoothie may not be the prettiest to look at, but it tastes delicious and is an easy way to get the seeds in your diet every day.
Super Seed Cycling Smoothie:
Days 1-14 :
1 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 of a frozen banana
1 c. baby spinach
1 T. flaxseed
1 T. pumpkin seed
1 c. unsweetened almond milk
Blend all until smooth. Drink once daily.
Days 15 – 28:
1 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 of a frozen banana
1 c. baby spinach
1 T. sunflower seeds
1 T. sesame seeds
1 c. unsweetened almond milk
Blend all until smooth. Drink once daily.
*If you’re not up to a smoothie each and every day, you can add these seeds to yogurt, cereal, or eat them plain out of a spoon!
A few more tips for female reproductive health and fertility:
- eliminate dairy, it is a source of unnecessary estrogen that is harmful to your own hormone levels
- eliminate gluten, an inflammatory food for most all individuals
- be careful of eating too much animal proteins, which can be high in adrenaline, and harmful to your fertility
- avoid artificial sweeteners if you are concerned about your fertility
- add omega-3 fatty acids to your diet as flaxseed, walnuts, hemp seeds, and cold water fish
- reduce your sugar consumption, it promotes inflammation in the body, especially in the reproductive system
- try seed cycling!
For more information on naturally balancing your hormone levels, visit my website at www.cristyjenkinswellnesscoach.com
The Wisdom Ranch 
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