When PMS hits hard, things can get out of control easily. Fatigue, the “not-myself” feeling, achy backs and legs and bloating are common symptoms clients experience two weeks prior to their period. During these two weeks, the body goes through many physical and emotional changes due to the dropping estrogen level and rising progesterone level. Many nutrients are required to support the body’s synthesis of progesterone and the detoxification of estrogen. You might experience menstrual discomforts because the nutrient requirement for this transition is not met or if there’s toxin built-up in your system.
Nourishing the body with anti-PMS nutrients is key to reduce the severity of those symptoms. This two-week window is one of my favourite time to help clients through a gentle detox. My method of a gentle detox is by adding lots of nutrient-packed foods into the diet so the body have enough of the key nutrients to perform the natural detoxification process.
Pumpkin seeds, flax seeds, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds naturally contain these key nutrients which promote detoxification and provide building block for hormones. The practice of adding these seeds to the diet at specific times of the menstrual cycle is known as “seed cycling”, which has been widely recommended by naturopathic doctors to support women’s reproductive health. I have shared in an earlier article where I discussed the role of each key nutrients found in the seeds and why you should give it a try.
In a nut shell, I have included some of these nourishing ingredients into this recipe to help the body prepare for a pain-free period. Each of the ingredient plays a role in combating certain PMS symptoms and supporting the liver to rid of the toxins.
Quick, tasty and packed with anti-oxidants, these snack balls are a great side kick to to your lunch/ dinner and they make a good mid-day snacks, too.
Yes, as a nutritionist, I delve deep into why I include each ingredient in this recipes. Hope you enjoy these tasty treats and feel great inside and out! Here’s a list of the star ingredients in this recipe:
Sunflower Seeds
Magnesium has a natural calming and relaxing effect on the mood and it work together with calcium to reduce cramps
Vitamin B6 reduce joint pain, bloating and breast pain caused by water rentention.
Vitamin E and selenium, two anti-oxidant nutrients that support the natural detoxification process in the liver
Sesame Seeds
Calcium is proven to reduce PMS related discomforts in the luteal phase (second half of the cycle)
The seed oil is omega 6 fatty acid, an essential fatty acid required for progesterone (the anti-PMS hormond) production
Rich in zinc, which help to reduce acne.
Cilantro
Mobilize toxins so they are ready to be eliminated from the body
Vitamin A and C are anti-oxidants that boosts your immune system (Do you feel like getting sick more often during the second half of the cycle? This is because the body produces progesterone, means that it naturally lowers your immunity to protect a potential life)
Quick Tip: add the leaf and stem all together into the recipe. The stem tips are rich in many anti-oxidants such as quercetin, which reduces pain and inflammation in the body.
Sunflower Sesame Hummus Bites
Serves 12
Prep Time
15 min
Ingredients
1 cup hummus
1/4 cup coconut flour
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
5 stems of cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 tsp paprika
pinch of cayenne
pinch of turmeric
Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl
Shape them into bite-size balls
Notes
Quick, tasty and packed with anti-oxidants, these snack balls are a great side kick to to your lunch/ dinner and they make a good mid-day snacks, too.