Balancing Out Your Hormones by Seed Cycling

Seed cycling is well-known these days, but some have been practicing this approach to improving hormone health for years.  Also called seed rotation, seed cycling has its roots in naturopathic philosophy and Chinese Medicine. Picked up by the natural medicine community, it has become more and more popular in recent years and seed cycling advocates claim this approach is one of the best “food as medicine” tools. What is Seed Cycling? Seed cycling uses the powerful nutrients in specific seeds during different stages of your menstrual cycle.  Seeds contain beneficial nutrients for overall health that have been shown to help with blood sugar regulation, digestion challenges, hormonal balance, and PMS symptoms. Incorporating seed cycling into your daily routine can be beneficial at any stage of a woman’s life.  Seed cycling can help women who are coming off birth control as a way to get their menstrual cycle back. Postpartum and women suffering from amenorrhea (the absence of a period) can have menstruation stimulated. Those with PMS and PCOS symptoms can be supported by seed cycling. It can help boost fertility for those of child bearing age and balance hormones for perimenopausal, menopausal, and postmenopausal women. What Seeds are Included in Seed Cycling? Seed cycling uses pumpkin, flax, sesame, sunflower, and hemp seeds. There is a specific combination of these seeds that benefit you during your cycle. Pumpkin Seeds have a high zinc content and help boost progesterone. They can help restore hormone balance as you move towards progesterone rise in the second phase of the cycle. Pumpkin seeds can improve acne and weight gain while promoting more regular periods. Flax Seeds are rich in lignans which have been shown to be beneficial in preventing osteoporosis, improving estrogen and progesterone ratios, and heart disease in women. Eating flax seeds may also help soothe breast tenderness which is experienced by many women right before their period. Sesame Seeds and Sunflower Seeds contain omega-6 essential fatty acids, and lignans which support the hormones that carry you through the luteal phase, the second half of the menstrual cycle. Hemp Seeds are a good source of essential fatty acids and gamma-linolenic acid (GLA) which help balance hormones. Hemp seeds also aid in inflammation.  How to Seed Cycle Seed cycling is based on a 28-day cycle, but it is still possible to follow if you have a longer or shorter cycle. Day 1 (the first day of your period) through Day 14 is the Follicular Phase of the menstrual cycle. During this phase, your estrogen increases and an egg prepares for ovulation. Your uterine lining also thickens.  On days 1-14, eat 1-2 Tablespoons of freshly ground flaxseeds and raw pumpkin seeds as well as hemp seeds. These seeds will naturally increase estrogen. Ovulation usually occurs around Day 14 of a 28-day cycle and the egg is released. This ends the Follicular Phase. On Day 15, the second half of your cycle—the Luteal Phase—begins. Following ovulation, eat 1-2 Tablespoons of fresh ground sunflower and sesame seeds as well as hemp seeds. Progesterone levels rise and peak during this phase. Progesterone will ease unwanted PMS symptoms. When your period arrives, you are back to Day 1.  For postpartum, postmenopausal women, and those experiencing inconsistent periods or amenorrhea (lack of a period), seed cycling can be done following the moon cycle. Use the New Moon as Day 1 and then when the Full Moon arrives, that begins Phase 2. Pretty cool, right? Seed cycling can be fun and incorporated to enhance many types of foods. Sprinkle on yogurt or in a smoothie, on a tossed salad, or over a poached egg on avocado toast. Seeds can be used in place of granola, added to oatmeal, sprinkled on a sweet potato, and even added to a favorite cookie recipe. Options are endless. Seed cycling is a great tool to help you live your most nutritious life as it has so many hormonal health and wellness benefits. It is an inexpensive way to support your natural cycle. Give it time, at least 3 months to create balance. It is worth a try!  (Image: Shutterstock)

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How Do Sakara’s Whitney + Danielle Live a Nutritious Life?

Sakara co-founders Whitney Tingle and Danielle DuBoise grew up together in Sedona, Arizona, where they were exposed to the benefits of natural eating and holistic health from an early age.  (They were definitely not eating Stouffer’s Macaroni & Cheese like I was!) Danielle’s expertise in holistic nutrition, chemistry, and anthropology allowed her to think outside the box when it came to food and well being.  As a former model and actress, her experience with body image, roller-coaster diets, and mind-body disconnection inspired her to create a food system that empowered her to make loving, healthy choices a lifestyle, not a diet. Whitney knows what it takes to fight for health in a stressful environment, since she was working on Wall Street when she realized her true passion was to share her love of health with the financiers who desperately needed her help. She had gained 15 pounds working in the corporate office and was struggling with cystic acne.  And when her dermatologist suggested that she do a second round of Accutane, she decided there had to be a better way. Whitney turned to her BFF, Danielle, to partner and create a meal plan that allowed her to drop the weight and clear her skin while maintaining her busy lifestyle. They were then ready to share their secrets with the world and made the Sakara food program available for delivery. All you need to do is chat with these smart beauties for two minutes to “get” why they are now killin’ it as the founders of one of the most popular healthy food programs available. (Sakara is an insider secret among models and celebrities in New York City and Los Angeles, FYI.) Keep reading, below, to find out how these ladies live their own Nutritious Lives. How do you DRINK UP? D: By drinking pretty! I love our morning water which is made with alkaline water, pure rose oil, and trace minerals. W: We developed morning and night waters because we could feel that our bodies were missing the minerals they were used to getting in the water we drank when we grew up. Our waters contain 72 trace minerals and I feel the difference in my body when I drink it, versus not drinking it. How do you EAT EMPOWERED? D:  By knowing what it feels like to eat good food. Food is meant to be nourishment and food should make you feel sexy! W:  When you fill your body with good foods most of the time, you don’t have to worry about being out to dinner and what you are going to eat. This gives you the freedom to be present with your company and to indulge! How do you LIVE CONSCIOUSLY? D:  I am disorganized! But I call it creative chaos and I try not to judge my own “messiness.” W:  I only buy things I absolutely love so it’s hard to get rid of anything because anything I have I love, and I have an emotional connection to it, but this also makes me not wasteful. How do you LOVE MORE? D: Whitney taught me this one: to understand that everyone is doing their best. Life is a process and we all have our own path. By understanding this you can come at everything from a loving place. W: Daniele taught me this one: to be vulnerable. Fall into yourself and let your wall down. You then show your soul and have the right energy to tap into others. How do you NURTURE YOURSELF? D:  I take mineral soaks for detoxifying. This forces you to relax! W: I get special facials at the Ash Center that really work the muscles and tissues. How do you SLEEP DEEP? D: I always try to fall asleep thinking beautiful thoughts. W: I create a space that imitates nature. Dark and quiet. Which isn’t the easiest to do in New York City, but blackout curtains and eye masks help. How do you STRESS LESS? D:  I believe having a morning ritual is important. My fiance and I start the day with kisses and a deep breath together. W:  I like to find time to disconnect from technology in order to connect to the moment that I’m in and the people that I’m with. How do you SWEAT OFTEN? D:  I think everyone should know the why behind what they are doing. The why motivates us and keeps us mindful of our actions, in exercise and elsewhere. W:  We incorporate exercise into our lives by doing things like hosting class in our space  with some of our favorite instructors. Recipe: Sakara Power Smoothie 8 oz almond milk 1 frozen banana 1⁄2 cup frozen strawberries 1 Tbsp. hemp seeds 1⁄2 tsp vanilla extract 1/8 tsp Maca powder Dash pink Himalayan salt Instructions Combine all the ingredients in a high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth and serve immediately.