Endometriosis - Diet and Nutrition
Changing your diet to deal with Endometriosis is an excellent foundation to assist you in reducing the symptoms, and will help regenerate your health.
Adjusting our diets can bring about many positive physical and metabolic changes, as well as improving our health. Many of you may be aware that various illnesses and diseases have responded very positively to changes in diet, and Endometriosis is no exception.
Some of the positive physical changes that take place when we change our diet, will at first not seem reliant on our food intake, but they are. For example, eating the right kinds of foods can:
sharpen our mental alertness
help us to stop feeling so sluggish
give us more energy
regulate sleep patterns
regulate bowel movements
balance blood sugar levels
regulate metabolism
regulate body weight
control hyperactivity - especially in children
We are very much a reflection of what we eat. When someone has a diet loaded in fats, the first place it will show up is in their complexion, with greasy, sallow skin. When we are constipated, an Iridologist (alternative health practitioner specialising in diagnosis using the iris of the eye) will immediately see this in the lack-lustre appearance of the eyes. With a lack of vital nutrients in our system, the body will eventually give you tell-tale signs.
The diet in modern day western society has become depleted of vital nutrients for many reasons. Intensive farming has robbed the soil of vital trace elements which used to be taken up by the crops as they grew, and in turn we consumed them. We rely so much on convenience foods now, which are very low in goodness. Much of our ???fresh??? produce like fruit and vegetables, is actually gassed and then stored in warehouses for months.
Many of us eat ???fast food???, which is not very nutritious - the longer that food is left standing in a heated serving cabinet, the less nutritious value it has. People get lazy, they cannot be bothered to shop for valuable ingredients, yet alone cook good wholesome food anymore.
Scientists, health researchers and others have now found that the lower your food intake, with fewer calories and proteins, the longer you will live. We simply do not need the food intake that we have in the West.
What the body needs is a simple, balanced, preferably organic diet, which is prepared using fresh ingredients, and is viewed as our means of sustainance rather than being viewed as ???something to stop us being hungry???. We do have many problems and issues surrounding food in the West, with anorexia, comfort eating, and many other eating disorders. Food is also used in many social situations, but this is no excuse for not being able to feed yourself with good food when you are at home.
Food is our fuel, it makes us function, grow, replace worn out cells, gives us energy, and feeds the entire body. Food is the secondary requirement to life, with oxygen being the first basic requirement. More important than food is our daily requirement for water. We need lots of it; plain, fresh water. Yet most people only drink a small proportion of what the body really needs.
But going back to food; it provides us with energy. The foods we take in include:
carbohydrates, which provide the chief source of energy for bodily functions and muscular exertions
fats, which are the most concentrated form of energy. Three fatty acids, are essential in the diet because the body cannot make them itself.
proteins, which are the building blocks in food, the construction materials for growth and repair of cells
fibre, indigestible parts of plants which provides roughage and aids digestion
vitamins and minerals - the organic substances which the body cannot make, but which it requires in small amounts to maintain health
Controlled Diet for Endometriosis
Controlling your diet to help you deal with Endometriosis is an excellent starting point. As I have said earlier, we really are a reflection of what we eat, and the body responds very quickly to what is put inside it. Let me emphasise that point thus:
Look how radically altered we become by too much alcohol - which can happen very quickly
A Sumo wrestler is not born large - they eat themselves large
Body builders do build up their bodies with power/weight lifting, but they also use a high protein diet to back it up
Drink too much coffee and you have a caffeine rush
Travel to another area and you may get upset by the change in water consumption
When we are hungry, many of us suffer that awful drowsy blood sugar drop; eat something and we can pick up again very quickly
So the body is very sensitive to what is put in it, and sometimes that sensitivity is quick to show up. Unfortunately other sensitivities are not noticed and will creep up on us, which is when we suffer from dietary deficiencies and a lack of trace elements. There are times when our body gives us clues that we have a deficiency and we start to have cravings for certain types of foods.
The role of a controlled diet in Endometriosis management has proved exceedingly beneficial for many women. Some women have even been able to be totally symptom free with changes in diet. The plan of the endo diet is to relieve or prevent some of the disabling symptoms that occur with menstruation, as well as the general pain of endo. The goal is to decrease estrogen levels, stabilise hormones, increase energy, alleviate painful cramps and stabilise emotions.
