Seed Cycling: Our Tuesday Foods Guide to Hormonal Balance

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Seed Cycling: Our Tuesday Foods Guide to Hormonal Balance

By Ces Lowdermilk, Tuesday Foods

Hey Friends!

Here at Tuesday Foods, we’re all about nourishing your body in ways that feel natural, simple, and delicious. If you’ve ever struggled with symptoms of hormonal imbalance like low energy, uncomfortable or heavy periods, missing periods, acne, hot flashes, low libido or mood swings, we want you to know there’s hope—and it starts with something as simple as seeds.

As women, we’ve often been told that PMS and painful periods are “just part of being a woman.” But that’s not the full story. While these symptoms are common, they’re not something you just have to live with. Your cycle can be smoother, your energy more balanced, and your mood more steady—and we’re here to show you how incorporating seeds into your meals can help make it happen.

Let’s Talk About Our Cycles

Every month, we journey through four phases: follicular, ovulation, luteal, and menstrual. Each phase has its own hormonal dance, bringing natural shifts in energy and emotions. Some days, you feel like conquering the world; other days, all you want is a cozy blanket and a nap. Here’s the thing: it’s totally normal to feel different throughout your cycle.

What if we stopped fighting these changes and started working with them? Honoring these shifts isn’t just good for our physical health—it helps us feel more connected to ourselves. That’s why we love the idea of seed cycling. It’s a small, nourishing way to support your hormones and bring more balance to your life.

How Seeds Can Help

Seed cycling is simple. By eating specific seeds during each phase of your cycle, you’re helping your body find its natural rhythm. With just a little planning, these nutrient-packed wonders can become part of your daily meals—think sprinkling them on your oatmeal, blending them into smoothies, or tossing them on salads.

To support hormonal shifts, seed cycling uses four key seeds: flax, pumpkin, sesame, and sunflower. Each seed type is paired with a specific phase of your cycle to help your body naturally balance hormones. Flax and pumpkin seeds are beneficial during the follicular and ovulation phases, while sesame and sunflower seeds shine during the luteal and menstrual phases. By eating the right seeds at the right time, you’re working with your body, not against it—how amazing is that?

The goal of incorporating these seeds into your diet daily is to balance hormones, achieve a painless period, and have more energy! Some also believe it is beneficial for fertility and PCOS as well.

Phase 1+ 2: Follicular + Ovulation: Flax Seeds + Pumpkin Seeds. Consume one tablespoon of each daily. Flax seeds are crucial in helping our bodies to release excess estrogen. They bind to estrogen and are eliminated in stool. When our bodies have too much estrogen, our periods can be heavier and more painful. Pumpkin Seeds contain phytoestrogens, which naturally occur and help the body to balance hormonally.

Phase 3 + 4: Luteal + Menstural: Sesame and Sunflower Seeds. Consume one tablespoon of each daily. Both seeds contain zinc, selenium, and vitamin E, which promote progesterone production. A progesterone deficiency can lead to PMS symptoms.

Tips for Seed Cycling

  • Download a period tracker. Make sure you always know what cycle you are in so that you can care for your body even better! Here are some great trackers:
    • My Flo
    • Lively
    • Oura Ring
    • Clue Period Tracker
  • Label clear glass jars. I have a jar that I wrote on “Follicular + Ovulation,” and mix the pumpkin and ground flax seeds. I do the same with the "Luteal + Menstrual" and mix the sunflower and sesame. This makes it so much easier!
  • Put them in your breakfast! Mix them into your smoothie, oatmeal, chia pudding or yogurt.
  • Buy organic, if possible. Yes, organic is pricier. However, GMOS and conventional products already wreak havoc on our hormones, and we are working on balancing them!
  • Store in refrigerator. This keeps them fresh and from oxidizing.
  • Use a coffee grinder: Add the seeds into a coffee grinder to get a finer texture and add to your salads!

Be gentle with yourself. Incorporating new habits takes time, and it will take a few months to see a difference in your cycle. I recommend keeping a journal of your period symptoms, which allows you to see the benefits of this small but mighty shift!