The Seed Rotation Diet: How to Regulate Your Menstrual Cycle with Food
(Source: http://www.annmariegianni.com/the-seed-rotation-diet/)
Not often do we read about food helping hormonal imbalances. In fact, when we hear the word “hormonal problems”, we are conditioned to think of solutions going no further than birth control pills, hormone creams and pallots.
Supporting the old mantra of “food is your medicine,” this article shows how innocent seeds can help regulate and support our menstrual cycle.
The technique is called “seed rotation.” The seed rotation diet can be used to boost our estrogen levels in the first part of our cycle and progesterone levels in the second part. This technique can be used by anyone who is either having irregular periods, periods that are heavy, experiencing heavy PMS and even women going through peri-menopause and menopause.
The technique described here is based on a 30-day cycle, though most women’s cycle tends to be between 25 to 36 days. Only 10 to 15% of women have cycles that are exactly 28 to 30 days. Day 1 is counted as the first day of a period.
As an example, this article is based on a 30-day cycle. It comes from Magdalena Wszelaki, a nutritional coach, hormone specialist and a chef.
Which Seeds to Use in What Part of the Cycle?
From Day 1 to Day 15 (or the middle of your cycle), we need more estrogen in order to build up our endometrium (uterus lining). This is called the follicular phase. With seeds such as flaxseed and pumpkin seeds, we can naturally increase our estrogen levels.
On Day 15 to Day 30, or the second part of the cycle also known as the luteal phase, we see the corpus luteum releasing progesterone. This sex hormone will help thicken the uterus lining and get it ready for implantation.
The high content of zinc found in sesame seeds and vitamin E in sunflower seeds have shown to stimulate progesterone production (see references below). By adding two tablespoons of sesame and sunflower seeds per day in the luteal phase, we can naturally support the body to produce more progesterone (many women are low in this sex hormone).
What Does a Balanced Cycle Look Like?
Of course, being regular is one thing but there is more. So many of us are accustomed to feeling terrible before our period (and some women in the mid-cycle or during ovulation as well) that we assume it is “normal.” It is not.
High estrogen (or estrogen metabolites) can be the cause of tender breasts, mood swings, hair loss, weight gain, fibroids, endometriosis, breast and ovarian cysts and even breast and ovarian cancer.
Low progesterone levels can manifest in ways similar to the above (high estrogen) and also: feeling anxious, not being able to fall or stay asleep and menstrual headaches.
Rebalancing your cycle using a simple and food-based technique like the seed rotation diet can help alleviate many of the symptoms in a matter of a few months.
In a perfectly healthy woman, the menstrual cycle and the estrogen/progesterone production will happen naturally with no help or intervention.
This is unfortunately not the case for many women today. Excessive stress (with excessive cortisol release), environmental toxins, poor diet, food sensitivities, digestive issues, high coffee or alcohol consumption – can contribute to irregular or painful periods and even infertility.
Supporting the body with food that will help produce sufficient amount of estrogen and progesterone is not only easy and cheap but also non-invasive. This is why this form of healing is preferred by practitioners who work with food as medicine – this method simply works.
Why Add More Estrogens to Our Diet?
Many women worry that they are already experiencing estrogen dominance, so why add more estrogen in the form of phytoestrogens such as the flaxseed?
For this to be fully understood, we first need to establish that not all estrogens are “bad” and the one that tends to be high in estrogen-dominant women is estradiol, also known as E2. Excessive levels of E2 have been linked to breast and prostate cancer. Here is a fascinating data point: flaxseed does not only suppress estradiol production but it also nudges estradiol metabolism into a positive direction by generating a higher ratio of the protective metabolite 2-hydroxy-estrone versus the more harmful 16-hydroxy-estrone.
Easy Ways of Adding Seed Rotation to Your Diet
One way to incorporate seed rotation on a regular basis is by making snacks out of seed crackers. They store well for a few weeks, are easy to make and come in super handy as travel food.
Click here to try the recipes
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