Feast, Fuel, Fertility Challenge – Part 6: Seeds for fertility – pop these chocolate pumpkin seed butter cups in your lunch bag

Seed cycling is a huge deal right now in women’s hormonal health and wellbeing, but the basic principle of eating seeds for fertility – from pumpkin and sunflower to chia and flax – has been a mainstay for years. 

Whether you’re cycling and need some recipe inspo, or just looking to pack more seeds in general – they’re great for male fertility too, by the way – Gyna have given TRB readers exclusive access to these delicious mini chocolate pumpkin seed butter cups, to give your treats stash a fertility boost. 

Skip back to catch up on five more delicious recipes across our Feast, Fuel, Fertility 6 Week Challenge, in collab with the fertility foods recipe gurus at Gyna. From berry smoothie bowls to a delicious salmon feast for two, it’s everything you need to spruce up your meal-planning, whether you’re trying to conceive, or just upping your nutrient density. 

Looking for more? Take the Gyna quiz and work through a library of delicious snack ideas and recipes, all created to put your fertility meal-planning on its A-game. If it’s seeds you’re looking for, and how to make them pop with flavor, try the nut butter chia pudding, thick banana-nut smoothie, or breakfast cookies. Or, just sprinkle a good handful of your favorite seeds on top of lunch or dinner – like in Gyna’s delicious umami-satisfying broccoli cashew stir-fry. 

Before you dig in, the recipe shared here and information originally appeared on gyna.co as part of the recipe collection. For more recipes, 101 nutritional support and bite-size course steps and detail, head to Gyna to get started with full access. 

Seeds for fertility – which are the star players?

A big fertility plus for seeds (and nuts, while we’re on the topic) is their nutrient density. Even a spoonful on your oatmeal, or a handful scattered over dinner – before you’ve even considered the more granular techniques of seed cycling – packs a serious nutrition punch. And if you’re consciously adding them in every day, the benefits stack up. 

Fiber-dense, protein-rich and packed with all sorts of minerals and essentially fatty acids (EFAs), they’re also fantastic for hormone regulation, and male fertility. 

Sunflower are our go-to seed for protein and flax for those EFAs – they’re so easy to add into breakfast bowls and smoothies, but for that well-researched zinc benefit, it’s pumpkin seeds all the way. Just a serving – say a ¼ cup – gives you around 6.6 mg of zinc, which is almost half the recommended daily intake.

The ultimate ‘treat factor’ pumpkin seed recipe

Team Gyna 101

Pumpkin seeds are packed with protein and unsaturated fats. They’re also super-high in zinc, which is a very important mineral for optimized fertility, because it helps the body utilize reproductive hormones, like estrogen and progesterone. 

If a woman has low level zinc levels, it can lead to menstrual irregularity and abnormal egg development. Protein metabolism may also be inhibited, which may result in lower egg quality. What’s more, research shows that zinc is commonly depleted in women who have been taking oral birth control pills.

Chocolate Pumpkin Seed Butter Cups

 Gyna say, 

“These treats are like little chocolatey multivitamins for fertility. Enjoy them on their own, or toss a few on top of your oatmeal or yogurt for an extra sweet breakfast.”

This recipe is dairy and gluten-free, vegan and vegetarian and paleo-friendly. 

Prep time: 40 minutes Cook time: 0 minutes Makes: 9 mini cups

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup organic chocolate chips (or use dairy-free or sugar-free organic chocolate chips)
• 1 heaping teaspoon coconut oil
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seed butter mixed with 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• Optional: pumpkin seeds to garnish

Instructions

1. Line a regular sized muffin tin with 9 muffin liners.
2. Melt dark chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small pan over low heat, stirring constantly until smooth.
3. Pour 1/2 tablespoon of the melted dark chocolate into the bottom of each muffin liner.
4. Take your finger or a small spoon and swirl the chocolate around in each cup so that it creates a thin layer of chocolate along the inner edge of the muffin liner about 1 cm deep.
5. Next, scoop 1 tablespoon of the pumpkin seed butter filling into each muffin cup to the top of the chocolate layer in the muffin liner.
6. Do this for all 9 cups.
7. Lastly, pour the remaining melted chocolate in each muffin cup to cover the pumpkin seed butter, making sure you cannot see any of the pumpkin seed butter.
8. Sprinkle each cup with a few pumpkin seeds (optional).
9. Place the muffin tin in the freezer for 30 minutes or until the chocolate has completely hardened.
10. Store the pumpkin seed butter cups in the fridge or freezer.

Keep up with the Feast, Fuel, Fertility Challenge

Yum! And that’s a wrap for our Feast, Fuel, Fertility 6 Week Challenge, in collab with Gyna. Go back to the start for lots more delicious ideas and pointers, plus, head to Gyna for tons more information on fertility superfoods, and a personalized plan to help you get pregnant, faster.