Hi all.
Been reading a lot of different posts and the endo diet keeps popping up.
I have had endo for years. Many operations and a planned hysterectomy last Monday but ended up with just having my right ovary removed due to vowel attached itself to my womb. So now have to wait for a bowel surgeon.
Am just intrigued about diet. X
Hey Tanya,
Essentially, the Endo diet is focused on removing inflammatory foods from your diet to help combat bloating and other intestinal discomfort. Plus, it also just helps to have a healthy diet full of fresh veg and fruit and other good foods to help your body be at its strongest.
I'm definitely not the person to talk to about it too much as this diet doesn't really seem to have much scientific fact behind it and often comes with a book a doctor is trying to sell. I'm big on paying attention to your sources: are they trying to sell you something? If so, their motivation ought to be questioned.
Basically, you want to try and cut back on red meats, sugar, processed foods, caffeine, alcohol, etc. Many people add the current pop culture favourite ingredient to hate, gluten, to that list, but, again, I go by what science says, not celebrities or people selling a cookbook. Science doesn't support the notion that gluten is bad for you unless you have Celiac's Disease, which only affects roughly 1% of the population. Yet, as much as 40% of the population, mostly women, will tell you they're gluten free, even though there isn't any sort of scientific consensus on gluten being bad, actually quite the opposite.
Recent studies have refuted this whole notion of "gluten intolerance". What most likely happens is people think maybe they have a gluten intolerance so they stop buying heavily processed foods that contain gluten and, when they start to feel better, assume it really was the gluten. The thing is, heavily processed pastas and breads will always irritate your gut because of all the other crap (FODMAPS) added into them during the production process so people end up thinking gluten really was the culprit when it was actually other stuff hiding in the food. If you shoot for whole grain breads and pastas, non-bleached rices, etc, you should be just fine.
The bottom line is that it is one thing to focus on a healthy, fresh diet and avoid the obvious culprits like processed foods, sugar (those two often go hand in hand), booze, and red meat, but to cut gluten from your diet is quite an effort and, if not done right, can have an adverse effect on your health for two reasons:
1. Foods containing gluten are great sources of particular vitamins and minerals so to take those out of your diet, you lose those good vitamins and minerals. Without a suitable substitute, you can end up doing yourself more harm than good.
2. To make gluten free alternatives to foods that should contain gluten, the producers have to pack the food full of sugar and fat so the food ends up with the same texture and consistency as it would if it just had gluten so those foods end up with drastically higher calorie content, which isn't helpful when you're struggling to exercise due to chronic pain.
I always advise folks to pay attention to their sources. Is it a legit website from a reputable source or is it some new age pseudo science website that also says vaccines are bad and chemtrails are coming for us and, of course, are they trying to sell you something.
The most important thing is to make sure your body has the healthiest ingredients going into it so it can be as healthy as possible to fight the Endo. Cutting out harmful and unhealthy foods should really just be good common sense. We are what we eat and all that jazz. 😉
Personally, I've had a pretty healthy diet to begin with due to another ongoing issue with my belly and, since things have gotten worse, I have gotten a lot more strict on snack foods and gotten rid of almost all my sugar, aside from my favourite apple juice that I dilute with water. To be honest, aside from the good belly benefit of not eating crap or junk food, I haven't noticed any difference with regards to my pain levels that are Endo related. Changing our diet isn't going to magically cure us, although I completely get why people would hope it would help. We just need to give our bodies the best fuel we can and keep on keepin' on.
The best of luck to you! You can find loads more info online - just google Endo Diet. Please keep in mind your sources though and, before you make any drastic changes to your diet (such as going gluten free), have a chat with your doctor. Be sure you're getting all the nutrients you need. Take care!
Endo diet is basically eating healthier avoiding processed foods and sugars. A LOT of women avoid gluten and dairy because like me they actually upset our stomachs. Since I went totally gluten free I no longer have massive stomach pains and really bad nausea everyday. I dont totally avoid dairy but I notice the difference now when I treat myself to chocolate I get awful gas. If you are have stomach problems do like my doctor adviced go gluten free for a month see if it helps and do the same with dairy as well eating healthy getting all your 5 a day. I have a book called endometriosis key to healing through nutrition you should read it 😮
Hey Abi,
I'm glad you have found a diet that works well for you. I just thought I'd share this link with you as it discusses the nocebo effect scientists have been documenting concerning gluten. This study is 3 years old so this isn't new information, but it hasn't gotten as much attention since is goes against the current popular notion of gluten being bad.
"Analyzing the data, Gibson found that each treatment diet, whether it included gluten or not, prompted subjects to report a worsening of gastrointestinal symptoms to similar degrees. Reported pain, bloating, nausea, and gas all increased over the baseline low-FODMAP diet. Even in the second experiment, when the placebo diet was identical to the baseline diet, subjects reported a worsening of symptoms! The data clearly indicated that a nocebo effect, the same reaction that prompts some people to get sick from wind turbines and wireless signals, was at work here. Patients reported gastrointestinal distress without any apparent physical cause. Gluten wasn’t the culprit; the cause was likely psychological. Participants expected the diets to make them sick, and so they did."
google.co.uk/amp/s/www.forb...
I know you are trying to be helpful because they say gluten free is not safe but what I have to say is celiac people do it daily safely as long as you eat healthy get the vitamins you need its not that dangerous also I would like to point out theres a lot of health scares for vegetarians but my boyfriend is alive and well hahaha I think as long as you do it properly its fine also personally I hate being told its all in my head because when I was sick everyday losing 2 stone in weight I was told it was all in my head and my doctor didnt want to see me again so he sent me to a therapist which didnt help! When I originally started cutting out gluten I thought it wasnt helping but then I realised I'd been eating couscous and drinking a drink with barley which after I cut them out I started feeling better so I cant see how gluten is causing some of it even if its in my head I'd rather cut it out and be almost pain free. I know you are trying to be helpful but as someone with anxiety and ibs I would prefer not to be told my pain is all in my head and I'm causing it myself. I'm sorry for commenting this on someone elses post as well I promise I wont reply next time 😮
Abi,
Reply all you want. That's what the forum is for.