Candida
Some women are achieving great health improvements by following a diet to address Candida yeast infection. By following the Candida diet these women are seeing improvements with their Endometriosis. There is speculation that there are links between Candida and Endometriosis.
A diet for Candida is very similar to a diet regime to help with Endometriosis, which is probably why these women are getting good results from a diet for Candida.
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SO WHERE DO WE START!
Lets start with pain and hormones in relation to diet ????????????
Endometriosis is an estrogen-sensitive condition, but the painful menstrual cramping that occurs is predominantly due to prostaglandin synthesis in the body. Prostaglandins are naturally occurring fatty acids, which are derived from dietary sources. The body can produce different types of prostaglandins through a complex series of pathways.
There are the ???good guys??? and the ???bad guys??? of the prostaglandin group. The goal of a controlled diet is to block the ???bad guys??? (PGF2a and PGE2) for their negative actions on the body and increase the ???good guys??? (PGE1) for their opposite and beneficial actions. The action of the bad guys is to increase uterine contractions, and the good guys have a soothing effect. By changing the types of oils that are taken into the diet, the production of the good guys can be stimulated, which helps with uterine relaxation. These oils are composed of omega-3 acids, which lead to PGE1 production. Excellent sources of the omega-3 fatty acid producing oils are:
evening primrose
Safflower oil
Walnut oil
flax seeds/oil
It is also important to decrease intake of those fatty acids that will stimulate the bad guys which are found in saturated fats, butter, animal and organ meat, lard.
In addition to decreasing bad fat intake, the diet should also consist of high fibre. Not only does this help with good digestion, but it is also thought that a diet high in fibre can decrease total circulating estrogens. It is recommended to incorporate 25 grams per day of fibre. Good sources are:
whole grains excluding wheat and rye
beans, peas and pulses
brown rice
vegetable and fruits
oatmeal
The following foods are recommended to modulate estrogen levels by incorporating one or two servings a day:
mustard greens
broccoli
cabbage
turnips
FOODS TO AVOID
wheat - this includes breads, cakes and pasta products, all based on wheat
refined and concentrated carbohydrates
sugar, in whatever form, including honey
alcohol
caffeine which is found in tea, coffee, soft drinks
chocolate
dairy produce including all milk and cheese
fried food, margarine and hydrogenated fats
soya products like tofu, miso, - tamari can be used in small amounts
tinned and frozen packaged foods as little as possible
additives and preservatives
FOODS BENEFICIAL FOR THE IMMUNE SYSTEM
beans, peas, lentils
onions
garlic (raw or lightly cooked)
carrots (contain beta-carotene)
live yoghurt (good for health intestinal flora)
rhubarb
seeds and sprouted seeds
ginger
green tea
HORMONE REBALANCING
Foods containing natural plant sterols can be helpful. They are thought to block the estrogen receptors, so in turn excess estrogen in the body cannot ???lock-in??? to these receptors. These include:
peas, beans and pulses
red and purple berries
garlic
apples
parsley
fennel
brassicas: cabbage, cauliflower etc
nuts and seeds
celery, carrots
rhubarb
sage
VITAMIN AND MINERAL SUPPLEMENTS
Although the best source of vitamins and minerals is through a well balanced diet, many foods today are depleted in these vital trace elements. Today, most of us need to supplement our diet with some of the vitamins and minerals that our bodies need to function optimally.
The following is a list of supplements that will help women with Endometriosis:
Magnesium - is a mineral and is believed to ease cramping with menstruation
Zinc - is essential for enzyme activity, helping cells to reproduce which will help with healing. Zinc is also reported to boost the immune system and helping to create an emotional sense of well-being
Calcium - levels of calcium in menstruating women decrease 10 to 14 days before the onset of menstruation. Deficiency may lead to muscle cramps, headache or pelvic pain.
Iron - women with Endometriosis tend to have very heavy periods which can lead to an iron deficiency. This can lead to anaemia which is characterised by extreme fatigue and weakness.
B vitamins - these are important for the breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates and fats in the body. B vitamins are reported to improve the emotional symptoms of Endometriosis, and have proved helpful in dealing with PMT
Vitamin C - is well known for helping to boost the immune system and help provide resistance to disease. It is also used in the body to build and maintain collagen within the body.
