The other great thing about the endo diet is that you gain control of your body.
Many women with endo feel like they get choices from their doctors, but not control.
Choice one: take birth control pills.
Choice two: take birth control patch.
Choice three: take nothing and be in pain.
Fun, eh? Well, that is going to change TODAY! I'm going to give you some guidance on what to avoid eating, AND what to gravitate towards. As a foodie myself, I highly value GOOD food, and do not want to give up on the quality of things that I eat and love. Although this is going to be a big diet (meaning the type of food you eat, NOT reduced calories, etc.) change, I am confident that we can make the best of it and still enjoy eating good food. :) I'll also be adding recipes weekly, so come back often to see the new additions!
Good foods for Endo in general
walnut oil
flax seeds/oil
whole grains (excluding wheat and rye)
i.e. - amaranth, barley, buckwheat, bulgur, cornmeal, farro, hominy, kamut, millet, oats, quinoa, rice, rye, job's tears, sorghum, spelt, teff, triticale, and wheat berries.
beans & peas
vegetables & fruits
Good for the Immune System
beans, peas, lentils
onions
garlic (raw or lightly cooked)
carrots (contain beta-carotene)
organic yogurt with live cultures (good for healthy intestinal flora)
buttermilk (alkaline forming)
buttermilk (alkaline forming)
rhubarb
seeds and sprouted seeds
ginger
green tea
almonds
chestnuts
almonds
chestnuts
Good for Hormone Balancing
peas & beans
red & purple berries
garlic
apples
parsley
fennel
brassicas: cabbage, cauliflower, etc.
nuts and seeds
celery, carrots
rhubarb
sage
Super Foods for Endo!
mustard greens
broccoli
cabbage
turnips
cauliflower
kale
bok choy
brussels sprouts
Bad Food for Endo (avoid!) - Foods in underlined are highly recommended to avoid.
butter
lard
animal meat
wheat * - this includes breads, cakes and pasta products, all based on wheat
red meats - promotes negative prostaglandins
refined and concentrated carbohydrates - bread, flour, cakes made from refined flours
refined sugars - causes inflammatory reaction
(try agave nectar or stevia..more ideas coming)
alcohol - consumes vit B stored in the liver
caffeine which is found in tea, coffee, soft drinks -increases abdominal cramps and increases estrogen levels
chocolate - contains sugar and caffine
dairy produce including all milk and cheese - inflammatory (excluding organic yogurt & buttermilk, which is alkaline forming)
fried food, margarine and hydrogenated fats - can stimulate negative prostaglandins
*soy products and soy protein products - tamari can be used in small amounts
**Soy is a highly debated one - but to stay on the safe side, I am recommending its avoidance until I find further proof.**
pre-prepared frozen/canned meals/foods as little as possible (due to additives and sodium)
pre-prepared frozen/canned meals/foods as little as possible (due to additives and sodium)
additives and preservatives - increase chemical load on the system
If you cannot see yourself cutting out all dairy and animal meat, simply buy organic dairy (but still try to cut back a bit, coconut milk is really good in cereal!), and grass fed/organic meat. Cut back on the red meat, and maybe try bison instead of beef. It's WAY better for you and tastes amazing! As strange as this sounds as well, instead of getting your steak craving satisfied by beef, try ostrich. I don't even like steak, but I tried some of my husband's ostrich steak once and it's to die for! Really. No joke. Try it - you'll like it. :-)
If you cannot see yourself cutting out all dairy and animal meat, simply buy organic dairy (but still try to cut back a bit, coconut milk is really good in cereal!), and grass fed/organic meat. Cut back on the red meat, and maybe try bison instead of beef. It's WAY better for you and tastes amazing! As strange as this sounds as well, instead of getting your steak craving satisfied by beef, try ostrich. I don't even like steak, but I tried some of my husband's ostrich steak once and it's to die for! Really. No joke. Try it - you'll like it. :-)
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I'll be posting more ideas on specific items listed as foods to avoid because I know how hard it is to feed a family and not have to eat a completely different meal than everyone else. Plus having some of these foods in your house for the rest of your family makes eating well for yourself a big challenge!
For starters, try Spelt Bread (we buy Rudi's Organic Spelt Bread at Meijer by the bakery) - it's actually BETTER than regular bread (even white bread for those of you who like that). My kids prefer it to any other bread they have had, which speaks multitudes! Plus you can usually find it in most grocery stores, and won't have to go to an all natural store to find it. If you cannot locate that bread, try some of Ezekiel 4:7's sprouted bread. It's in the freezer isle of almost ANY grocery store. It's organic, can be kept frozen, and tastes great. They have several types, and even a cinnamon raisin loaf! Yum! Happy eating!
Sources:
http://www.endo-resolved.com/treatment.html
http://www.endo-resolved.com/diet.html
http://www.drlam.com/protocol/endometriosis.asp
