I tried seed cycling for a month and it completely changed my periods

A woman’s life is hard, it really is. Apart from all the daily struggles, she has to fight a battle with her hormones, not just every month, but almost her entire life. Sometimes, it shows up in the form of erratic mood swings and stubborn zits, and you end up feeling even more depressed. Well ladies, we can either choose to rant or do something about it. Of course, hormones are not exactly in your control, but there are some home remedies that can attempt to achieve some balance.

In my pursuit to find the best home remedy to maintain hormonal balance, I decided to try seed cycling. Scroll through Instagram and you’ll so many celebrities and fitness influencers rave about its benefits. I thought there’s no harm in trying, and that’s when I went for it. To my surprise, it turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. Oh, and before we get down to the details, let me tell you that it’s completely natural, so you don’t have to worry about side-effects at all.

A game of hormones aka your period

This game is even deadlier than an episode of Game of Thrones. We are kidding! So, let’s first understand how your period works, before we discuss the solution. As women, there are two predominant hormones that run the show—oestrogen and progesterone. Oestrogen levels rise during the follicular phase (when you ovulate) and progesterone levels go up during the luteal phase (when you menstruate).

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The ‘seed cycling’ solution

So, like I said I went through Instagram and researched on Google to know what seed cycling is all about. As the name suggests, the experiment is all about consuming various seeds throughout the month. These include flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds.

Remember these details because they are very important: 

*Consume flax seeds and pumpkin seeds during the first half of your cycle
*Consume sunflower seeds and sesame seeds in the second half of your cycle

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Do you know why these seeds work? That’s because they contain a certain fibre called lignan, which when metabolised impacts the hormones in a positive manner. It further eliminates excess oestrogen or boosts estrogen levels in your body. 

With so much promise, I couldn’t wait to actually do it! So, when my periods arrived last month, I knew it was time to start seed cycling. The follicular phase starts on the first day of your monthly cycle and continues for about 14 days. Oestrogen levels are pretty low at this point, so I consumed a handful of flaxseed and pumpkin seeds every day. I’ll be honest the taste is awful, and because I had it as it is, it left  a horrible after-taste in my mouth. But the next day, I added them to my salad and it felt so much better. I continued the process for the next 14 days, adding the seed mixture to smoothies, salads, and even soups (don’t judge me!).

After two weeks, I knew it was time to switch the seeds. By now, I felt much healthier–my body felt less bloated, and my breakouts had reduced too. 

The luteal phase begins on day 14 of your cycle: this is the time when oestrogen levels drop after ovulation, and progesterone levels rise steadily. After I was done, I felt a drastic change in my skin. It was literally glowing, and I also felt so much in charge of my emotions. It might sound like a miracle, but the seeds did their job so well! 

So should you try seed cycling?

It’s only been a month, but I plan to continue this for another three months or so. I did read about it online, and I could only find positive reviews. So, that’s my plan now for the future.

For me, this was certainly a life-changing decision. I suggest you try it out too!