Vitamin A - is another immune system booster
Vitamin E - plays an important role by increasing oxygen carrying capacities and also strengthens the immune system
Selenium - when taken together with vitamin E has been reported to decrease inflammation associated with Endometriosis, as well as immune system booster.
OTHER USEFUL SNIPPETS:
Certain vegetables have substances that activate liver enzymes and help the liver to detoxify chemicals. This allows the liver to eliminate excess estrogen from the body more effectively. These vegetables include: broccoli, cauliflower and brussel sprouts.
Auto immune diseases are thought to be triggered by free- radicals in the body, which could be an added factor in Endometriosis. Free radicals are destructive molecules and are found naturally in the body but can be made worse by pollution, stress, illness and smoking. There are minerals and vitamins that will help to fight off these free-radicals because of their antioxidant properties, including: vitamins A,C,E, CoQ10, selenium, vitamin B complex, as well as specific supplements being sold specifically as Antioxidants.
It is very common for women with Endometriosis to suffer from Irritable Bowel Syndrome. I used to suffer from it myself, and it took quite a while to define which foods would trigger it off. These triggers can vary from one woman to another. Even simple things like drinking a hot drink when it was too hot would trigger it off in me. You need to really pay attention as to what your own subtle triggers are, as well as which foods will set it off.
TO SUM UP
increase omega-3 fatty acids
avoid meat, dairy products, wheat and sugar
increase fibre
modulate estrogen
avoid caffeine and alcohol
avoid refined foods, e-numbers, additives
minimise or avoid soya products as they contain high levels of phytoestrogens, and soy contains a particular toxin which seems to be particularly detrimental for women with Endometriosis
peel fruit and vegetables to remove toxic chemicals
eat organic produce wherever possible
drink lots of filtered or mineral water
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Recipes for the Endometriosis Diet
If you are to change your diet to help deal with Endometriosis then there will be many changes in the foods you can and cannot eat.
As you can see by the advice above, there are many foods you are advised to leave out of your diet completely, especially if you are to reap the benefits.
These main foods are:
meat, wheat and wheat products, sugar, dairy, caffeine, additives and all refined and convenience foods.
Your diet will be based mainly on:
vegetables, pulses, beans, rice, fruit and fresh water
The prospect of adjusting your diet so radically may seem somewhat daunting. You may be wondering and concerned about:
what on earth you are going to eat - mountains of plain vegetables, piles of fruit, gallons of plain water
how do you have variety in your diet
how do you find recipes which are still enjoyable and tasty, but still suitable fo a diet for Endometriosis
how do you plan meals so that you do not become utterly bored with your diet
There are many wonderful recipes you can use and I have done the hard work for you
I have complied a book of recipes specifically for a diet for Endometriosis
???Recipes for the Endo Diet???
This is an extract from the Introduction to the book:
???The information in this book is the bottom line, based on ingredients and recipes that are best suited to a diet for Endometriosis. It includes recipes that do not require many different ingredients, or lots of complex cooking techniques.
The book has not been written with an endless list of in-depth or scientific information regarding nutrition, or the properties of certain foods. You can find that information in other books about diet and Endometriosis. This book has been researched and written to be an easy to follow, easy to use recipe book, and tailor make for women with Endometriosis.???
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 yoghurts 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 favourite 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 flavourful 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.
The recipes in the book include:
cold drinks
hot drinks
healing drinks
soups
vegetable dishes
main dishes
spicy dishes
pasta dishes
sweets and puddings - yes you read that right!
baking and breads
pie crusts and crumble mixes
sauces, dressings and dips
spreads and dips for sandwiches/toast or parties
a few recipes using larger quantities suitable for catering
All customised for a diet for Endometriosis
I also anticipate that the recipes in the book will give you ideas and guidelines of how to adapt your own favourite recipes, without jeopardising your diet regime for Endometriosis.
Announcement!
As an introductory offer the price of the book is reduced by 40% to help you get off to a quick start
Guarantee
If 'Recipes for the Endometriosis Diet' does not meet your expectations, I will refund your money, with no questions asked.
http://www.endo-resolved.com/diet.html