February 07 2022
Meet Moonchy bars: the new healthy snack that will balance your hormones
Learn how to easily start seed cycling by eating the right kind of seeds at the right moment in your cycle.
After reading the Women Code and In The Flo, both written by hormones specialist Alisa Vitti, we’ve changed the way we see our hormones and became obsessed with cycle syncing. We truly realised how important hormones were in regulating our entire body and the central role they play in our lives. Most of all, it taught us how women’s internal clocks are not set at all like men’s, and how the way our society works today is not adapted to fit this clock of ours, but theirs.
As men follow a circadian rhythm, based on the 24-hours clock of the day, we follow a much more complex rhythm - a 28-day hormone cycle, governed by a special biological rhythm called the infradian rhythm. This means that - just like the moon - we go through different phases every month, through which hormonal fluctuations influence our body temperature, our skin, our sleep, our energy, our emotions, our brain, and so much more. This also means that as women, we need to adapt every day to live more in balance with our body and its needs.
What are these phases?
There are four phases : Follicular, Ovulatory, Luteal and Menstrual. Each one of these phases comes with its specific needs regarding foods, exercise, and even the kind of work you should be doing, because of how hormones affect your brain. By syncing up your daily activities with your infradian rhythm, you will
promote optimal health by balancing your hormones.
Eating the right foods at the right time will give you the needed nutrients that help you optimize your cycle through the natural shifts that happen in each phase. Today, we will focus on this aspect, and particularly on a very specific type of nutrient dense food: seeds.
Unbalanced hormones bring uncomfortable symptoms linked to each phase. For example, the follicular phase can bring low energy, while the ovulatory phase can lead to breakouts and ovary pain. The luteal phase can bring cravings and mood swings, as the menstrual phase comes with cramps and reduced immunity. The seed cycling method splits these four phases into two, in which you should alternate specific kinds of seeds.
Eating the right foods at the right time will give you the needed nutrients that help you optimize your cycle through the natural shifts that happen in each phase. Today, we will focus on this aspect, and particularly on a very specific type of nutrient dense food: seeds.
How does seed cycling work?
Seed cycling is a practice that consists of eating a certain combination of four seeds throughout your cycle. As we said, your hormones fluctuate during the four phases of your cycle, meaning your body requires different nutrients to help your system stay balanced. Seeds are a nutritional powerhouse that will allow you to regulate and improve your menstrual cycle and reduce its uncomfortable symptoms, by giving you the exact nutrients you need to support healthy hormones.Unbalanced hormones bring uncomfortable symptoms linked to each phase. For example, the follicular phase can bring low energy, while the ovulatory phase can lead to breakouts and ovary pain. The luteal phase can bring cravings and mood swings, as the menstrual phase comes with cramps and reduced immunity. The seed cycling method splits these four phases into two, in which you should alternate specific kinds of seeds.
Here is how it works:
Phase 1 (Follicular) Day 1 - 14
In the first phase of your cycle estrogen level increases as an egg prepares to be released. Micronutrients from both flax and pumpkin seeds naturally support your body during this process. In particular, lignans of which flax seeds are a great source, help reduce breast pain and clear the body of excess hormones. Both flax and pumpkin seeds are also rich in zinc and magnesium which help minimise period-related cramps and bleeding intensity as well as reduce menstrual migraines and boost your mood. These seeds are also a rich source of healthy fats: omega-3 and omega-6 which are essential for optimal hormone production and your overall health and beauty.
In the first phase of your cycle estrogen level increases as an egg prepares to be released. Micronutrients from both flax and pumpkin seeds naturally support your body during this process. In particular, lignans of which flax seeds are a great source, help reduce breast pain and clear the body of excess hormones. Both flax and pumpkin seeds are also rich in zinc and magnesium which help minimise period-related cramps and bleeding intensity as well as reduce menstrual migraines and boost your mood. These seeds are also a rich source of healthy fats: omega-3 and omega-6 which are essential for optimal hormone production and your overall health and beauty.
Phase 2 (Luteal) Day 15 - 28
The second phase of your cycle is progesterone-dominant. The body prepares for a possible pregnancy during this time. By eating sesame and sunflower seeds you take advantage of their rich nutrient profile and support the natural rhythm of this phase. Lignans present in sesame seeds help regulate your cycle and detoxify excess estrogen. Vitamin E found in sunflower seeds is an important antioxidant that promotes fertility and healthy progesterone levels, as well as makes your skin glow. Both types of seeds are also high in calcium, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and vitamin B1 & B6 which help diminish various PMS symptoms, improve your mood and boost your overall health.
The second phase of your cycle is progesterone-dominant. The body prepares for a possible pregnancy during this time. By eating sesame and sunflower seeds you take advantage of their rich nutrient profile and support the natural rhythm of this phase. Lignans present in sesame seeds help regulate your cycle and detoxify excess estrogen. Vitamin E found in sunflower seeds is an important antioxidant that promotes fertility and healthy progesterone levels, as well as makes your skin glow. Both types of seeds are also high in calcium, zinc, magnesium, selenium, and vitamin B1 & B6 which help diminish various PMS symptoms, improve your mood and boost your overall health.
In short, to practice seed cycling, you need to stick to a daily routine of eating a certain combination of four seeds throughout your cycle, following the infographic below. Phase 1 starts with your period, and ends with ovulation, but if you are unsure how to determine the phases of your cycle, we personally keep track of them using MyFlo and Daysy apps.
Our newest addition to the shop
Moonchy Bars is our new addition but also our new addiction - each bar contains the exact quantities of organic raw seeds needed daily to practice seed cycling. The seeds in the bars are finely ground – grinding enables your body to extract more nutrients from the seeds. The seeds also remain raw - in the production process, none of the ingredients is heated up above 38 °C. The seeds should be consumed raw because healthy fats and antioxidants in seeds are fragile and might be damaged when being exposed to heat. They're also mixed with other highly nutritional ingredients, which you can read about on different products pages.
The bars come in four different flavours - 2 for each phase - that you can choose to get individually. You can also get them by packages that contains the right number either for the full length of your cycle, or if you don't want to eat them everyday, for just half of your cycle (1 day out of 2).
Phase 1 ⏤ Berry Vanilla or Salty Hazelnut
They both have
been created to assist your body in restoring and maintaining its natural rhythm during the second half of the cycle (days 15 - 28). They contain ashwagandha powder and the exact quantities of organic raw sesame seeds and sunflower seeds needed daily to practice seed cycling.
Moonchy Berry Vanilla is a uniquely textured white choc + seed bar with nutty, fruity & vanilla notes.
Moonchy Salty Hazelnut is a uniquely textured choc + seed bar with roasted Piedmont hazelnuts (the most valuable hazelnut) and a pinch of Alpine rock salt.
Phase 2 ⏤ Hazelnut Nougat or Cashew Banana
They both have been created to assist your body in restoring and maintaining its natural rhythm during the first half of the cycle (days 1 - 14). It contains maca root powder and the exact quantities of organic raw flax seeds and pumpkin seeds needed daily to practice seed cycling.
Moonchy Hazelnut Nougat is a creamy white choc + seed bar with roasted Piedmont hazelnuts (the most valuable hazelnut) and a pinch of Alpine rock salt.
Moonchy Cashew Banana is a mylk choc + seed bar with cashews and freeze-dried bananas blended into a creamy structure.
We want to hear about your new daily routine
Bear in mind that natural solutions aren’t a quick fix. Give your body time to find its natural balance and enjoy the benefits of healthy menstrual cycles. If you have any questions use the comments section below or reach out to us directly on Instagram, and please share your experience with us, we would love to discuss and get your feedback !
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