Endometriosis & Diet: What I Wish I Knew at Diagnosis!
I was first diagnosed with endometriosis, almost 20 years ago, but for years after I suffered with painful symptoms, fatigue and regrowth. The doctors told me about my medication options and said some people find lifestyle helps but it was a bit of a case of find out for yourself. I wish at the time there had been better resources to point me in the right direction as to how I could implement these and start taking control of my condition. I tried a couple of times at changing my diet and I didn’t feel it did much until about 10 years ago when I tried a different approach and it was transformational. Within 2 weeks my pain had reduced, I was hardly taking any painkillers and I had loads of energy even though I was pre-op at the time for regrowth. It changed my life so much I retrained as a nutritional therapist to help others. So if you have been newly diagnosed or just have not been sure where to go when it comes to nutrition and endometriosis here are my top 10 things, which I wish I knew about nutrition when I was diagnosed with endometriosis!
1. There is not one endometriosis diet that works for everyone.
Unfortunately, there is not an exact list of protocols and things you need to do if you have endometriosis. Everyone is different and whilst there are definitely certain aspects which are shown to help, if two people with endometriosis follow the same diet it doesn’t mean they will get the same results. A few years into my diagnosis I went to a nutritionist in London and followed her endometriosis diet and supplements which were given to all her clients. It didn’t work for me so I gave up. I thought nutrition would never help and how wrong I was. Finding the right diet can be life changing but it can also take time to work out what works for you.
2. Overall gut health is really important.
There’s a lot of discussion about trigger foods and which foods to specifically remove or include for endometriosis but something that often gets overlooked is that overall gut health is incredibly important for helping to detox and remove oestrogen from the body. This includes the right balance of bacteria in your gut and regular bowel movements to ensure oestrogen isn’t re-absorbed back into your body. Good gut health doesn’t come from one food, one meal or one day it’s eating plenty of unprocessed, whole foods, plants, proteins and healthy fats for weeks, months and years.
3. Consistency is more important than perfection.
I used to get so anxious that if I ate a specific food I would get a flare or wouldn’t get pregnant. The stress that places on your body can be worse than eating the food itself. It’s fine to have a little bit of what you fancy or a day when you go off track the most important thing is that 90% of the time you are eating real food and lots of plants. Real food is what you’d find in nature or that has been minimally processed such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, meat, fish, eggs, milk, plain yogurt, cheese, beans, peas, lentils, nuts and seeds and most of your plate should be plants.
4. You can’t cure endometriosis with food.
When I had such transformation in my symptoms through change of diet I was convinced I could heal myself completely if I tried hard enough. I realised after a couple of years of trying and beating myself up for failing at that impossible task that I would always have endometriosis. However, living a healthy lifestyle, could help me live the fullest, happiest life possible with the condition. Combined with medication, nutrition and lifestyle has given me the highest quality of life. I remember being so exhausted I couldn’t take a shower. Now I forget that I have endometriosis most of the time until I get an occasional random flare. Food gave me the ability to do all the things I want to do and enjoy my life.
5. Food sensitivities can trigger endometriosis symptoms.
Nearly half of all endometriosis sufferers report that removing certain foods from their diet has helped them manage their pain severity. The most common foods people find beneficial to remove are gluten, dairy or highly fermentable foods. This doesn’t mean everyone should exclude these but it could be really helpful for some. This is because when your body reacts to a food it can cause inflammation in your gut but also around your body too. Inflammation in the gut can aggravate cysts or legions on the digestive tract or other areas of your pelvis. The key is to work out which specific foods could be triggers for you and not going on highly restrictive diets that deprive you of essential nutrients.
6. Don’t give up if you don’t see immediate change.
Building good health and levels of nutrients in your body can take time. If you don’t feel reduction in pain or symptoms overnight don’t give up - it doesn’t mean it isn’t working. You are fuelling your body with all the nutrients that it needs to work as efficiently as possible, reduce inflammation and support hormone balance. If you have issues with your gut, it could take months or years to fully resolve. The thing to remember is you’re being kind to yourself and giving your body what it really needs.
7. Focus on what to add in.
Putting your attention on all the new foods to introduce rather than what you need to take out means there’s just not enough time or stomach space to eat buckets of junk food. It feels so much more empowering to focus on nourishing yourself with good food than feel like you’re depriving yourself of the treats you’ve always loved. Aim for 5 veg and 2 fruit portions every day, for most healthy adults 1g of protein per KG of body weight (e.g. 60g protein daily if you weigh 60kg), protein with every meal, eating a variety of plants - whole grains, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, peas, fruit and veg for antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and to get 30g or fibre each day. A simple nutrient tracker like ‘Lose It’ can help you find our your current intake of fibre and protein for free.
8. Find new foods to love!
The key to creating and sustaining healthy eating habits is to eat food that you love. Have pancakes for breakfast with strawberries and chocolate peanut butter. Have sweet potato chocolate brownies or cocoa & coconut bites as a tasty snack. Make your own sushi! Make treats from scratch. Challenge yourself to find the tastiest, healthiest alternative to your favourite takeaway. All the recipes on my website are endo friendly so check them out and please share your own recipes with me and the community too!
9. Don’t forget to hydrate.
When we think about nutrition we automatically think food, but research shows that hydrating properly could help to reduce painful menstrual cramps and in turn pain medication required. Get a water bottle or measure your favourite glass to monitor how much you are drinking. Most healthy adults should be aiming for 2 litres of fluid a day primarily from water and more if exercising. You can look at the colour of your pee and see where you sit on the NHS guide to hydration.
10. Any change is positive change.
Sometimes it can feel like such as impossible task to change our diet we stay still. However, for most of us new habits take time and it is a learning process. Take the first step and try making small changes every week. When my clients are struggling we often start with just changing breakfast and nothing else. This builds confidence and once you’ve started the day well you can often feel inspired to make more positive changes throughout the day too. Every step you take and change you make has a positive impact on your body from reducing inflammatory foods to giving yourself more nutrients which can be really beneficial for those with endometriosis.
Please get in touch if you would like to know more about how nutrition can help to support endometriosis. You can register for one of my free workshops or book a free introductory session to find out how 121 consultations with a nutritional therapist could help support you.