Episode Transcript:

The Nourished Mama - Ep 12

 [00:00:00] Welcome to the Nourished Mama podcast. I am your host, Anna Robinson, certified nutritionist and wellness coach, plus fellow mama. This podcast is here to show you that you can live your healthiest, happiest, most vibrant life as a mama. Each week, I will be sharing different nutrition Lifestyle and mindset hacks that are going to support you in your health journey.

You can expect realistic and sustainable advice, plus strategies that can easily fit into your busy life as a mama. Because without a nourished mama, there can't be a nourished home. So if you are committed to creating a life filled with vibrance for you and for the ones you love most, then you are in the right place.

So let's get into today's life changing episoDe.

Mel, welcome to the Nourish from a [00:01:00] podcast. I am so honored and excited to have you here and share you with my community. You and I have done a few of these different chats, but we have never been able to do it in a long form. So I'm super excited for everybody to be able to gain your incredible knowledge today and also introduce them to the wonderful world of science.

Seed Cycling. Oh, thanks Anna. I always love chatting with you and yeah, like it's nice to have space to really dive into what we want to dive into. Congratulations on the podcast. So exciting. Oh, thanks. Thanks Mel. I know we've always supported each other from the beginning, so I love chatting with you and just your, willingness to share and.

it always shines through just how passionate you are about women's health. And that's why I knew I had to get you on. We've done a few different lives on Instagram, and you've also been in the program as well, which so many of the mommas loved. so I'm super excited to get into it. Now, before we chat [00:02:00] more about it, for anyone that doesn't know Mel, Mel is a functional nutritionist and certified. EFT practitioner. and the beautiful founder behind the seed cycle company, which we're going to get into. But Mel, before we chat more specifically about seed cycling, you are a fellow mama, so you know just how challenging it can be to maintain our health, with multiple different things we carry as mamas.

So before we go into exactly what seed cycling is, I would love for you to share with us maybe some of the challenges that you experience early in your health journey and even how those challenges led you to create the Seed Cycle Company because I love your story. Yes. I would love to share and, I know my story isn't, unique.

so many people, so many women, have. Similar experiences. And that is that throughout my teens and my twenties, I was [00:03:00] obsessed with being skinny. And I went through every single diet you could think of,from the lemon detox to cabbage soup to the shakes and what happened was it destroyed my relationship with food and my body.

And I ended up really hating myself, and I ended up with really bad, disordered eating behaviors, so what actually happened was, I just tried to do an eight week challenge with a gym and it was like really restrictive and it was like, just a list, one page list of foods you could eat and that was it.

 and that just, yeah, really triggered the disordered eating and like this restriction that I felt around food. And so I remember having this thought of what if I study nutrition, then I'll learn how to lose weight. Yeah, like that was my only incentive. So I started, first I did a certificate in nutrition.

It was just basic like calorie information. and basic nutrition information, which is fine. but [00:04:00] then, I came across, functional nutrition, and the philosophy of functional nutrition is that our bodies have an innate intelligence, and given the right resources, we can adapt, heal and thrive.

And I remember looking at the subjects and one of the first subjects was like culture and traditions and it's role in our food choices. And I'm from a Croatian background. Food is how we celebrate. Food is how we pass on traditions. food is life. and I had been trying to shut that down. I'd go to family events and be like, don't eat, don't eat, don't eat.

 it was a cause of stress. And when I started to realize, hold on, this is to be Celebrated and this is a huge part of me and what I'm doing is not working. And so I studied functional nutrition and my whole perspective changed. I was still having those habits though, of the emotional eating and the thoughts around being skinny and trying to lose weight and, restriction.

And so this is where EFT, so emotional freedom techniques, I, I. listening to a podcast and someone was [00:05:00] talking about it. And I did some, I actually just looked up the tapping solution and was started using it. And it really helped with the unconscious beliefs I had around food and the restriction and supporting my nervous system.

And so that. And just on a basic level, what did that involve? Oh, EFT. so as now as a practitioner, there's a lot of techniques in it, but for years, I just, I didn't know how it worked. I just knew it helped me and basically,, there's a sequence that you use and you tap on different acupressure points on your face and your body.

