How diet changes can help reduce the symptoms of endometriosis
Changing what you eat to deal with Endometriosis is a really good foundation to assist you in reducing your symptoms, and will also help improve your overall health.
"Let Food Be Thy Medicine and Medicine Be Thy Food."
Hippocrates
Many are aware that various illnesses and diseases have responded very positively to changes in diet, and endometriosis is no exception. There are plenty of positive feedback stories from others saying how they have improved significantly by making changes in their diet.
Those who want a basic understanding to the diet there is a quick start guide HERE
Changing your diet can help with the following:
AND changing what you eat will also :
Endo-resolved has been providing advice about the benefits of diet to help with the symptoms of endometriosis for a number of years. The advice here has been endorsed by Dr Camran Nezhat - the endometriosis specialist.
Diet to help Endometriosis
Changing the foods you eat and following a diet for endometriosis has had many scientific studies which you can read about here. Changing what you eat is a great way to start reducing the symptoms of endometriosis and provides a simple natural and healthy self help option.
The reason that certain foods make the symptoms of endometriosis worse is based on the chemical reactions in the body that are caused by these food groups.
The controlled diet for endometriosis eliminates these problem food groups and in turn this helps to reduce the negative chemical reactions and can help to reduce many of the symptoms of the disease.
The improvement in symptoms can include a reduction in pain, reduction of inflammation, and aims to reduce levels of estrogen in the body and thus reduce the opportunity of the disease to develop further.
So where do we start!
Pain and hormones in relation to diet …………
Endometriosis is fed by estrogen synthesis in the body. This can take the form of:
The correct diet can help to balance these different forms of estrogen
You also need to reduce your use of xeno-estrogens (found in highly chemical based cosmetics and toiletries) in order to reduce xeno-estrogens from your system - which can worsen symptoms.
Also.....
As well as dealing with estrogen levels, you need to address the levels of prostaglandins in your body. Prostaglandins are very complex natural fatty acids and are derived from dietary sources. There are many different forms of prostaglandins and new types are still being discovered.
The painful menstrual cramps you feel are actually due to prostaglandins, as well as the pain symptoms of endometriosis. A change in diet can alter the level and the types of prostaglandins in your body.
We actually have two main 'types' of prostaglandins - there are the 'good ones' and the 'bad ones'.
The aim of the endometriosis diet is to block the 'bad ones' because of their negative actions on the body, and increase the levels of the 'good ones' because of their opposite and positive effect. The action of the 'bad ones' will increase uterine contractions and pain, and increase inflammation.
The role of the 'good ones' have a soothing effect and do the opposite to the bad ones. When you change the oils in your diet you can promote the good prostaglandins.
Omega 3 oils will reduce pain & inflammation
The good oils are found in the omega-3 fatty oil group, and lead to good prostaglandin production. Some of the best sources of omega-3 oils are found in marine and plant oils and include:
At the same time it is important to reduce intake of the fatty acids that stimulate negative prostaglandins which are found in saturated fats, animal fats and butter.
Fiber intake
It will help your symptoms if you increase your intake of fiber, as fiber will help to decrease the circulating estrogen in your system.
The easiest sources of fiber to digest are found in fruit and vegetables as the structure and chemical make-up provide a more soothing effect while also aiding digestion. Also, extra fiber in the form of grains, brown rice and pulses etc., are helpful especially for their nutritional value, but keep your fiber intake balanced between the two.
These can include:
The following foods are recommended to modulate estrogen levels by incorporating one or two servings a day:
Suggested foods to avoid
This is a list of the food groups suggested to avoid to help reduce symptoms of endometriosis. You may not have problems with all these foods groups, but it seems most women have success by avoiding most of these foods.
A note about meat production:
Modern meat rearing now involves administering hormones to animals in the form of ear implants. One of these hormones, zeranol, is a form of estrogen made from mould called fusarium. Antibiotics have also been used as a growth promoter for forty years and we now get a small but insidious dose of antibiotics in nearly every meat and dairy product we eat.
In addition, a large percentage of women are noticeably zinc-deficient and some animals ingest copper-containing formulae which makes this balance even worse because copper is antagonistic to zinc. Copper also keeps estrogen levels high. Interestingly, copper is used in birth control pills as copper helps control the ovulation cycle.
You are strongly advised to go organic and eat white meat or oily fish to obtain your protein. Some women are OK when eating grass-fed beef, but for many red meat can set off symptoms of pain and inflammation
Hormone balancing
Foods containing natural plant sterols (phyto-estrogens) can actually be helpful if consumed in careful balance. They are thought to block the estrogen receptors, so in turn excess estrogen in the body cannot ‘lock-in’ to these receptors. These include:
Vitamins and mineral supplements
Although the best source of vitamins and minerals is through a well balanced diet, many of our foods today are depleted in these vital trace elements. Today, most of us need to supplement our diet with some of the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to function optimally.
The following is a list of dietary supplements that can help women with Endometriosis:
To sum up
Recipes for the Endometriosis Diet
As you can see by the advice above, there are many foods you are advised to leave out of your diet completely, especially if you are to reap the benefits.
These main foods are:
Red meats and processed meats, wheat and wheat products, sugar, dairy products, caffeine, additives and all refined and convenience foods.
The prospect of adjusting your diet so radically may seem somewhat daunting. You may be wondering and concerned about:
There are many great recipes you can use, and the hard work has been done for you......
A book of recipes specifically for a diet to help Endometriosis
The advice and recipes in the book are the bottom line, based on ingredients and recipes that are best suited to a diet to help reduce the pain and inflammation of endometriosis.
Read feedback what other women have said about their diet experiences - read the feedback comments here
~ Anti-inflammatory, gluten free, dairy free, sugar free, wheat free options ~
The advice in the book also includes:
The recipes in the book include:
All customised for a diet to help reduce your symptoms
It is anticipate that the recipes in the book will give you ideas and guidelines of how to adapt your own favourite recipes, without jeopardising your diet regime for Endometriosis.
To place your order
Make a start to reduce the painful and debilitating symptoms of endometriosis - loads of women as well as medical professionals are now realising just how much our foods can change or affect our bodies.
About the Author
My name is Carolyn Levett, the Founder of endo-resolved - I am an Integrative Health Coach having studied nutrition, naturopathy, aromatherapy as well as being a published author. I used to suffer from severe endometriosis and was able to regained my health and heal from the disease with the support of nutrition and natural therapies.
My motivation is to help other women with endometriosis to heal their bodies so they may overcome this awful disease without having to rely on toxic drugs and surgeries which can cause further damage - with healing thoughts, Carolyn.
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15254009 - red meat and endometriosis link
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3626048/ - dairy consumption and endometriosis
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23334113 - endometriosis and gluten link
https://academic.oup.com/humrep/article/25/6/1528/2915756 - dietary fat and endometriosis
(1) https://europepmc.org/article/med/23334113
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6066416/