Endometriosis and anti-inflammatory diet? What you need to know…
Author of the blog I Love Being Healthy
Perhaps, the first thing you think about when hearing the word “diet” is some type of privation.
If you are on a diet you must, inevitably, eat less or you can’t eat whatever you want. In practice, though, the term diet indicates any nutrition regime one decides to follow, for whatever reason, not always related to weight loss. People follow a specific diet when practising much sport, for the animals or the environment, for ethical choices or food intolerances. Or even due to health reasons.
If you are reading this article, probably, you already know what endometriosis is.
It is a chronic disease that affects almost exclusively women. For reasons that are still unclear, a tissue similar to uterus lining (endometrium) is present also in other unexpected sites, that is, in various organs of the uterine cavity, mainly on the external wall of the uterus and in the ovaries, Fallopian tubes, peritoneum, vagina and intestine. This tissue, despite the great similarity, can respond differently and present different features compared with the real uterine lining [1]. LEndometriosis is an invisible disease that affects one out of ten women.
Guess what? I am also (as you, perhaps) one out of ten.
Maybe you already know it or are about to find it out: what you eat, the diet you choose to follow, can help you. Food can be a true ally to your organism, especially if you suffer from endometriosis. It can help you keep symptoms and pain, as well as fatigue, under control, provide more energy for the day and improve, in general, the quality of your life.
Until last year, I never really considered the importance of this aspect. I have always loved eating and just the idea of giving up something… well, I was clearly bothered and, thus, simply rejected the idea.
I already knew that a particular diet, an anti-inflammatory one, could be (maybe) helpful to me, there were articles and blogs about it. But I thought I wasn’t ready, or strong enough, to follow a diet.
In the last years, this has been a topic of discussion, now more than ever since the research is focusing on this direction. There are attempts to identify foods and nutritional combinations that are not harmful to our organism and could, instead, provide some benefits and the essential nutrients (like those present in the natural dietary multi-supplement Endoplus, developed specifically for this purpose) required by the body to fight this disease. This is precisely what I want to talk about today. I believe it’s really important for you to have all the elements required for freely deciding the path to walk.
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The research is increasingly confirming the association between endometriosis and a chronic inflammatory state of the organism and, also, that a proper diet, along with the basic principles of healthy nutrition, can help to reduce this inflammation. I want to briefly report the content of a recent study about this, which is entitled “Diet and endometriosis: revisiting the linkages to inflammation” [2]. It reviews all the studies conducted so far, from 2000 to 2018, to experimentally evaluate the effects of such a diet on the endometriosis progression, both in animal models and women diagnosed with endometriosis.
“Foods/substances having known anti-inflammatory effects seem to hamper the disease progression, reduce the risk of an advanced endometriosis stage and/or mitigate painful symptomatology in the patients.”
Changing nutritional habits is recognized as a complementary approach and a simple and immediate remedy to reduce the inflammation effects of endometriosis; it is feasible, practical and can be monitored under the supervision of a doctor [2].
Therefore, according to recent studies, an anti-inflammatory diet seems indeed a valid tool, complementary to other therapies, such as hormonal treatments and/or natural dietary supplements like Endoplus, to keep the disease under control.
Although we cannot talk about a cure, since endometriosis is a chronic disease, the diet is one of the puzzle pieces that can contribute to achieving an overall better life quality for the patient.
But how hard is it to follow an anti-inflammatory diet? Where to start?
I bet this is what you are wondering right now, if this is the first time you hear about it.
Before learning what to eat and what to avoid, before even verifying how this nutritional approach might suit your case, the word diet is already frightening you a bit, you already know that sacrifices will come and are worried about it.
I don’t want to lie, if you decide to embrace this nutritional regime, you will definitely have to give up something. For example, refined flours and sugars, or pre-cooked and processed foods that maybe have saved your dinner more than once
I know what it’s like, I have been through it
Perhaps, this is also why I want to give you a piece of advice. Make the first steps slowly.
There’s no hurry, nobody is judging or going after you. It’s just you, with your body. Maybe, you’ll have the chance to feel better without taking painkillers or following heavy hormonal therapies. Maybe, it’s not for sure. But the probability is high and there are people really committed to finding a natural way, I’d say simple and undoubtedly accessible for everyone, to help you. Yes, this method requires you to reconsider some of your habits, but it could really suit you. What do you say, is it worth trying together?
So, we were saying: one step at a time
It is all about developing new little habits, easy to follow.
Philippa Lally and her colleagues [3] hstudied the time required to develop a habit in the real world, not in a laboratory environment. Apparently, it takes an average of 66 days to develop a new habit. And skipping one day is not important and does not compromise the result; what matters is to persevere in the long term.
In other words, what does this mean?
It means that, if you are committed, for a couple of months, to modify something about your nutritional choices (some exceptions, along the path, are expected and allowed!), then, almost without noticing, such changes will become a habit for you.
A new, healthy habit.
Now, think a moment about what you eat on a typical day. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. And whether you have snacks. Have you pictured it in your mind?
I think that, at least in theory, you already have an idea about what to improve. I want to start with a very simple recommendation, which you and, probably, everybody else know already. It is nothing new, it is an indication that each one of us, with or without diseases, should follow, but it is especially important in relation to this anti-inflammatory diet.
Fruit and vegetables. Do you eat enough of them?
Probably not. An average of 5-6 portions is recommended. Thus, as a first challenge, as the first new habit to develop, I ask you to eat an additional portion compared with your typical day. It can be one fruit at breakfast or in the afternoon, a salad as a side dish at lunch, or some grilled or steamed vegetables at dinner.
Use your imagination! You decide.
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Not an extra-large portion, but neither a tiny one. Almost without noticing, you will increase your daily uptake of vitamins and minerals.
The study mentioned before [2] says that a negative correlation has been reported between the consumption of fruit and green leafy vegetables and the endometriosis risk, and that flavonoids [4] and vitamins are among the candidate molecules for the management of endometriosis pain and the reduction of the lesions due to this disease. Think about it: I am not asking you to give up anything! Maybe, though, the sense of satiety, for a given meal, will come sooner and, perhaps, you will have a smaller portion of dessert or pizza. If not, it doesn’t matter. The real challenge, the goal, for now, is to add things.
We will walk this path together, step by step
We will review which foods to introduce into your diet and which to eliminate, and why. For me, understanding the motivation behind each nutritional choice to make is extremely important. By knowing why, it is easier for me to decide what to put on the plate.
Is it the same for you?
You will learn about foods and ingredients that maybe you never heard about or, simply, haven’t used, yet. And you will learn new easy recipes and tricks to simplify your life a bit because, you know, we all have hectic days and it is important to manage time optimally.
What do you say, are you a little intrigued?
Then, ready, set, go!!
PS: If you liked the article, please, leave a comment and share it on social media.
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Bibliography:
[1] Endometriosis, su https://www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/endometriosis. URL consultato il 30 settembre 2019.
[2] Saguyod, S. J. U., Kelley, A. S., Velarde, M. C., & Simmen, R. C. (2018). Diet and endometriosis-revisiting the linkages to inflammation. Journal of Endometriosis and Pelvic Pain Disorders, 10(2), 51-58.
[3] Lally, P., Van Jaarsveld, C. H., Potts, H. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European journal of social psychology, 40(6), 998-1009.
[4] Flavonoidi o Bioflavonoidi: Cosa Sono e A Cosa Servono, su https://www.my- personaltrainer.it/integratori/flavonoidi.html. URL consultato il 30 settembre 2019.
