Seed cycling energy bites that use pumpkin and flax seeds and sunflower and sesame seeds to support hormone balance during each phase of your menstrual cycle. A low sugar, protein ball for a blood sugar balancing healthy snack.
Seed cycling is one of the easiest ways to naturally support hormone balance through each phase of your menstrual cycles. If you’re new to this concept, I highly recommend this post all about seed cycling for hormone balance.
To give you a brief run down, Seed cycling is the practice of eating specific seeds during the two main phases of your menstrual cycle (follicular and luteal) to help promote the healthy balance of estrogen and progesterone levels. It’s a gentle and completely natural way that helps reduce PMS symptoms, boost fertility, and can help stimulate menstruation if it’s absent (amenorrhea), and other symptoms as a result of hormonal imbalances.
The key? Consistency.
One of the things I hear from clients and others who are struggling with adopting the daily habit, is they forget to add the seeds to a meal. Like with any new practice, it takes time to form a habit. But in order to see results, consistency is key. My solution? These seed cycling energy bites.
Seed Cycling Energy Bites
These energy bites make it easy to get in your daily seeds in a delicious low-sugar, protein-packed way. The base of these energy bites consists of almond butter, collagen (or plant-based protein powder for a vegan option), oats and the combination of either pumpkin and flax or sunflower and sesame seeds ground into a fine flour.
These seed cycling energy bites are low in sugar and balanced with healthy fats and protein. Keeping sugar low and stabilizing blood sugar with protein and healthy fat is a key part of hormone balance. Each batch of the energy bites only contains only five Medjool dates. This provides natural sweetness along with fiber and nutrients like potassium, calcium, and B-vitamins.
Pumpkin and Flax (Follicular Phase, Days 1-14)
These pumpkin and flax seed energy bites have a delicious almond butter base. Grinding the seeds into flour before adding them to the food processor allows for better absorption of the nutrients and better texture. I give the addition of adding cacao to this batch of energy bites because these are eaten during the follicular phase of your menstrual cycle and when your bleeding occurs.
Many women crave chocolate during their period. While we still don’t know exactly why this happens, cacao is rich iron which is depleted during menstruation. In addition, magnesium has been shown to reduce painful periods cramps. (1) Two tablespoons of cacao contain 1.6mg of iron (20% of the RDA) and 81.6 mg of magnesium (24% RDA).
Sunflower and Sesame (Luteal Phase, Days 15-28)
These sunflower and sesame seed energy bites also have a delicious almond butter base. However, using sunflower butter or tahini would also be delicious! Just like the pumpkin and flax energy bites, rinding the seeds into flour before adding them to the food processor allows for better absorption of the nutrients and better texture.
The sesame seeds and sunflower seeds help boost progesterone production. Sesame seeds are a rich source of zinc which help boost progesterone production and also contain lignans that help block excess estrogen while progesterone rises. Sunflower seeds are high vitamin E and selenium. Vitamin E can help boost progesterone production, while selenium helps detox the liver of excess estrogen.
How to Make Seed Cycling Energy Bites
At the start of each cycling, I recommend making one batch of the energy bites the correlates with your menstrual phase. This ensures that you have enough energy bites to have one daily. However, if you find you’re going through them more quickly (for instance, two per day), you can always make a batch each week.
The recipe recommends grinding the seeds before placing them in the food processor. I find the food processor does create as fine of flour as a spice grinder or Vitamix. I recommend this spice grinder. I use it to grind flax, coffee, seeds and occasionally spices. For less than $15 it’s 100% worth it.
Flavor Variations:
While the seeds for each phase of your cycle need to stay the same, feel free to get creative with the other ingredients. As long as you keep the ratios the same, you shouldn’t have a problem.
Nut/Seed Butter
the recipe calls for almond butter. Feel free to sub another nut butter of choice. Peanut butter, pecan, and cashew are all great options. To make these allergy-friendly, you will have to use a hemp seed or watermelon seed butter on each recipe. You can you pumpkin seed butter in the pumpkin/flax recipe or sunflower butter or tahini in the sunflower/sesame recipe.
Protein powder
I love collagen peptides for this recipe. The collagen dissolves into the dough without changing the texture or flavor. However, feel free to use your favorite protein powder. I recommend a plant-based protein powder for a vegan option. Vanilla or chocolate are fine. If using a chocolate protein powder, omit the cacao powder in the pumpkin/flax recipe.
Flavor
These energy bites are lightly sweetened naturally from dates. They get a flavor boost from the vanilla and optional cacao. This lets the flavor of the seeds and almond butter shine. Feel free to change up the flavor by adding different spices like cinnamon, nutmeg, pumpkin spice, cardamon, or extracts like almond, lemon, or peppermint. You can also you flavored protein powder or collagen. However, these are typically sweetened. If you find you need the balls a little sweeter, this may be a great option for you!
