Endometriosis Diet Advice 

A collection of articles each covering a single topic on diet and nutrition relating to endometriosis. Including a detailed discussion on how specific  chemicals found naturally in certain foods can have an influence on the severity of symptoms of endometriosis.

Endometriosis affects every woman’s body differently and every woman will have different dietary triggers, restrictions, and needs. Many women find the idea of changing their diet quite an emotional impact on top of dealing with endometriosis. They feel that it is a 'diet' that will restrict what they can eat. But it is simply a way of changing your foods and way of eating that your body can use as nourishment rather than eating for comfort or a quick fix to stop hunger. Once you start eating more healthily your body will respond with reduced symptoms and feeling generally more vital.

One of the key ways to find out which foods are your particular triggers, doing a sort term Elimination Diet will give you the knowledge you need to understand how your body is reacting to specific foods. From then on you can build your recipe and eating plans to ensure you are not making matters worse and causing further pain, inflammation or gut distress.

There's quite a bit of evidence that diet can help reduce inflammation, and there are a few studies showing that certain foods/diets can help severe menstrual pain. For example, we know that a small study showed that 75% of endo sufferers had a decrease in endo pain after going gluten-free.

As mentioned earlier, there are obviously individual differences and you may be dealing with other gut health issues. Not everyone experiences the same benefits from dietary changes. Something to keep in mind is that you may have allergies, intolerances or gut imbalances that certain diet changes have helped to improve your health.


Diet advice for endometriosis


Using diet to help endometriosis is about consuming foods that will help to reduce pain and inflammation.  It's also about eating foods that will balance your system, and provide a bed-rock to support your healing.


'The fork is the most powerful tool to change your health and the planet; food is the most powerful medicine to heal chronic illness' - Dr Mark Hyman MD


Endometriosis is an inflammatory disease

Having the knowledge of which foods can cause problems by triggering inflammation and making your symptoms worse will help you to avoid or reduce this issue.  There are a number of foods that can cause inflammation and this will put your body under additional stress. 

The way we perceive pain is through the chemical pathways produced by prostaglandins, and eating the wrong foods will increase the bad prostaglandins and this can lead to increased levels of pain.  Also, increased levels of inflammatory prostaglandins correlate to the amount of menstrual pain experienced.  Details of this naturally occurring compound can be found in the articles below.


To help you understand the various issues around diet, inflammation, and possible problem foods when you have endometriosis the following articles will help shed some light. The articles include advice to help you transition to making diet changes and help take out some of the stress. There is advice about certain helpful supplements which are of benefit for specific symptoms of endometriosis. Additionally there are particular supplements that can really help with the inflammation of endometriosis, while others can help to support your immune system.


'Before I changed my diet, life was one long round of pain meds, continuously going to the doctor with pretty regular trips to ER because of the intense pain. Well that's all in the past now and I can only say again, thank you so much.'   -  Cheryl, Arizona



'I kept meaning to write and say thank you. Cutting wheat, dairy, and sugar out of my diet (about 80% of the time is all I can manage) has made a huge difference to my well-being already.

You might also like to add that as well as the new diet alleviating my stomach cramps and pain, I lost weight, stopped bloating, and my lower back symptoms disappeared (provided I stick to no meat/dairy/wheat/sugar of course)!' - Rochelle, Australia 



Preparing for Diet to help endometriosis


Research & theory to the diet



Endo Diet basics


Chemistry relating to diet and endometriosis


Caution with certain foods



Grains Gluten & Wheat


Specific food advice


Supplements for endometriosis



Diet articles page two

Eating for Endo does not have to Suck

Over 150 anti-inflammatory recipes

This book is the answer for those who would really like to follow a healthy anti-inflammatory diet to help with their endo, but find themselves falling off the wagon, usually due to having cravings for their favourite foods or finding the endo diet to be too limiting.

The collection of recipes in the book provides dishes that include some all-time favourites like Mac N Cheese, burgers, chocolate brownies, healthy fish and chicken dishes and lots of safe dessert and baking options as well as healing smoothies and lots of nutrition tips.

All the recipes are gluten, dairy, sugar, soy and red meat free

Find out more HERE



Endometriosis - Healing from the Inside Out

Your guide to healing and managing endometriosis through gentle natural therapies

A comprehensive book with detailed advice about natural therapies, advice for healing various gut health issues, in-depth guidance about nutrition for endometriosis and supporting your immune-system. Plus solutions to many problems including natural pain remedies, reducing estrogens, advice to help with fatigue, help for insomnia, dealing with anxiety and depression, managing your finances, all interwoven with many success stories.

Find out more HERE






About the Author

Hi, I am Carolyn Levett, the Founder here at endo-resolved - I am an Integrative Health Coach having studied nutrition, naturopathy and aromatherapy as well as being a published author of three endometriosis books. I used to suffer from severe endometriosis and was fortunate to be able to regained my health and recover from this disease with the support of nutrition, natural therapies and lots of determination.

My motivation is to help other women with endometriosis to heal their bodies so they may start to overcome this awful disease without having to totally rely on toxic drugs and surgeries which can cause further damage  -  with healing thoughts, Carolyn.



References:


Influence of diet on endometriosis:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28326519/

Gut microflora and endometriosis link:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26901277/

Fish Oil Supplementation Inhibits Formation of Endometriosis:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23103017/

Foods that fight inflammation:

https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/foods-that-fight-inflammation

Affects of red meat and inflammation:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15254009/

The role of prostaglandins and endometriosis:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22003899/

Gluten-free Diet: A New Strategy for Management of Painful Endometriosis Related Symptoms:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23334113/