And now I know that sends a calming signal to my amygdala, our stress center, There's over 300 studies now on EFT, the last one I saw I think like 46 percent reduction in cortisol when you're using EFT, so a huge amount., and so that's where I just, my whole life changed and I was able to completely transform.

my health. and part of the story I never really shared, but I think it's important. Like [00:06:00] I did lose 15 kilos as part of that intuitive eating, that switch in that, looking at food from a place of abundance, not scarcity. I promised myself I would never die again.and sometimes, something will sneak in like on Instagram or like when juicing became really, popular, I was like, oh, maybe I should do that.

And I was like, no, this is a diet , I'm not restricting. I really stuck to that. No, non diet approach. yeah, it's the main thing. I actually recorded an episode just last week that, that went out, that's live this week. about. the topic of the episode was lose weight whilst eating more.

But in the episode, I dive into going through that phase of trying every new diet trend. And I remember even one stage I was on some random diet, which involved water and cucumber. And that was it. I remember just feeling so burnt out and even though I would achieve some weight loss results, it would always come at the expense of something else.

Like my hair would [00:07:00] start falling out. I'd feel more exhausted, my skin would break out. And it wasn't until I told myself, you know what? That's it. I'm ditching the diets. No more diets. And that's what caused me to study nutrition and. I never had the intention to lose weight, but when I started looking at food, like you said, from that place of abundance, from how can I fill my plate with more of the good stuff?

I actually lost weight and I lost weight that I was actually able to keep off. And that's where people forget anyone can lose weight on a diet. And I'm not saying that, diets don't work. They do, but the key to weight loss is can you actually keep it off? And that's why 95 percent of diets fail.

And then there's obviously the other side of it where the female body is so different. Like we need our hormones to work, our gut health to work, we need to lower our stress in order for our body to actually burn fat, and stop storing fat. There's so much to it, but when we ditch the diets and [00:08:00] start looking at food from a place of nourishment, then our body is able to actually regulate that weight and come to a healthy weight with it and actually be able to maintain it, which is so key in weight loss anyway, which is what no diet will help you achieve.

Oh, it's such a mental gain too, like I had this underlying core belief of I need to be skinny to be loved. So of course I'm trying to lose weight, and I didn't know it at the time and I, that just felt, now it feels so untrue, but at the time I felt like a fact. I was like, doesn't everyone feel like that?

 like you said, there's so many layers to it. and, but definitely. what triggered that restriction for me was the dieting. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Now getting into the seed cycle a little bit more now, I know obviously you ended up studying functional nutrition and then you started seeing clients.

Did you introduce seed cycling to them after seeing the benefits that it [00:09:00] had given you? No, so what happened was, I was like priding myself on this holistic approach, and so I work with food, I would refer on for supplements, and I was really working with, women to help heal their relationship with food and their bodies, and I was using this approach of functional nutrition and EFT and, mindful eating, so this was like eight years ago, so gut health was really trendy, so I'd talk about fermented foods, and I was on that kind of bandwagon myself, and I'm not against it, like I think it's great.

But I saw this commonality with my clients, and that was, symptoms of hormone, imbalances. So they would say, Mel, I was doing really well and then like my PMS hit, my cravings hit. I feel like I'm losing my mind. I had clients going through perimenopause, a client who was on a pill but didn't want to be anymore, but was so scared to get off.

And so I was like, all signs are pointing to hormones. I wasn't, hormones weren't sexy. I wasn't interested in it. I really didn't know much about hormones.and so I was like, I need to start researching because [00:10:00] I'm missing this huge piece. And so that's where I started to understand the phases of our menstrual cycle and estrogen and progesterone and, and the side, even just all the signs and symptoms that there is an imbalance.

And, and that's when I came across seed cycling. Cause I remember thinking, okay, if it is a hormone imbalance, There's got to be some foods. I'm such a believer in food as medicine. There's got to be some foods we can add in to support their hormones. And the first article I came across was by Dr.

