Recipes  /  Follicular
🌱 Days 6–13

Follicular

Build oestrogen, support thyroid, lighter prep — your best energy window

Energy is rising, oestrogen is building. This is the time for lighter, fresher food. Raw and fermented foods are welcome. Focus on selenium for thyroid, cruciferous veg for oestrogen clearance, and seed cycling with flax + pumpkin.

Cooking Principles

Raw or lightly cooked is fine now · Fermented foods welcome · Brazil nuts daily (selenium + oestrogen) · Cruciferous veg for oestrogen clearance · Seed cycling: ground flax + pumpkin daily

⭐ Breakfast / Snack
Berry Smoothie with Flax
& Brazil Nut Milk
Berries are oestrogen-supporting. Ground flax is seed cycling for this phase. Brazil nuts give selenium — your single most important thyroid nutrient. Coconut oil gives stable fats.
Prep5 min
Serves1
Ingredients
  • 2 cups frozen blueberries or berry blend
  • 1 cup almond milk or coconut milk
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed (seed cycling)
  • 2–3 Brazil nuts (selenium)
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1 cup ice
  • Optional: 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds to top
Method
  1. Add liquid to blender first.
  2. Add berries, Brazil nuts, flax, coconut oil, protein and ice.
  3. Blend high until smooth. Serve immediately.
🌱 The selenium in Brazil nuts (70–90 µg each) is your daily dose in 2–3 nuts. This is the most bioavailable form. The berries + flax combination also supports oestrogen metabolism and clearance — which means less oestrogen dominance later in the cycle.
🌰 Seed Cycling Butter for This Phase
Phase 1 — Follicular Blend

Golden Girl

Pumpkin + Flax Butter
Days 1–16 · Menstrual → Follicular → Ovulation
Ingredients
  • Raw pumpkin seeds — 1 cup
  • Ground flaxseed — ¼ cup
  • Coconut oil — 1 tbsp
  • Vanilla extract — 1 tsp
  • Ceylon cinnamon — 1 tsp
  • Raw honey or maple syrup — 1 tbsp
  • Flaky sea salt — pinch
Method

Add pumpkin seeds to a food processor and blend for 8–10 minutes, scraping down the sides every couple of minutes. Be patient — they'll go from crumbly to a ball to suddenly creamy. Once smooth, add the flaxseed, coconut oil, vanilla, cinnamon, honey, and salt. Blend another minute until combined. Transfer to a glass jar.

Why it works Pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc to support oestrogen production during the follicular phase. Flaxseed provides lignans that help modulate oestrogen levels and support healthy T4→T3 thyroid conversion. The cinnamon helps stabilise blood sugar through the longer first half of your cycle.

bleedandfeed.com