Foods to avoid with endo
- Wheat - This includes breads, pasta, cake. Anything that contains wheat or gluten is something to avoid. It contains phytic acid which aggravates endo sufferers and women with endo tend to be sensitive to gluten.
- Red meats - Things like beef are a no no, simply because they contain growth hormones, rapidly speeding the growth of endo. It also causes inflammation which isn't good because endo inflames the body anyway.That means no more burgers people, none!
- Refined and concentrated carbohydrates - Pasta, flour, cakes and white bread all contain refined flours and this is not nutritional at all so will not help an already weak body.
- Refined sugars and honey - Honey can be eaten but it would be better to be organic with NO ADDED SUGARS!! Sugar however is not good, any which way. It causes inflammation in the body because of its acidity. So unfortunately, no more sugar on cereals. Booooo! :(
- Caffeine - It is produced in coffee, tea and soft drinks and energy drinks. Caffeine increases oestrogen levels and as we know, that is what endo feeds on so if you are craving a coffee in the morning, don't be too hard on yourself, 1-2 is about the best for the endo diet but anymore and you'll notice the difference. If you drink more than that then I'd suggest decaffeinated tea, coffee and drinks.
- Chocolate - I know, I know. Something else that we all want/need at certain times. If I'm perfectly honest, it doesn't affect me but I don't eat it that often. Perhaps, once or twice a week I'll have a chocolate bar. Unfortunately, it contains sugar which has an inflammatory agent.
- Dairy Products - Anything like milk, cheese, butter and cream causes inflammation because it raises the levels of inflammatory prostaglandins.
- Eggs - Unless you get organic which contains the chemical residue or dioxin. It can cause constipation problems and aggravate IBS.
- Fried Foods - Stimulate inflammatory prostaglandins.
- Saturated Fats and Oils - Found in things like butter, lard and margarine. Again it produces inflammatory prostaglandins.
- Soy and soy protein - Tamari can be used in small amounts but soy products contain toxins which cause pain and inflammation.
- Fast Food/Processed food - They aren't very nutritional as they include additives, cheap and icky ingredients. Not so good for endo girls.
- Tinned Foods - In moderation its ok but they're not too good for endo. Things like tinned tomatoes or condensed milk e.t.c are fine to use because they're part of a meal but things like soup or spaghetti aren't that great.
- Alcohol - Consumes the vitamin B in the liver, if drank in excess we all know the liver is the first thing to be damaged. Not good for endo sufferers because the liver helps reduce oestrogen. I've also noticed it can cause more pain.
That's an awful lot but you don't have to be strict with this. Cut things out one by one and see what helps when cut out and what doesn't. Only limit yourself on things that affect you. Like some of these things I can consume but others really badly affect me like pasta, alcohol, white bread, gluten and fast food. You can be strict and only eat things that aren't on this list but you might not see full results and be cutting out things unnecessarily.
Good food for endo
The best food for endo is going back to what is now commonly known as the caveman diet. If you can't kill it or grow it, don't eat it. There are many things you can eat, much more than you cannot so here is a list of things that are better for you.
Good food for endo
The best food for endo is going back to what is now commonly known as the caveman diet. If you can't kill it or grow it, don't eat it. There are many things you can eat, much more than you cannot so here is a list of things that are better for you.
- Oily fish
- Nuts - not salted or roasted, only pecan, cashew e.t.c.
- Pumpkin seeds
- Dark leafy green veg
- Whole grain (Bread, pasta e.t.c worth it if you eat those things often)
- Brown rice
- Beans, lentils and peas.
- Fruits and vegetables
There are some more specific foods that can help with specific things. To boost the immune system you can try things like:
- Onions
- Garlic
- Carrots
- Live yoghurt
- Rhubarb
- Seeds (Pumpkin, sunflower e.t.c)
- Ginger (works as an anti-inflammatory)
- Green tea (helps detox the body, keeping you healthy)
There are also some things that help with hormone balancing. Things like :
- Red and purple berries (Strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants e.t.c)
- Garlic
- Apples
- Parsley
- Fennel
- Cabbage and cauliflower
- Nuts, seeds
- Celery
- Carrots
- Rhubarb
I know that's a lot to take in but it will always be here for you to view if you forget or just want to have another look. There is another page on Endo recipes so go check that out as that will have some cool stuff without all this jargon.
I hope this has helped some of you.
Leya :) xo
