This conversation is one where I got to learn just as much as you will, and I loved every minute of it! Kate Morton, registered dietician and founder of Funk It Wellness, joined me to talk all about seed cycling to balance your hormones naturally.
Kate’s cycle support company creates products and education for all phases of the menstrual cycle, whether you’re thinking about freezing your eggs for later, smack-dab in the middle of your fertility journey, or entering perimenopause.
Right after she completed her fellowship, Kate left the States and moved to New Zealand where she worked at LuLuLemon and then at Wellness Beverage before starting Funk It. During that time, she went off birth control and struggled to get her period back. When it returned, she had cramps, moodiness, bloating, and hormonal acne along with a completely irregular cycle.
Now, with Funk It Wellness, she strives to share the education and resources that helped her get back to a regular cycle, improve her acne, and steady her mood and energy.
When I was a medical student, I honestly never thought I would ever be talking about seed cycling and its benefits because it’s not something we’re taught. But if you know anything about me, you know that I’m a huge advocate of continuing to educate yourself and learn about the different ways you can meet your unique needs in real life. This conversation will help you do just that!
Dr. Aimee: I am beyond delighted to have someone that I’ve been hoping would come onto the show for quite some time, Kate Morton.
Hi, Kate.
Kate Morton: Thank you so much for having me. It’s such a dream to be here and be chatting with you.
Dr. Aimee: I love learning about how people have chosen to start companies, and your background is such a perfect fit for what you do. Tell us a bit more about your background as a dietician and what got you interested in this field.
Kate Morton: So, I’m a registered dietician, I have my undergraduate degree in nutrition and kinesiology, and I have my master’s degree in human clinical nutrition. I was actually a pediatric pulmonary dietician before really getting into the hormone world.
I had just completed my fellowship and then I moved to New Zealand, where I couldn’t be a dietician, so it forced me to get outside of my comfort zone. I worked at LuLuLemon, did a lot of products and marketing, and then I worked at other startups because I’m really passionate about truly better-for-you options. I think we’ve all been to the grocery store, and we read a label and we have no idea what the ingredients are and there are so many chemicals in our food now.
So, I helped companies to reformulate their products over there simultaneously while getting off of birth control, which I thought was going to be this breeze, I was so excited. I was one of those people that just had every side effect in the book, everything that you could have, happened to me. I bled for like two years. I had spotting for two years. I became super iron deficient. I got off of birth control, and all of the issues that I didn’t deal with before getting on it came flooding back.
I was living in a foreign country, I didn’t know anybody, and I really felt super alone. I was like I’m going to invest in my health, go to the doctor, get this figured out. It really came back to a lot of self-education and learning, experimenting on myself. Then finally I turned a corner and I was like I have to share this with everyone, everyone should feel amazing every month.
The menstrual cycle is just incredible and I could talk about it all day long, but it’s so powerful and so incredible, and there is just so much we’re not taught. That’s how I went from being a pediatric pulmonary dietician to a hormone dietician and cycle enthusiast.
Dr. Aimee: I have to ask you a question. Are you anti-birth-control?
Kate Morton: That’s such a good question. I am not anti-birth-control by any means because I do think it serves a really important purpose in our society. I’m all about people having all of the education to make the best choice for themselves. That is truly what I want in this world. I want a world where we have birth control and we have education, and we can say right now I’m at the phase in my life where getting pregnant is not an option for me and birth control is my best option, I know the risks and the side effects. I also know that maybe if I can take a multivitamin and incorporate these foods into my diet, it can help support being on birth control.
So, I’m very pro people making their own informed decisions.
Dr. Aimee: I agree. I don’t like birth control because I’m trying to get everyone pregnant, so it’s a little opposite to what I’m trying to do. But birth control pills have so many non-contraceptive benefits. We use them as egg freezing planning pills, IVF planning pills, frozen embryo transfer planning pills, so they definitely serve a role and function.
I think a lot of people think the side effects from the birth control pills are one of those things that there’s just something wrong with them and it’s not the pill. I’m so glad that you’re talking about the things that you’ve experienced because, honestly, I’ve experienced a lot of the same things. I consider, for myself, pills as poison. I cannot take birth control, I haven’t found one that I like, and luckily, I don’t have to deal with that anymore. I’m glad that you’re sharing your perspective and talking more about it.