Jolene Brighton. So she's a hormone specialist in the US and she was talking about how she was prescribing seed cycling to her patients to help them get off the pill, to help with period menopause, like all the things my clients were struggling with. and there was detailed explanations of the nutrients in the seeds.

And at the time there was no research or studies on seed cycling as a practice, but there was a huge body of evidence, particularly with flaxseed and hormone modulation, postpartum oestrogen. So it started to [00:11:00] tick off the boxes. And then I saw. Steph Lowe, The Natural Nutritionist, using it here in Australia.

I saw Nat Kareem Gouda, it's like the,Dr. Mark Hyman talking about it. I read the book In the Flow by Lisa Aviti and she's talking about, and I was like, Oh my gosh, all these people are talking about seed cycling. and so I tested, I was pregnant. And so you can see it's like way pregnant and nutrients are really great.

but I wanted to test it with someone else. So I used my sister-in-law as a Guinea pig, so she had just gotten off the pill. Her skin was angry, like a lot of hormonal acne around her chin. Her period hadn't returned. and so this is where I started. perfect. Can we do the sleeves and we'd have the, yeah, I'd make up the flax seed and the pumpkin seed.

I actually make her the. Biscuits and the brownies, which now we have products because she was so fussy with me. She was like, I don't know if I like them. I don't eat salads. I was like, what if I sneak them in, something like a healthy treat, like I do with my kids, nutrients, and within three or so [00:12:00] months, like her period came back, her skin cleaned up, and we were just both like, wow.

And then after that, I started, it was just a tool that I'd teach my client. and it worked, it was like that missing puzzle piece. And so we would see, I had a client who felt pregnant, and I remember she burst into my office and she's it was the seeds. Oh, I love that story.

I didn't know, but it makes sense when you're supporting a healthy menstrual cycle, healthy ovulation, it's increasing your chances of conception and we saw improvements with perimenopause and PMS and regulating cycles. So that's where it really, yeah, seed cycling then. Probably for a couple of years was just something I would teach.

and then I hit another roadblock, which was that clients were like, it's all too hard Mel or some clients.so that's where I started creating seed blends for them. Cause I'm like, Oh, I'm doing my own. I can just. Yeah. Yeah. I love that story. Now [00:13:00] before we, we go into that, do you want to give everybody a quick little background on what seed cycling actually is?

Yeah. So it's a nutritional naturopathic technique and basically the concept is that you're having specific seeds. at specific times in your cycle, because as women, we have different nutrient requirements in different phases, and we're cyclical, and the nutrients in the seeds, so flax seed and pumpkin seed in the first phase.

Sesame and sunflower are the second phase. And so in the first phase, you've got a lot of omega 3s. You've got the phytoestrogens, you've got magnesium. and then in the second phase, you've got vitamin E, you've got selenium and more omegas, lignans, and fiber as well. And so those nutrients are helping the body with the production, elimination of estrogen and progesterone.

And it's just so beautiful because it connects us with our cycle and it's really blending. modern science and ancient wisdom, [00:14:00] because for a lot of women, we actually see cycling with the moon, because you have a regular cycle or going through perimenopause or your cycle is missing. if you're on the pill, then we connect to the rhythm of the moon phases, and there's no coincidence that the moon and a menstrual cycle are the same length.

So we're using that to mimic a cycle. Yeah. And you, what I've realized as well is after I was able to regulate my period from seed cycling, I now naturally cycle with the moon. And this is something that we all did, back in the days as women, we all, menstruated together, which is beautiful.

And so incredible now, I know you touched on how that seed cycling works. Now I personally started seed cycling myself for PCOS and my endometriosis. And one of the, one of the biggest things that I noticed was a huge difference in my symptoms. But then on top of that, I saw so many other [00:15:00] benefits from skin health was a huge one for me, weight management, my cravings, it reduced bloating for me.

