Endo Diet- Suggestions needed

[J-LO]

I have been doing a lot of thinking and a lot of reading about Endometriosis. While I await my appointment with the Gyno to discuss options (prob surgery), I am going to try alternative medicine. I will be seeing a natropath next week to look at tonics/tinctures etc and starting a Endo diet.

I have read heaps about the foods you can and cant eat but have gotten a little confused at there are some overlapping. E.G: Eggs is on the eat and not to eat list. Does anyone know whether you can eat eggs while on the diet? And can you eat all vegies? I havent read anything about potato (my downfall ). I know that you need to cut out red meat, but what about chicken and fish? Are they still ok?

And if anyone has any recipes that I could use or snack food suggestions, it would be much appreciated.

Thanks

[JellyBean]

Hi Again J-Lo. Great to hear that you will be seeing Naturopath. Typically when it comes to endo (or PCOS), you have to start off by being strict, and as the condition dissipates you can gradually re-introduce some of the restricted foods in moderation. It does not mean that you will never eat dairy again, for example. Potatoes are certainly not evil, but under your circumstances you will want to restrict starchy carbohydrates. Sticking to wholegrain, wheat-free carbohydrates is best - buckwheat, wholegrain rice, quinoa, spelt. Drinking Oat, Rice or Almond milk is a good alternative to dairy or soy. You need to get aquainted with 'alternative' foods in the health food section of your supermarket and local health food store.
I did not eliminate eggs from my diet, and I was able to eat fish and organic chicken (to avoid chemicals/pesticides which interfere with hormones). I eliminated red meat, which I now eat sparingly (once a fortnight at most). The way your body assimilates protein also depends on your blood type - which your Naturopath will no doubt wish to know. She will probably offer you some more specific advice, but a great place to start is the website Endo-resolved dot com. They actually sell a book full of endometriosis recipes. Here is some info on what it includes;
As well as having 250 recipes, the book also includes:


•more in-depth recommendations of what to leave out of your diet and why
•tips about estrogen and your diet, and how to keep it in balance
•advice on ways to protect and balance your hormones through diet
•details of substitute ingredients as alternatives to milk, butter, egg substitutes for baking, and sugar substitutes
•recipes of how to make alternative nut yogurts and nut milks
•specific information about alternative flours for baking, so you can still bake without using wheat flour
•lots of sauce and dressings recipes to expand your meal ideas - spice up your favorite vegetables, quick and easy ways to have a sauce for your pasta (wheat-free of course), many wonderful recipes for dressings for salads.
•a range of recipes from simple and easy to cook through to more flavorful and exotic ideas.
•tips and ideas to complete your meals added to individual recipes.
•snippets of nutritional advice woven among the recipes as you work your way through the book.

Installing an alkaline water machine and taking a good probiotic supplement like MiEssence InLiven is also a great idea. Needs to be kept in fridge! An essential fatty acid supplement (Omega 3, 6 & 9) will assist in balancing estrogen and progesterone levels- Flax seed (linseed) oil is brilliant.
I recommend buying a copy of Julie Eady's Additive Alert so you can become savvy with all the weird numbers and names in the ingredient lists and how they affect your digestion and fertility.
I also recommend you keep a food journal to take note of everything you eat and how you feel afterward - including the effects on your bowel motion the following day. The reproductive and digestive systems are more linked than most people realise.
Surgery to remove endo is fine - it works, but it does not address the cause of the problem, therefore it is a bit like vaccuming whilst sprinking dirt at the same time. Cleaning up your diet and removing chemicals in your food, personal care products and even cleaning products is the most important step in attaining a healthy digestive and reproductive system. Pretty much all the mainstream personal care products in the supermarket are full of hormone disrupting and carcinogenic chemicals. It's hard work making all these changes at first - but SO worth it!!

Hope this helps!

XX