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Sorry guys, this post is for the ladies! (But feel free to read on!)

Males and Females have plenty of differences, but a major one that isn’t necessarily taught to us in adolescence is hormone cycles. Males have a 24 hour hormone cycle, meaning hormone levels will fluctuate throughout a given day. Women, however, have hormone fluctuations based on this 24 hour cycle as well as a 28 day cycle.

There can be many reasons for hormone imbalances (I’ll save that for another post!), but if you think you might be struggling from imbalance, a natural way to regulate them throughout your 28 day cycle is the Seed Cycling Method!

Seed Cycling:

  • Day 1 (first day of your menstrual cycle) – Day 13-14 (Ovulation): Add 1 tbsp of ground raw Flax Seeds and 1 tbsp of ground raw Pumpkin seeds to your smoothie, salad, etc.
  • Day 16 – Day 1 (the following month!): Add 1 tbsp of ground raw Sesame seeds and 1 tbsp of ground raw Sunflower seeds to a meal.

And that’s it! Why does it work?

  • Flax Seeds: Have been shown to balance estrogen levels in your body.
  • Pumpkin Seeds: Contain zinc which is thought to promote progesterone production for the 2nd half of the cycle.
  • Sesame Seeds: Contain Polyphenols called Lignans that keep estrogen levels from getting too high.
  • Sunflower Seeds: Contain Vitamin E which is helps to boost progesterone.

While some women swear by this method, there has been very little in the way of a control study to research the effectiveness. I have personally been trying it for one month and so far, I’m intrigued enough to keep going. The good news is: even if you try Seed Cycling and don’t notice an impact (think PMS symptoms!), you are still supplementing your diet with the extra vitamins, minerals, and proteins that these seeds are chock full of!

Give it a try, you might just be pleasantly surprised!

Written by GUADS Staff member Kate with contributions from healthline.com