And that's why it's something that I absolutely advocate for all the time. I know you touched on some of the incredible benefits, but what are some more that you can share with us? that people should experience on seed cycling or can experience on seed cycling. Like I'm super biased and I feel like everybody should seed cycle.

but what are some of the symptoms that you see that seed cycling could benefit with? Yeah. Those that you mentioned are just beautiful. Deaf within the first month. and, we, I saw seed cycling work on a small scale with my clients, but now it's all, it's. 3 years,thousands, I've spoken to thousands of customers.

We do it, we collect our own data as well. We have our own case studies and what we see is within the first month, women saying my skin feels brighter, I'm having less breakouts, my digestion feels better. And then it's really that 3 month mark that we start to [00:16:00] notice. cycles regulating, we start to notice reductions in PMS, in perimenopause symptoms, weight loss as well.

and that's a combination of particularly, if we've got excess estrogen, we can tend to store weight around the tummy. And so the body, the seeds are helping the body eliminate excess estrogen, but also the seeds have beautiful fatty acids, which keep us fuller for longer. so I have a story.

Supports the cravings. Which is, yes. I had a, a customer reach out and say, I'm eating so much healthier now because of the seeds. I used to just have a Vegemite on toast for breakfast, I want to do the seeds justice. So I make myself a beautiful bowl now and I'm having more protein and.

so it's like a keystone habit. I would never seed cycling is an adjunct. And, if you have a hormone imbalance, if you're struggling, or concerned about your fertility, particularly like endometriosis and PCOS as well, go, go work with a specialist. You probably need a team [00:17:00] around you to support you.

and it might take a while to find the right people, seed cycling is an adjunct to that.and even, I've had people say, Oh, I'm working with, with a herbalist and they've given me some herbs, but, I think I'll stop that and start seed cycling because I'm not sure what's going to work.

And I'm like, no, do both. And it's never one thing. It's usually that combination of all the things that create that wellness and healing. Yeah. And I think what a lot of people need to remember as well with seed cycling, it literally is one of the most effective or one of the biggest examples of using food as medicine.

And it is also one of the most natural ways. To, nourish your body and to, again, use food as medicine. And it works alongside anything like I, when I do introduce it as well in my program, people say, Oh, but then I'm taking this supplement. Can I do this while I'm doing this? And yes, like seed cycling is literally.

Four [00:18:00] beautiful seeds, that you can introduce into your life that are loaded with so many vitamins, minerals, fatty acids, and they are beneficial for you for all different reasons. But they, the studies have found that when you take them in those two different cycles, it dramatically can support your menstrual cycle, your cyclical cycle.

So don't be afraid to introduce seed cycling with whatever else you're doing. it is just an incredible bonus to add into your life. So I love that. Yeah. That's right. There aren't any contraindicators besides from if you have a seed allergy, but even then there's ways to work around that. say if you're only allergic to sesame seeds.

Then you can still do the phase 1 seeds and then you could double the dose of, sunflower seeds, in the second half. and I guess the other contraindicator, or not so much contraindicator, but, thing that, can happen, particularly if you have IBS, or you're been eating an ultra processed food [00:19:00] diet, not much fibre, is, that the seeds can make you go to the bathroom.

or you might feel a little bit bloated, and so what we do there is just half the dose. so the dose and, what's being recommended by the experts and used, in the PCOS, seed cycling study is one tablespoon of each seed ground up, and so you could just, so that's two tablespoons, you could just, Take one tablespoon and then build that up.

Yeah. and touching on that really quickly while we're here, the dosages are super important and that's where all the research and study is based. so if someone did want to start seed cycling today, it, Does include those four seeds and they must be grinded. Cause that's what everybody says to me, Oh, do I have to grind them?

Yes, you need to grind them. And that's why I love the seed cycle company because you literally do all the hard work for everybody. You get it delivered monthly. It's there done for you, but the way you have the seeds and the dosage you have is super important. Yeah, and it [00:20:00] is ground up. I've had people say to me, Oh, can I just chew the seeds really well?