Now I want you to tell us: what is a cycle support company, what does that mean?
Kate Morton: We did so much work around this when we were getting ready. I never thought I would be an entrepreneur, I never thought I would be a founder, I never thought I would have my own company. I’ve worked at startups, I knew how much work it was. I was like, “I like my wellness life, but I’m really passionate about this.” When we sat down, I was like I don’t want to just be a seed cycling company, I want to really put education first.
I think my background as a dietician really has given me this deep passion for educating and teaching on things that we may not already know about like food, and food as medicine, and now cycle tracking. We wanted to have a product that was truly better for you and truly helped you, but we also wanted to have the education to be free and accessible for anybody. Maybe you don’t want to buy our product or it’s not in your budget right now, but you can come to our website and still leave with something of value. That’s why I really focus on cycle support company and menstrual health company, because even if you don’t want to buy our product, we want you to know about your cycle for free.
Dr. Aimee: What was your first product?
Kate Morton: Our first product was our seed cycling kits. That really was my introduction into the hormone world. I was told by a holistic doctor about it and then I was also told by a friend. Being a dietician, I’m very skeptical because I had my own private practice for a while, people would walk in with buckets of supplements and I would literally be like, “You have very expensive pee right now. You are not absorbing these. These are not in the correct form. This is just BS, to be completely honest.”
I’m really big on food as medicine, but I’m also really skeptical of everything, so I did a ton of research. I was like my acne was so out of control, it was so painful that I could barely sleep at night on my cheeks and the side of my face, my period was so irregular, my cycle was around 56 to 60 days, I wasn’t ovulating consistently, which I didn’t know at the time, but I know that now. Then when my period would come, it would literally knock me out and I couldn’t even go to work. I was like this can’t be right, so I started digging in and digging deeper.
I actually found a lot of research that supported using seeds for hormonal benefits and menstrual cycle benefits, and then I thought I’m just going to do it, I’m just going to jump in and try it. After three months, everything was not perfect by any means, it’s not a silver bullet, but my acne had started to heal, I was feeling better, my cycle had come from 56 days down to 45 days, and now I’m at a 29 day cycle after five years. It took a long time.
So, that’s what I launched as our first product. I actually started making it in my kitchen at the beginning of COVID. I was like, “Any of my friends, if you’re having bad period problems, I will make you these kits and deliver them to your house.” That’s what it started out as. Then there just was a really big need for it and it spiraled from there.
Dr. Aimee: Explain seed cycling for us. How does it actually work?
Kate Morton: Seed cycling is actually really simple. It almost sounds too good to be true, because that’s definitely what I thought.
Step one, and this also goes back to why we are a cycle wellness company and an education company, you have to track your menstrual cycle to seed cycle. It’s non negotiable, step one, track your menstrual cycle. From the first day of your period until when you ovulate, you’re going to have ground organic pumpkin and flax seeds. Those are really rich in omega 3s, phytoestrogens, zinc, and magnesium, it’s great for supporting that first half of your cycle nutritionally.
After you ovulate, so if you are temperature tracking, when your temperature spikes, you’re going to start taking organic ground sesame and sunflower seeds. They have lots of vitamin B6, again with magnesium and zinc, but also vitamin E, which is really nourishing for the second half of your cycle when it comes to PMS symptoms, specifically breast tenderness, painful periods, and mood swings.
That’s how it works. You have one tablespoon of flax and one tablespoon of pumpkin in that first half. One tablespoon of sesame and one tablespoon of sunflower in the second half.
Dr. Aimee: That’s daily?
Kate Morton: That is daily.
Dr. Aimee: In your kits you provide all of that stuff, so I can go to Funk It Wellness and order my kit right now.
Kate Morton: Yes, you can. I took all of the hard work out of it for you because I did it by myself, and I did it when I was trying to travel in a van and there were seeds everywhere. My partner was like, “The coffee grinder is full of seeds and I can’t make my coffee, and there are seeds in the carpet.” I was like there has to be something easier.
