Trigger foods?: Does anyone experience... - Endometriosis UK

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Trigger foods?

Rae253 profile image
25 Replies

Does anyone experience endometriosis flare ups after certain foods/drinks? Although my pain is never completely gone, I sometimes have a lot of pain on my right side (my right ovary was badly affected) As I’m fairly newly diagnosed I haven’t yet noticed any pattern or managed to associated anything else with the pain. Has anybody else experienced triggers like food or drink or even what time of the month etc??

Thanks x

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Rae253 profile image
Rae253
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25 Replies

I find dairy and gluten are my triggers. Also I find I should avoid having too much caffeine. Soya containing foods also can be triggers for me x

Rae253 profile image
Rae253 in reply to

Hi, thank you for your reply. I also avoid caffeine, I’ve been drinking decaf mint or herbal tea. I’m having coconut almond milk with my porridge in the morning & do actually really like the taste. I think I need to be more strict with the bread/gluten foods. I try then just give in! When I came out of hospital I was really careful with what I ate, lately that’s slipped & im suffering! I suppose your body needs time to get used to not having these triggers for a while to notice any changes. :(

in reply toRae253

Gluten is a trigger for lots of ladies with endo so that would be worth trying to reduce/eliminate to see if it helps, it definitely seems to help me x

Leenie0811 profile image
Leenie0811

I came on here today to look at diet, trigger foods, and endo!! thank you for posting about this :)

I had my lap in July last year to remove endo from the pelvic wall, US ligament and parts of my bowel (was so lucky it didn't go through) since having the Mirena IUD my pains have subsided a lot and bleeding is considerably less. Still time of the month I struggle with my diet A LOT... I've made small attempts to change or track trigger foods but never saw it all the way through.

Caffeine seems to be a big one for me and rich foods so I try and avoid creamy sauces etc. I think now (without actually cutting it out) eating less meat has helped me so much.

Are there any research articles on endo and diet available to read?

Leenie x

Rae253 profile image
Rae253 in reply toLeenie0811

Hi, thanks for your reply. My op was nearly 8 weeks ago & was a fairly big one. I had adhesions to my uterus & bowel and also my right ovary & appendix (they removed the appendix too) so all still a bit new and up & down! I’m on the Prostap injection so I wasn’t sure if the pain was linked to the time that was due?

Ive been exactly the same, I will try really hard with the diet, then will have days where I won’t at all. I know anti inflammatory foods should be avoided or cut down - caffeine, alcohol, red meat, gluten. I did give it a go but need to be more persistent! I was definitely feeling less bloated whist avoiding gluten but assumed that was because I still didn’t 100% have a huge appetite. Once my appetite returned, although I’m still avoiding fatty foods/processed foods, I’ve slipped up a few times - occasional wine and also bread! It’s hard but knowing for sure that these could be a trigger, I’m sure this will spur me on to stick with it. Milk & cheese are a definite no no for me. I have just had a read of this site...... nutritionist-resource.org.u...

cherry78 profile image
cherry78

I went on holiday to a bed and breakfast for a week, I had my worse period ever at the end of the holiday after a cooked breakfast every morning. I think it was the eggs and the fatty food that caused the flare. I also had an Italian meal one evening which is full of gluten and added to the pain.

Rae253 profile image
Rae253 in reply tocherry78

Always the good stuff hey! :(

My downfall is definitely bread. I haven’t found a nice gluten free substitute yet but I will keep looking. I love cheese too, but was in so much pain last time I had a tiny bit of cheddar, that it’s definitely put me off! X

cherry78 profile image
cherry78 in reply toRae253

I completely agree, always food that is tasty which makes it worse. I keep thinking that I should bake my own gluten free bread but never get round to it. I know someone who uses a bread-maker for their gluten free bread, I just need to get going with it.

Rae253 profile image
Rae253 in reply tocherry78

That sounds like a great idea however I’m a rubbish cook so I’m not sure mine would taste great haha! I will let you know if I come across a nice roll or bread x

Purple001 profile image
Purple001 in reply toRae253

Hey just reading the thread. Try out this recipe (if none of the ingredients disagree with you) it's the only bread I've found that I like!

Large tub of natural yoghurt 500g

Fill empty tub twice with jumbo oats

Teaspoon of salt

2 teaspoons of bicarbonate of soda

1. Mixed well together

2. Put in loaf tin

3. Bake at 180 degrees for 50 minutes

4. Then turn over and bake for another 10 minutes

Mistiana profile image
Mistiana in reply toPurple001

the 500g yogurt is part of the recipe? I'm really curious about this recipe

Purple001 profile image
Purple001 in reply toMistiana

Yes it is, sorry that was unclear. So you empty the 500g tub of natural yoghurt into a bowl and then fill it with oats twice. It's the only bread I've found that is nice!

Mistiana profile image
Mistiana in reply toPurple001

Thank you. I'm gonna try it out with dairy free yogurt when I get back from vacation. :)

Purple001 profile image
Purple001 in reply toMistiana

No problem! It freezes well too and is nice toasted. Hope you like if and enjoy your vacation 🙂

Rae253 profile image
Rae253 in reply toPurple001

Sounds good & fairly simple, which is good for me!

I will give it a go thank you x

Purple001 profile image
Purple001 in reply toRae253

Yes it's very simple, only takes 5 minutes to prepare it's the baking that takes time. No problem hope you like it! X

Char411 profile image
Char411

Alcohol is the worst trigger for me, haven’t touched a drop since October and don’t actually miss it that much x

Minchoo profile image
Minchoo

Coffee! I think that’s a big one for me. Wiped out all caffeine now.

Dairy ; particularly cow products and gluten. Those two have an awful impact on my bowels; it doesn’t help my endometriosis is all over my rectum- I’m awaiting an appointment to see an endometriosis specialist 😀Id recommend keeping a pain diary; it’ll show you exactly the foods and drinks which trigger endometriosis pain attacks 😊 good luck xoxo

foursimplewords profile image
foursimplewords

eggs/soya/gluten/dairy for me, and I suspect caffeine but suck at giving it up...

Crem profile image
Crem

Hey I get pains when I do things i like, like smoking drinking and eating sweet foods. I find especially sugary foods and carbonated drinks x

Ashleynic profile image
Ashleynic

Gluten is definitely a trigger for me !! Alcohol as well (particularly wine) but I have found that spirits don't affect me as much (I may have convinced myself of this!!) Also fizzy drinks are a trigger

Mistiana profile image
Mistiana

I know a lot of endo sisters cut out processed sugar because it is highly inflammatory.

I'm new to endo eating, but I've cut out red meat, processed meat, dairy, gluten/wheat, and sugar. I've found overall that I have less pressure in my abdomen. It's not completely gone, but it's consistently better.

Adelind profile image
Adelind

I think all foods that contain estrogen should be avoided. Soya is very high in estrogen. Caffeine and milk can cause inflamation. Not mention that conventional dairy products are high in estrogen :( Simple carbs and sugar also cause inflamation, fat sells produce estrogen too, so, theoretically, the less fat we have, the less estrogen is produced in our bodies.

Adelind profile image
Adelind

I read that liver is important in the process of how our body is getting rid of excess estrogen. So having a healthy leaver might help. There are foods that help liver to work properly.

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