And maybe like the pumpkin seeds and the sunflower seeds are a bit bigger, but the flax seeds and sesame seeds are going to go straight through you and your body. The shell has to be broken to access the nutrients inside. The cold milling process that we take the seeds through as well help remove some of the anti nutrients.

cause I get asked about,soaking the seeds and activating them. so for us, there's too much risk for me, to be soaking, seeds in terms of like mold. and, but at home you could absolutely go through that process if you're doing it yourself. but for us it's because we are grinding them.

I'm doing the same thing in terms of helping the body, access and nutrients, removing some of those, anti nutrients, and the other question I get asked is, can I have the other seeds in the other, so if I'm in phase two, can I still have like pumpkin seeds if I've got it in my granola?

I'm like, yeah, absolutely. like you were saying, it's a food. have that dose of the [00:21:00] seeds and cycle them because there's something so powerful in connecting with your cyclical rhythm, even just that body literacy, body awareness of this is where I'm at in my cycle.

And this is what I need. It's so interesting that the phase two seeds are higher in calories and we need. More calories. So it's just perfectly set up, to honor that cycle, which is just so beautiful. And I love that. And, speaking of how, what are some ways that people can have the seeds? Cause I get asked that question a lot.

but where do you put the seeds? How do you have them? Yeah. some people say, can I just mix it with water? And I'm like, You could, I don't know how great that will taste. There are so many beautiful ways, like you can add it to avocado and toast, you can add it into a smoothie, you can add it into, mix it in with yogurt, which is one of my favorite ways.

You can add it to soups, like it's so versatile. And then there's like a whole, heap of recipes from blues balls to muffins to, and [00:22:00] then we have the biscuits. And the brownies. So we've got brownies for phase one, biscuits phase two, and we've worked out the doses for you. So you've got like a healthy snack plus the dose of seeds.

we have protein seed cycling plus protein as well. so I always say I never want anyone to stop seed cycling because they got bored of it. I'm going to show you so many ways. Like I've been making chocolate, seed cycle chocolates, divine chocolates. I actually love having mine on my salad because I just find it as like a whole nother depth to my salad.

It's so good. And Mel, one of the other things that I personally love most about seed cycling is that it is extremely beneficial for women of color. All ages, whether you are menstruating or not. even teenagers, which we spoke about a little bit in another call. Are you able to chat a little bit more about that?

Oh my gosh. It's my favorite thing. Usually the mom's seed cycling and then has this aha moment. [00:23:00] They're like, oh my gosh, my daughter just got her period or she's about to like, can she seed cycle too? Yes, like what a beautiful introduction to food as medicine to understanding her cycle, to supporting her cycle.

and especially we started the call talking about diet culture. seed cycling is like the most perfect example of adding something in that's gonna Support your health rather than restriction. So even just that abundance with food. And I guess the other thing that we hear all the time is that teens are experiencing like, hormonal acne breakouts or irregular cycles or PMS.

They get taken to the doctor and then the doctor puts them on the pill. and what that does is shuts down that maturing of that cycle. So then when you go to get off the pill in 10 years time, people say, I feel like I'm a teenager again. My skin's breaking. And it's yeah, you've got you having to go through that maturing process that was stopped.

I'm not talking about contraception for the bill. That's a different [00:24:00] conversation. But, in terms of using it to regulate a cycle, it's not doing that. it's actually shutting it down. I, my hope is that, we can get that teenager seed cycling, we can support her hormones, get her cycle nice and regular, reduce those symptoms.

and then that doesn't happen in terms of for hormones. Yeah. I love that. And just the concept of the mother doing it alongside the daughter is also just so beautiful as well. And now I know recently you shared an incredible, study with me about the, the research between PCOS and seed cycling.

and that has just opened some incredible doors that you have also been able to knock down as well when it comes to GPs. and you've recently, been able to go and train some GPs in using seed cycle for PCOS. symptoms. Are you able to chat a little bit more about that? Cause I love this. Yeah. So this was a study done in 2023, and it was looking, it was [00:25:00] done over three months, started off with nine.

