Nutrition

I have read different articles about nutrition and endometriosis but never really thought a lot about them.  Recently, as I've been frustrated and wanting to do anything I can that won't cause me more harm, I've decided to adjust my own diet according to the information that I've found to be common to many of the different articles/books I've read.  Obviously, each article is a little bit different, but I've picked up on certain things and read a book recently which highlighted others, so I am slightly changing my diet and I am going to see if that does have a positive effect on my endometriosis symptoms.  Like most things, I have read women who claim it was the miracle that ended their symptoms and other women who have said they didn't notice a change.  Well, since it's not going to hurt me (I check with my doctor first, always), I'm going to try it out.

For me, this means eliminating dairy (which I wasn't eating a ton of already), eliminating processed meats (also wasn't really eating them), eliminating as much processed sugar as possible, eliminating as much caffeine as possible (but I'm not going to begrudge myself a cup of coffee if I am really in the mood), eliminating beef and chicken and non-free range eggs, and limiting my sodium intake.  Also, trying to eat as many raw fruits and vegetables as possible, with nuts included.  Basically, eating food that is as fresh and non-contaminated as possible.

I have never been a big junk food eater and I am a big lover of salads, so some of these are not big changes for me.  What I felt was important about the change is understanding why I am eating or not eating foods and how they relate to my disease.  I am by no means an authority or nutritionist, I just feel like I've read an abundance of material that is in agreement on certain things:

Dairy: Dairy is an inflammatory food, meaning in can cause internal swelling, which women with endometriosis have quite enough of and we are all trying to eliminate, so eating anti-inflammatory foods rather than inflammatory ones are important.  I believe it can also cause some constipation, which we also want to avoid.

Processed Meat/Beef/Chicken: I don't eat much of the processed meats, other than the occasional hoagie, but I found the rationale interesting.  It pretty much applies to a lot of chicken and beef. Basically, animals are given hormones for various reasons that I don't even care to know and since endometriosis can be controlled or hurt by different hormones in our body, we do not want to add any hormones beyond what we have naturally and what our doctors give us to control the endometriosis.  That just made so much sense to me given all the talk about hormones I've had.  I've been already wary of meat since I read an article with many pictures about the horrors of the chicken industry so this was not a huge leap for me.  My last steak came from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, so I think I went out with the best.

Sugar: Obviously, sugar is not a very helpful food in general, but it can cause changes in blood sugar levels, if it is processed it loses even its good qualities, and is linked to obesity.  I am a lucky girl in that I have never been one for chocolate cravings!

Caffeine: Also an inflammatory food.  Whether from coffee or black tea or espresso.  If you do drink it, try to do it in it's purest form, not full of sugar or processed into soda drinks like Red Bull or energy drinks, but it can always cause inflammation, so stay away if possible.  I did read that a cup of coffee is okay (with soy milk for me now) and I choose to believe that's true because I am cutting back but I just love coffee.

Sodium: This is essentially salt.  I have read enough to understand that too much sodium is bad in general.  Again, can have an inflammatory effect on our internal system and also adds to bloating, which endometriosis can provide all on its own so why add fuel to the fire.

Fruits and Vegetables (and nuts): Okay, so lots of raw fruits and vegetables are good.  Cooked are a little less good.  But basically as much as you can eat.  Buy the freshest fruits and veggies you can, try to buy organic so there are no pesticides, and always wash before eating.  What I found intriguing was a chart in a book I am reading that shows that all of our food that is grown in this country contains approximately 30% less vitamins and nutrients than it did 50 years ago.  For some reason, that fact stuck with me.

There are also supplements that I take to coincide with my diet and for those of us with endometriosis, I think some of them are pretty important, but I guess I would say ask your doctor first because they should know best from your blood work and stuff what you need individually.  If you're curious about what I take, you can email/leave a comment and I will get back to you individually.  I'm just not comfortable recommending vitamins beyond telling you what I take and what works for me.  I am lucky in that I have a really great doctor who is knowledgeable about so much of this stuff that I trust her to give me what will help.  I also love getting to feel validated for that trust when I read articles about supplements that are recommended for endometriosis and I am already taking them! :)  I also will keep eating fish.  It has anti-oxidants and anti-inflammatory oils.  I have my own favorites but I was also told one helpful hint: to try to avoid fish from the deeper parts of the ocean/water because they will be the ones to have picked up the most contamination.

Anyway, so that's my new plan.  A little more organic/natural and a little more refined.  I know it won't hurt, so I'm sticking to it and will see if it helps.