Add-ins
Use these recipes as a base and get creative with add-ins. Some ideas to get you started include:
- Mini chocolate chip
- Raisins
- Dried cranberries
- Cacao nibs
- Gogi berries
- Chopped dates
If you love these Hormones Balancing energy bites, you’ll also love…
-
- Cashew Coconut Collagen Bites
- Cacao Tahini Collagen Bites
- Adaptogen Snack Balls
- Seed Cycling Mixes – Minimalist Baker
- Seed Cycling Crackers – The Herbalist Kitchen
Seed Cycling Energy Bites (Follicular Phase)
Seed Cycling energy bites made of pumpkin and flax seeds to help support hormone balance the follicular phase of your menstrual cycle (days 1-14). These snack bites are low in sugar and boosted with protein for a satisfying snack and to keep blood sugar stable.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 14 1x
Ingredients
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup flax seeds
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup collagen peptides (or plant-based protein powder)
2 tablespoons cacao powder* (optional)
5 Medjool dates
1/2 cup almond butter
2 tablespoons filter water
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of sea salt
Instructions
- Start by grinding the seeds in a spice grinder or a high speed blender. This ensure they are completely broken down into a fine flour (1/2 cup of whole seeds yields 3/4 cup ground).
- Transfer the ground seeds to the bowl of your food processor. Add in the oats, collagen or protein powder, cacao (if using) and dates. Processes until the dates are completely broken down.
- Add almond butter, vanilla and sea salt. Process until a big dough ball forms. Slowly add the water, one tablespoon to help the dough stick together, making it easy to roll.
- Line a plate or small baking sheet with parchment paper and roll the dough into fourteen one-inch sized balls. I use a small cookie scoop then roll by hand. Place the balls on the lined plate and place into the fridge to firm up.
- Store the seed bites in an airtight container in the fridge for two weeks or in the freezer. Eat one ball per day during your follicular phase or days 1-14 of your menstrual cycle.
Notes
The cacao powder is optional. If you choose to use protein powder, you can use a chocolate protein powder and skip the cacao.
Vegan-option: use a plant-based protien powder.
Seed Cycling Energy Bites (Luteal Phase)
Seed Cycling energy bites made of sunflower and sesame seeds to help support hormone balance the luteal phase of your menstrual cycle (days 15-28). These snack bites are low in sugar and boosted with protein for a satisfying snack and to keep blood sugar stable.
- Prep Time: 15 min
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 14 1x
Ingredients
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup quick oats
1/4 cup collagen peptides (or plant-based protein powder)
1/2 cup almond butter
5 Medjool dates
2 tablespoons filetered water
1 teaspoon vanilla
pinch of salt
Instructions
- Start by grinding the seeds in a spice grinder or a high speed blender. This ensure they are completely broken down into a fine flour (1/2 cup of whole seeds yields 3/4 cup ground).
- Transfer the ground seeds to the bowl of your food processor. Add in the oats, collagen or protein powder, and dates. Processes until the dates are completely broken down.
- Add almond butter, vanilla and sea salt. Process until a big dough ball forms. Slowly add the water, one tablespoon to help the dough stick together, making it easy to roll.
- Line a plate or small baking sheet with parchment paper and roll the dough into fourteen one-inch sized balls. I use a small cookie scoop then roll by hand. Place the balls on the lined plate and place into the fridge to firm up.
- Store the seed bites in an airtight container in the fridge for two weeks or in the freezer. Eat one ball per day during your luteal phase or days 15-28 of your menstrual cycle.
Notes
Vegan-option: use a plant-based protien powder.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
I’d love to hear how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #nourishedbynutriton.
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Can you eat these while pregnant?
I bought all the ingredients to start seed cycling for fertility and ended up finding out I’m already pregnant 😊
Hi! Thanks so much for this article and recipe! I was wondering if there is another substitute for the dates or the oats?
[…] Seed Cycling Energy Byte | nutrition by nutrition […]
Can I do combination of pumpkin & flax seed with dark chocolate , do suggest
yes, of course. You can add in dark chocolate chips. You can also sub cocoa powder for the cacao powder.
Hello! I am setting up to make luteal phase- noted that the instructions say eat on day 1-14.
CAN THYROID PATIENTS FOLLOW THIS SEEDS CYCLING METHOD FOR MAINTAINING REGULAR PERIODS
It’s best to work with your doctor in regards to specific medical conditions. That being said, adding in seeds great way to add in nutrients daily.
Hi Jessica! I found your seed cycling info/recipe searching in Google. All information I read about seed cycling recommends using 1T each of pumpkin & flax; and sunflower & sesame. These recipes don’t seem to have enough of each seed to divide them by 14. Not sure if I’m doing something wrong but I think I’m going to adjust/increase the amounts of seeds and try out the recipes! Thanks.
Hi Julie,
Great observation! These recipes are just an easy way to get in some of your seed combinations daily. You are correct there isn’t 1 tablespoon of each bite. That being said you could have two or use the seeds in other delicious ways throughout the day. Sprinkle on salads or any main metal or mix into oatmeal or yogurt. I hope this helps!