You and your spouse have made one of the most exciting decisions! You have decided to start trying for a baby! This is such an amazing time filled with joy and anticipation! As a mom-to-be, you want to make sure that you are doing everything you can to prepare your body to conceive.
Your diet can play a big role in your body’s preparation to get pregnant, and one of the newest diet trends to help balance your hormones and prepare your body for pregnancy is seed cycling.
What is Seed Cycling?
All foods have different nutrients and properties that are essential for our body. In general, different seeds are very healthy and provide our bodies with amazing healthy fats and all kinds of nutrients, but there are some specific seeds that seem to actually promote hormonal health! Essentially, the goal of seed cycling is to balance and promote the hormones needed to regulate your cycle and prepare your body to get pregnant. The best way to achieve this through seed cycling is by eating certain seeds during the beginning of your ovulation cycle and then eating a different set of seeds during the ending phase of your cycle.
But, what does seed cycling do?
As a woman, there are different essential hormones that help us with the ovulation process, and it has been found that there are certain types of seeds that can help encourage and enhance our natural cycle! By eating certain seeds at the beginning of your cycle that help the production of estrogen, you will be preparing and strengthening the lining of your uterus. Then at the end of your cycle, you will be eating different seeds that help the production of progesterone which thickens the lining and best prepares your body for implantation.
What are the pros and cons?
There are countless pros to seed cycling by way of simple eating more seeds in your diet. Below, you will see the specific health benefits for the different seeds suggested for seed cycling. In general seeds are incredibly good for you, filled with healthy fats and nutrients. So, even if you seed cycling for fertility does not work for you, eating the seeds will still provide many health benefits.
It has also been found that seed cycling can be really beneficial for any woman in need of balancing hormones, especially for women with PCOS (polycystic ovarian syndrome) and other illnesses that make your hormones unbalanced.
Other than if you have a specific allergy to any of the seeds listed, as you can see above, there aren’t really any cons to trying this method to help with fertility!
What Seeds are Used in Seed Cycling?
There are four different types of seeds used when seed cycling for fertility. During the first half of your cycle, you will eat two specific types of seeds. Then, during the second half of your cycle, you will eat the other two types of seeds. It is suggested that you consume 1-2 tablespoons of each type of seed per day throughout your cycle.
Seeds for Days 1-14
The day your menstrual cycle begins marks the first day of your new cycle. It has been found that both pumpkin and flax seeds can help increase your estrogen, which helps with the lining of your uterus and the preparation of your egg for ovulation. This is essential for the first phase of your cycle!
Pumpkin seeds have so many health benefits! While people use pumpkin seeds for a variety of things, they are mostly seen as an anti-inflammatory that can help with your cholesterol and other heart health issues!
In conjunction with helping promote estrogen, flax seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids and have been linked with increasing heart and metabolism health! They are also anti-inflammatory and can serve as an antioxidant!
Seeds for Days 15-28
The second half of your cycle is typically from day 15-28. During this phase, consuming sunflower and sesame seeds can help increase progesterone. Progesterone is essential when it comes to thickening the lining of your uterus and preparing for implantation!
While promoting heart health and progesterone production, sunflower seeds also have been found to help with your nervous and immune systems!
Like all the seeds listed, sesame seeds have also been proven to promote heart health! Along with their promotion of helping with the balance and production of progesterone, they have also been seen to help prevent hormone-related illnesses such as breast cancer!
Should I buy organic or non-organic?
There are a lot of differing opinions about whether or not it is more beneficial to spend more money on the organic seeds. When it comes down to it, it’s whatever is best for you and your budget. If you can afford the few extra dollars each month, go for it! If not, don’t worry about it!
What matters most with seed cycling for fertility is the amount of seeds you are consuming on a consistent basis to reap the benefits!
How to Start Seed Cycling
While it may sound complicated, seed cycling is very simple to do! There are very few things you need to do to get started, and there are really no downsides to giving this a try! Nuts and seeds are a part of any balanced, healthy diet with all kinds of wonderful nutrients! So, even if this doesn’t work for you, there is no harm in giving it a try! Here’s how to get started!
- Before getting started with seed cycling for fertility, you will need to purchase all of your seeds. Be sure to account that you will be consuming 1-2 tablespoons a day, so you may want to buy a bigger supply of them! Amazon has all four types of seeds in all kinds of varieties and quantities!
- Once you have your seeds, wait for the first day of your cycle to get started! If you start cycling in the middle of your cycle, it could be hard to know exactly where you are. It may be best to just wait until your cycle begins to start reaping the benefits!
- After your cycle begins, start finding fun and inventive ways to incorporate your seeds every day! This will ensure that you will stick to your commitment of 1-2 tablespoons of your seeds!
3 Tips for Seed Cycling
Seed cycling is pretty simple once you understand the “why” behind it! Here are our three biggest tips for seed cycling for fertility!
Get to Know Your Cycle
While the suggestion for seed cycling is based on a 28-day cycle, every woman and her cycle is different! Knowing your unique cycle and when you ovulate will greatly help the results of balancing your hormones through seed cycling! It is easy to know when your cycle begins (which is the first day of your menstruation), but you may want to look into using ovulation strips to know exactly when you ovulate or simply count how many days are between the starting of each cycle.
Get Creative
Eating the same seeds every day for two weeks at a time can get a bit boring, but it doesn’t have to! If you aren’t the type who just wants to “get it over with” by downing your 1-2 tablespoons first thing in the morning, there are so many different ways to eat your seeds! Here are a few of our suggestions:
- Mixed into Smoothies
- Sprinkled on salads
- Topped on a yogurt parfait
- Mixed into your oatmeal
- Ground into muffins or other baking treats
Commit!
Once you’ve decided to give seed cycling for fertility a try, it is crucial that you commit to it if you want to see results! If you’re easily bored with foods, change it up by using the suggestions above or if it’s easy for you to forget, set an alarm to remind you to eat your seeds each morning. Do whatever you need to do to commit to this process! You will not fully reap the benefits if you do not commit 100%.
In Conclusion…
There are so many things that moms-to-be prepare their body, mind, and spirit before becoming pregnant! From prayer to reading parenting books to changing our diets, we do so much! Thankfully, seed cycling for fertility is an easy way to help boost and balance the hormones essential for becoming pregnant!
For more information check out the food network or Mind Body Green for interesting reads on seed cycling for fertility.
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