So there's gaps in the study. I'll say that it started with 96. women ended up with 60, which is still a decent amount, and even that there's any studies at all, there was no external funding given for this study. So really ethical. And we saw some really great results. it actually, Seed cycling, so there was a seed cycling group, a control group and a metformin group, which is a drug usually used to, help PCOS symptoms.

So seed cycling outperformed metformin, and, there was also, so there was ultrasounds, done before and after and blood work, and there was a 36 percent reduction in cyst degeneration, which is just huge. and yeah, this opened up doors for us. We had GPs wanting us to come and train them in seed cycling, which we were doing last year.

it's amazing. It's hard. I can imagine. Yeah, I had one GP. , we have this slide that has all the nutrients and the percentage,over [00:26:00] 100 percent daily recommended intake of omega 3. I don't know what it is, 47 percent magnesium, whatever, all the percentages of the seeds.

And, I had one of the GPs say to us, Oh, so you fortify the seeds with those nutrients? I know nature does that for us.

But youit's just, it's great that we can, that they're interested, that we can share this, and it can be, yeah, offered as, as an adjunct. we've also, this year, we've been contacted by some pharmacists. there's a training, program that they're doing that has seed cycling in it, in their hormone component.

Wow. So then they're, yeah, obviously doing their own research and reaching out to us and wanting to know more and, wanting to know about case studies. it's so exciting. It's so exciting to seeing it recognized, in the medical space. Yeah. Yeah. Oh, just having it recognized in the medical space that way is huge.

And [00:27:00] hopefully this is just the beginning of, using food as medicine, which is super exciting. And now Mel, let us know if we, someone wants to start seed cycling now, what do they need to do? Tell us a little bit about the seed cycle, the blends, how to get their hands on it. And all of that. Yes.

So basically there's two ways to seed cycle. You can seed cycle with your own menstrual cycle, if your cycle is regular, or like I mentioned before, if you're irregular, if you're on the pill, perimenopause, postmenopause, if you're pregnant, use the moon, as your guide. And it's so beautiful.

I have so many women who say, I was a bit unsure about the moon, Mel, but oh my gosh, I feel so much, I feel grounded. And it's super easy. Like we send out emails to remind you of the full moon and the new moon, and you're having phase one from a new moon, phase two from a full moon. And you can download that tracker that you have and you can actually just find that information in your weather app as well.

Cause a lot of people say, I don't know [00:28:00] when the moon is full, but it's so you'll get into the rhythm and it feels really nice. My mission is to teach seed cycling. It's something that you can do yourself. You can go out and get the seeds, always make sure they're certified organic, particularly for our hormones because of the, pesticides and endocrine disrupting chemicals that kind of go against what we're trying to do.

and you can, use a coffee grinder, to grind them up if that sounds too hard. Then we have, the products, which you can get on our website. We have over a hundred stockers, so we shoot worldwide. but we have a hundred stock, over a hundred stockers in Australia. so that's a mix of health food stores, skin clinics, chiropractic clinics,yoga studios, gyms, it's so beautiful.

It's just,and now pharmacies and, we've got a couple of GPs that are stocking it in Queensland. so we've got a stocklist, list on our website, and I know you also have a code that you can share. your community to give them a discount. I'll pop that up in the show notes for everybody because it is a great discount.

And it's just [00:29:00] such a beautiful way to introduce seed cycling into your life. just getting the pack ready there, phase one and phase two. if you did want to try it at home, the first phase, the two seeds in the first phase, and then the two seeds in the second phase. Do you want to just run through that?

The first phase is from day one of your period, till around day, 15, or ovulation. And that is, flaxseed and pumpkin seed. And then phase two is the second half of your cycle, and that's sesame seed and sunflower seed. Yes. Perfect. It is so simple and easy. It's complicated, but it's actually so simple and easy.

And once you actually introduce it, you end up craving the seeds as well, which is so nice.and guys, I will pop Mel's website in our show notes as well as that discount as well. Now, Mel, I do ask all my guests this question, and I know you were going to give some great advice here, but what is some advice and some tips you could give a mama who is.