I'm not saying it's all in your head at all. Did you read the link I included? What the scientist who did this study concluded was that removing gluten based foods did help people, but it wasn't because of the gluten, it was because of the other crap we add into foods that naturally contain gluten. It goes back to avoiding overly processed foods.
The quote I included was relevant because, as I pointed out in my first post, as much as 40% of women will say they have a gluten intolerance these days, which you kind of backed up by saying "A LOT of women avoid gluten".... and that quote from the included link was about the nocebo phenomenon the scientist in question noted on the study. People got so set on gluten being the culprit, even though there wasn't any medical or scientific reason to support this, that they felt sick no matter what diet they were given. Further controls on the experiment led the scientists to see that it was never the gluten that was aggravating these people's systems, but instead it was the added crud they call FODMAPS.
So, yes, people did feel better after removing gluten based foods, but not because of the gluten, because they were cutting down processed foods.
Lastly, I included this because you pointedly advises this woman to go gluten free, which should not be done without a real reason as it is harder to do in a healthy way than most people realise. I am simply against people advising others to make drastic lifestyle changes when there is no science to back it up.
Gluten is not the devil, unless you have Celiac's disease, which is less than 1% of the population. We have enough to battle with without adding to our burden by making drastic changes based on a food myth.
Hi,
I did read the article and yes I know it says its not just the gluten but it does say its also down to psychological reason which is like saying its all in your head I've seen this study before when someone proceeded to tell me its all in my head. As I see like you say we have lots to worry about so like me I had nausea everyday I'm healthily cut out gluten eat lots of veg getting my vitamin supplements its stopped my nausea and I aim to put my weight back on I dont want the additional worry that its all in my head. I dont understand as well if it is the processed food I hardly had take aways and had healthy home cooked meals and still had the nausea I'm basically eating the same as I did before minus the gluten.
I agree.
I have suffered all my life with gut wrenching lay on the floor sweating pains in my stomach.
Had test after test.... endo, colon, u name it ive had it... then my dr said try gluten free for couple of weeks... see what happens.
Now i am a healthy eater anyway so it wasnt a biggy for me but i was gobsmacked, the change in my pain. I have had no pain or bloatedness or been sick or headaches for 6 months now ! All i do is eat healthy... loads of fruit and veg and organic meat( mainly chicken) i also decided to go dairy free as i noticed i just did not like taste of milk all of a sudden so i have a plant based dairy ( ie soya).
Best thing i ever done.
My body is not missing anything health wise as i eat nothinf but fruit and veg so i get all my goodness there.
I also noticed silly things like my hair,nails and skin looks better, i used to have really bad psoarsis but thats gone after 28 years if having to plaster myself in cream!
Ive lost 11/2 stone. I have no celluite... i mean do u want me to go on..... oh and my period pains and pmt have decreased by about 70%
The Endo Diet is a ten year old US diet book that recommends eliminating food groups that are believed to contribute to or aggravate endo symptoms in particular red meat, dairy, soya, gluten, caffeine. The Endo diet book is written by an American and tends to get cited as absolute and sole truth.
It has plenty of good tips, but it is now scientifically 10 years out of date and not entirely accurate for the UK market. Also, it doesn't present an impartial view on both sides of some of the nutrition debates and fails to include clinical findings (particularly recent findings on soya that suggest it's net beneficial from a pure Endo perspective) that don't support the author's opinions, so should be taken with a pinch of salt and a bit of organic GM free tofu in my personal opinion, though some do swear by it, and soy like wheat and dairy is a common potential allergen trigger for some.
I've a document weblink around diet and endo I could share which may be interesting, particularly I found a a proper clinical trial on pubmed where endo sufferers excluded gluten for 12 months and experienced a reduction in symptoms.
But form your own judgement and use reputable referenced sources , there are plenty of pseudo science websites out there selling supplements and diet books or apps to be wary of.
Foods that support the liver are meant to be good as it plays a role in metabolising excess hormones.
Overall, any overall healthy diet that is high in fresh vegetables and fruit, low in fat, sugar, artificial chemicals and processed food is very likely to help you feel better in yourself regardless of any endo specific properties. Most diets seem to have these features in common which is why all have their proponents who believe they have worked.
We are all unique and the best way to find out what works for you is probably to eliminate just one thing at a time for a month or two, keep a detailed food and symptom diary and create your own tailor made diet. If you want to follow a strict diet it's a good idea to consult a nutritionist for advice and oversight to ensure you are getting the nutrients you need.
[edited to comply with our code of conduct]
I had to find my own "endo diet" over the years, essentially discovering that soy (even organic and non-GMO), peanuts, lentils, beans, and to a lesser extent other legumes (peas or split peas) can cause my endometriosis to become active and painful. Aside from soy, I can usually eat these foods once and be okay, but if I eat any of them a few days in a row, I will develop endometriosis pain where I have lesions no matter where I am in my cycle. I eat a generally healthy diet with lots of organic fresh fruits and veggies, whole grains without much wheat gluten, lean protein, and little red meat anyway. I am genetically predisposed to Celiac's (thanks 23andme!), so while I don't have it now, I am personally comfortable limiting my gluten intake when I want to.
Hi Tanyac2017,
There're quite a few books about endo diet out there. The book 'Endometriosis – a key to healing through nutrition’ by Dian Shepperson Mills and Michael Vernon has a good reputation.
Good luck with exploring endo diet options x
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