Seed’s Nutritional Therapist, Kristina Carman, shares her tops eats, recipes, tools and techniques to support you through all stages of your cycle and hormonal balance.
Hormones have profound effects on your mental, physical and emotional health. These chemical messengers play a major role in controlling your appetite, weight and mood, among so many other things.
Normally, your endocrine glands produce the precise amount of each hormone needed for various processes in your body. However, hormonal imbalances have become increasingly common with today’s fast-paced modern lifestyle and our diet which is often lacking in whole foods.
In addition, certain hormones decline with age, and some people experience a more dramatic decrease than others due to their genetic inheritance.
Fortunately, a nutritious diet and other healthy lifestyle behaviours can help you achieve happy healthy hormones and allow you to feel and perform your best.
What to Eat During the Different Phases of your Cycle:
Phase 1 – Menstrual Phase – Typically lasts 3-7 days
Phase 2 – Follicular Phase – Typically lasts 7-10 days
Phase 3 – Ovulatory Phase – Typically lasts 3-4 days
Phase 4 – Luteal Phase – Typically lasts 10-14 days
Natural Ways to Balance Your Hormones
- Eat Enough Protein at Every Meal. Consuming an adequate amount of protein is extremely important. Aim for protein in every meal.
- Take Regular Exercise. I cannot stress the importance of this enough. It doesn’t have to be anything intense, but power walking, a light run, cycling or yoga/pilates is something we should try to incorporate into our week. Aim for at least 3-5 30-60mins. But a daily long walk in the fresh air should always be a priority
- Avoid Sugar and Refined Carbs. This is a no brainer. These foods cause stress with in our bodies terrain as we have difficulty digesting them.
- Learn to Manage Stress. All stress will dehydrate you (internal or external). If you are dehydrated then your body isn’t functioning well from your cells, to digestion to processing your hormones to detoxification.
- Consume Healthy Fats. Think olive oil, avocados, nuts/nut butters, coconut oil, ghee (although avoid this if stay away from dairy)
- Avoid Overeating and Under-eating. Mindful eating, slow it down, take time to consider what, when and how you are eating. The first stage of digestion is “intention”.
- Drink Green Tea. Full of antioxidants and nutrients. Look for decaffeinated varieties if you can.
- Eat Fatty Fish Often. Salmon, mackerel or take an omega supplement.
- Keep Hydrated. Fluids are important for electrolyte mineral balance and for supporting the body’s detoxification process.
There are some big NO NO foods to avoid during your menstruation (& as much as possible).
For women menstruation is one of our detoxification pathways.
If you don’t nourish your body during this time then more toxins accumulate and your body has a more difficult job to do trying to eliminate.
Try to avoid or limit your intake of: Fatty foods, Diary, Salty & Processed foods, Fried foods, Refined Sugar, Alcohol, Caffeine, Fizzy drinks.
This is sometimes a difficult one as its also the foods we crave during this time. Try drinking more water and focus on your three meals. This will give your body what is needs nutritionally and through hydration which will curb those cravings for sugar and nasties.
Seed Cycling for Happy, Healthy Hormones 
Seed cycling is a lovely naturopathic practice of eating different kinds of seeds during the two phases of your menstrual cycle, in order to more naturally balance your hormones. During the first half of your cycle (the follicular phase, approximately days 1-14), it’s recommended that women eat 1 tablespoon each of flax and pumpkin seeds per day.
Then during the second half of your cycle (the luteal phase, approximately days 15-28), it’s recommended to eat 1 tablespoon each of sunflower and sesame seeds per day. It’s said that these specific seed cycling mixes can naturally help to balance oestrogen and progesterone in the body, and many women believe the practice can help with everything from regulating periods to reducing acne and cramps and fatigue, easing symptoms of menopause, helping with infertility, and much more.
SEED CYCLING ENERGY BITES INGREDIENTS:
Here are the ingredients that you will need to make two variations of this seed cycling energy bites recipe — one version of the recipe for your follicular phase (with flaxseed and pumpkin seeds) and one version for your luteal phase (with sunflower seeds and sesame seeds):
- Seed cycling blends:
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- Follicular blend: For the follicular phase (approximately days 1-14 of your cycle), we will use a blend of raw pumpkin seeds and ground flaxseed.
- Luteal blend: For the luteal phase (approximately days 15-28 of your cycle), we will use a blend of raw sunflower seeds and sesame seeds.
- Shredded coconut: You can use either sweetened or unsweetened shredded coconut, which I recommend toasting briefly until golden for extra flavour.