It's currently in the trenches, feeling [00:30:00] burnt out, unhappy in her own skin. She has no idea where to start. What is something that she can start doing today to support her health that's realistic but powerful? Oh, gosh. I like the first thing I thought was like seed cycling. It just sets off, that it's like.

That keystone habit, when you add that one thing in, and then that sets into motion that you start to feel better, your digestion starts to work better. It's support for us, especially us women, like when our hormones are out of balance, we feel like crap, and everything's hard. Whereas if you can support your hormones, then, everything else falls into place.

So I think it that hormone support. after that, I think Yeah, like obviously like the mindset work and supporting your nervous system, whether that is using meditation or EFT or yoga or actually just sunlight, like five minutes of sun on your skin, that changes everything for me. [00:31:00] if I can get up and get that red light, like I'm like a different person, no matter what has happened.

I feel like I'm still in the trenches with my kids. I find parenting really difficult. I love being a mother, the discipline and the, the busyness of get in the car. We've got to do this now. This we're talking about this sport,it's a lot, but if I can just Get some sun on my skin,And that's the, and that goes back to as well, like just the little things like seed cycling is something that isn't just simple and easy to introduce into your life. It's also natural. It's using food as medicine. It's a great introduction to nourishing your body, but it also is this like beautiful ritual where it's like this thing that you're doing just for you, which I think is another reason why I love it as well, because it's, it's taking that time to go.

To do that extra little thing that's just for you. And I think that's so important in motherhood as well. and that's why I also love calling it a ritual. And for me, it's one of the biggest reasons why [00:32:00] I teach it as well in my programs. There are so many things, as you would know, that we can talk about when it comes to hormones, when it comes to gut health.

but out of a lot of the things that I could talk about, seed cycling is one thing that I do choose to introduce because I know one node, just how powerful it is. Also, it's. It's natural. it's a ritual. It's, it's supporting the mother, like the woman, which I just find so beautiful as well.

And I just love what you've created Mel. Thank you. I do think, it connects us with nature and I think that, the seeds do more for us than we'll ever understand. Like nature is just so intelligent. And so if I can rattle off like this percentage of this and this nutrient, but I truly believe that our bodies recognize those nutrients in the seeds and they're just so supportive.

Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And I think as well, they are a powerful way. What I feel is. It's a powerful way, through that journey [00:33:00] of womanhood as well, like whether you're starting them when you're, in your thirties, in your forties, and then, they're supporting you through those perimenopausal years, and then they're supporting you through the menopausal years.

And I know, The statistics and research might not 100 percent be there, but I truly believe that these are the types of practices that will change the way that you view menopause. They will change the way that your body goes through menopause, even though there might not be so much evidence there right now, I think that'll be something that A lot of people are talking about in the next decade.

Oh, yeah, I totally agree. And I love talking about the seasons of womanhood, like you were saying, and how, particularly like menopause, postmenopausal, and even while you're pregnant, like there are so many things that you can't have and supplements that you can't have. And like seed cycling does not exclude anyone, which I just, I'm so proud of that.

cause women, particularly postmenopausal said to me, I don't have those hormones. I don't.this isn't for me and it's but it is, you're still a woman [00:34:00] and we're still cyclical. And then when we connect with the moon and the nutrients, yeah. And same with pregnancy,it's Oh, you're pregnant.

maybe to the side. No, like we're all in it. We're all in it together. Yeah. And we wouldn't, we can't do that now, but if we broke down every beautiful nutrients that you get from each of those seeds, you will know just how much it'll benefit you no matter what. stage you were in, whether you were menstruating or you're not, whether you're pregnant, the benefits are just endless of those nutrients.

So I just love everything that it's about. Oh, thanks Ana. Thanks so much for jumping on Mel. I always love having these talks with you. We will pop all the details for the seed cycle in the show notes.and Mel has just shared so much wisdom and knowledge with us. If there's anything you can take away from this, it definitely is give seed cycling a go because it can really transform your life.

Oh, thank you.

Thank you so much for joining me today. I hope this conversation has inspired you [00:35:00] to live your healthiest, happiest life. Don't forget to subscribe and tune in next week. Bye for now.