If you know anything about seeds, they’re really fragile and temperamental and they can become rancid very quickly. The whole first year of me trying to experiment and start my company was really what is the optimal place to get the seeds from, which country, what has the highest nutrient value, and then how can we grind them, seal them in a bag, and get them to the customer so quickly that they can eat them without them going rancid and being at risk for having high PUFAs ( polyunsaturated fatty acids).
We can talk about PUFAs because it is always a question that I get, “What about the PUFAs?”
That’s a long way of saying yes, you can go to our website and get super fresh organic seeds delivered right to your door.
Dr. Aimee: Okay. Tell me more.
Kate Morton: A polyunsaturated fatty acid sounds complicated, but it’s just a type of fatty acid in a seed. Essentially, it’s not bad. It’s not inherently bad, unless it becomes oxidized or rancid, and then it’s linked to increased inflammation. That’s why when we talk about seed cycling, quality and freshness are going to be the top two things that we want to focus on.
If you read the reviews on our website, a lot of people will say, “I’ve tried to do this in the past and didn’t see results until I started doing it with you guys.” Oftentimes, that’s because if you think about the way that our food system is set up, the seeds that are in the grocery store could have been sitting there for up to 18 months or in these bags. I’m not saying they’re inherently bad, but when you’re using these for an intended nutritional purpose, they may not have that intended nutritional purpose.
Dr. Aimee: Got it. You’re speaking to someone who is heading into perimenopause and probably perimenopausal right now. Do you have products that are aimed toward people who graduated high school in the 1990s and maybe the late 1980s?
Kate Morton: Yes. I’m not in perimenopause yet, but it’s one of those things I’m passionate about talking about because it’s not talked about very often. I remember talking to a bunch of my friends who were in their late 30s, or early 40s. My mom went through menopause really late, so she was just explaining to me what she had gone through in her 40s that she had no idea was coming. Essentially, perimenopause is not menopause, it’s getting ready for menopause, but it causes hormonal chaos. That can be from mood to periods to irregular cycles.
If your cycle when you’re in perimenopause has become irregular, seed cycling can be a little tricky and, quite honestly, frustrating because you’re trying to track your cycle, you’re trying to sync it, and your hormones are like, “we’re doing our own thing.” So, we created a new blend that’s a daily blend, and it has more calcium and a little bit more phytoestrogens in there. That can help more with the hot flash side of things and preparing your gut, focusing on gut health, and then also the increased calcium is great going into the 10 years leading up to menopause. That product is called Revitalize, it has the same seeds in different concentrations.
Dr. Aimee: Okay. So, I need to get my hands on some Revitalize.
Kate Morton: Yes, we will get you some Revitalize so you can test it out and let us know what you think.
Dr. Aimee: You obviously approach things from a very holistic point of view. I loved your recent blog post about hormone supporting habits. What are some of the things people can do to support their hormones?
Kate Morton: There are so many things. It’s so exciting because there is so much we can do every day that is totally free to support our hormones.
Whenever I am talking to someone, whether it’s a friend or any of my old clients, I will say step one before we even start talking about nutrition, we have to talk about stress and sleep because those are the two foundational elements of hormone health. If you think about it, our bodies are so smart and they are designed to protect us. If we are chronically fatigued and stressed out, our bodies don’t feel safe, they don’t feel comfortable enough, so they’re like we’re going to put a pause on trying to reproduce, because essentially that’s what our bodies are trying to do every month, we’re going to put a pause on that and we’re going to focus on you. Then that cannot always have the best intended benefits.
Seven to nine hours of sleep a night, I know it’s tricky, and good quality sleep. For me, I was getting like nine hours of sleep a night, but it wasn’t good quality sleep because I wasn’t having enough protein later in the day, so my blood sugar was spiking. On top of that, I was moving around a lot and waking up. So, seven to nine quality hours of sleep. I was also having too much screen time before bed, so I had to cut that out.
When it comes to stress, stressing about stress can also happen. It happens to me. I’m like I need to not be stressed, and then I’m worried about it. I recommend finding habits in your day, whether it’s a walk in the morning, a five-minute meditation, or coloring in a coloring book. For me, my gym has a sauna and I go sit in there for 15 minutes. Whatever it is to help you feel more grounded in your day, that’s going to instantly support your hormones.