- Peanut butter: I used natural peanut butter in this recipe (made with just peanuts and a little salt). But you could also sub in almond butter or cashew butter instead.
- Oats: A simple scoop of old-fashioned oats. I use Gluten Free Oats.
- Mini chocolate chips: I also love the adding in some mini semisweet chocolate chips (or vegan chocolate chips) to this recipe. But you are welcome to leave out the chocolate if you prefer.
- Maple Syrup: I like maple syrup as a sweetener in this recipe, since it helps to bind the ingredients together well. But you could also sub in honey, agave syrup or a different natural sweetener if you prefer. (Just note that the mixture may be a bit more crumbly if you do.) A splash of water might help with binding if you use dry sweetener.
- Vanilla extract: And finally, a splash of vanilla extract for extra flavour.
HOW TO MAKE SEED CYCLING ENERGY BITES:
- Simply combine all ingredients. Stir everything together in a large mixing bowl. (Or blitz all of the ingredients in a food processor.)
- Chill. Cover the mixture and pop in the refrigerator for a few hours to chill, which will make the energy bites easier to roll.
- Roll into balls. Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Repeat until you have rolled up all of the energy bites.
- Refrigerate. Store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
POSSIBLE VARIATIONS:
There are many ways that you could customise this seed cycling energy bites recipe, so please get creative and adapt whatever works best for you! For example, feel free to…
- Use a food processor: If you would like to save yourself the stirring and make the bites a bit easier to scoop/roll, just add all of the ingredients to a food processor and puree until smooth. Then scoop the mixture into 28 equally-sized bites, roll and store.
- Make energy bars: If you don’t want to roll the energy bites into balls, you can make them into easy energy bars instead. Just line an 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking pan with parchment, press the ingredient mixture firmly and evenly into the base of the pan, refrigerate until chilled, carefully lift out the parchment and transfer the bars to a cutting board, and use a knife to cut the bars into 14 (1 per day) or 28 (2 per day) equal servings.
- Make energy scoops: Alternately, you can just keep the ingredient mixture in a bowl in the fridge, then scoop out approximately a 1/4- cup serving to eat each day.
- Make them vegan: Use vegan chocolate chips and maple syrup (instead of honey).
- Make them gluten-free: This recipe is already gluten-free. But as always, be sure to double-check the labels (especially with the oats) to be sure that each ingredient is certified gluten-free.
- Use a different sweetener: As mentioned above, you are welcome to sub maple syrup or a different natural sweetener in place of the honey. But please note that they bars may be more crumbly if you do.
- Use a different nut butter: Natural cashew butter or almond butter would also work well in this recipe, in place of peanut butter.
INGREDIENTS
FOLLICULAR PHASE ENERGY BITES (DAYS 1-14)
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
- 2/3 cup toasted shredded coconut (unsweetened)
- 2/3 cup natural peanut butter (or your preferred nut butter) • 1/2 cup gluten free oats
- 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (or vegan chocolate chips)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (or your preferred)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
LUTEAL PHASE ENERGY BITES (DAYS 15-28)
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sunflower seeds
- 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2/3 cup toasted shredded coconut (sweetened or unsweetened)
- 2/3 cup natural peanut butter (or your preferred nut butter)
- 1/2 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1/2 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips (or vegan chocolate chips)
- 1/3 cup maple syrup (or preferred)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine all ingredients. Stir all ingredients together in a large mixing bowl until evenly combined. (If the mixture seems too dry or isn’t sticking together well, add in a few extra tablespoons of nut butter.)
- Chill. Cover the mixture and refrigerate for 1-2 hours to chill.
- Roll into balls. Using a medium cookie scoop or a spoon, scoop out approximately 2 tablespoons of the mixture and roll it into a ball. Repeat with the remaining mixture. (Each recipe above should yield about 28 balls, so you will need to eat 2 per day during each phase of your cycle in order to get the recommended serving of seeds.
- Refrigerate. Store in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
The foods listed above are also encouraged for women going through pre and post-menopause. Our bodies still cycle even though we don’t “bleed” so aim for a healthy plant rich whole food diet and lots of water. Happy, healthy hormones equal a happy, healthy you!
Please if you have any question do get in touch with Kristina! kristina@seedwellness.co.uk
Kristina Carman (adv.NT.dip) – Naturopathic Nutritional Therapist Vinyasa Yoga & Barre Instructor
www.tinyfishco.com