Once we’ve tackled sleep and stress, then the next thing I like to move to is let’s talk about lymphatic drainage. Are we moving our bodies, are we getting our lymphatic system activated? Then we can move into nutrition.
The cool thing about nutrition is I come from the mindset of abundance when it comes to food because I think that diet culture puts us in such a scarcity mindset. What can we add into our diet to support our hormones? You can also sync your nutrition with your cycle, but it’s all about additions. In the first half of your cycle, you’re more insulin sensitive, meaning those good quality carbohydrates are going to be absorbed a lot faster and processed better. In the second half of your cycle, you’re actually burning more calories, so you need more nutrition. You also need a little bit more protein because your body is less insulin sensitive, so more protein in the second half of your cycle. I could go on and on.
The last thing I talk to, which for some people it’s the first thing, but I think this is potentially the most overwhelming thing, reducing our exposure to endocrine disrupting chemicals is really important, but it’s really hard. I totally recognize that. I’m down a whole rabbit hole right now about underwear, which I’ll report back later on what I learn. Just water, plastics, really what you’re putting on and in your body, trying to reduce that chemical load, especially the endocrine disrupting chemicals like plastics and BPA, those are really important.
Dr. Aimee: Thank you. I imagine that you’re going to have another product coming out soon related to underwear, Funk It Wellness underwear line.
Kate Morton: I wish. I have no interest in getting into the garment industry because it’s so overwhelming, but I went down this rabbit hole about underwear. You don’t really think about it. I would always just buy cheap underwear, but then I figured out there’s a bunch of chemicals in underwear and coffee beans, two things that I have every day.
Dr. Aimee: Exactly. Go commando. Wear my Egg Whisperer pants commando.
Kate Morton: Perfect.
Dr. Aimee: Share with us where someone can find your products, find you, and learn more about what you’re doing and what you’re up to.
Kate Morton: Our website is FunkItWellness.com. That’s where you can find all the free education that I was talking about, we have ebooks and blogs. Then you can always reach out to me directly through the website. My Instagram @CarbsandKate. That’s just a fun place for me to educate and talk to people.
Our TikTok and Instagram for Funk It is @FunkItWellness. We also post a lot more approachable content on there, it’s more short form like videos. You can always DM us. I love to talk to anyone who is interested in this, so you’ll probably get me on the other end of the DMs. I am jumping in there because I love talking to people. If you have any questions, you can just let me know.
Dr. Aimee: Where did the name Funk It Wellness come from?
Kate Morton: Oh, this is a fun one. When I was first starting this, I think I had just turned 25. I had this idea, I was talking to everyone about it, and most of the people I knew who had owned businesses or were investors at the time were men. Luckily, my network has widened and I know so many amazing female entrepreneurs now.
Everyone just kept telling me, “I think this is too niche. I think that no one will really care. I don’t think people really care about periods or hormone health. Why would you start a business that’s education focused? That’s a waste of time. That’s expensive.” I was just like “funk it, I don’t care.” That’s not exactly what I said, but I was like “I don’t care what you say, I think people deserve better. I think people with periods especially deserve better. I’m going to try this.”
I’m really glad that I didn’t listen to them, but that’s where the name came from, and that’s the attitude we take into the space: funk it, let’s learn, let’s have fun together.
Dr. Aimee: I love it. I hope that young women, younger than 25, also learn about Funk It Wellness, about their cycle and how powerful it can be to learn.
Kate Morton: I wish I would have known about all of this in high school, it would have been incredible.
Dr. Aimee: Awesome. Is there anything else that you want to add for us today?
Kate Morton: Just really try to embrace the menstrual cycle. As hard as it can be sometimes, it’s very powerful. Don’t get overwhelmed. Just choose one thing at a time to improve hormone health. Have a really great day. Thanks for listening.
Dr. Aimee: Thank you, Kate, so much. Such a pleasure having you on. I look forward to hearing about your next products and all of the wonderful things that you’re doing for us. Thank you.
Kate Morton: Thank you for having me. I really enjoyed it.
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