The "endo diet”
It must be one of the most frequently asked questions: what to eat to reduce endo pain, fatigue and inflammation?
The answer? According to some, the only way is the low FODMAP diet. Others say an anti-inflammatory diet. Some recommend a low nickel diet. Then there is the keto movement, the high protein movement, no gluten or dairy, vegan, pescatarian. Or according to others you should get your DNA analyzed in order to learn what to eat.
So how do you navigate this confusion and not be paralysed in the grocery store? Let’s get unstuck.
You can never go wrong with more plants in your diet
To answer the “endo diet” question, we need to take a step back: where are you at in your journey? How do you feel? And what does your diet currently look like?
There are a few elements to take into consideration:
How much energy do you have that you could spend on a diet change
How healthy is your current diet
How much do you enjoy cooking and trying out new recipes
Which foods will reduce symptoms
Which foods will increase symptoms
Utopia
Let’s say you eat very healthy. You eat tons of fruit, vegetables, fermented foods, nuts, seeds, limited amounts of dairy & meat, drink a lot of water, dont’ drink a lot of coffee or alcohol, you’re not really a sweet tooth. You enjoy cooking and it relaxes you to make a meal plan and prepare in advance. But you still have flare-ups. In your case, a more elaborate strategy like a low FODMAP diet might be a good idea. You could identify which foods should be limited and you’ll probably won’t encounter many problems to stick to it during the elimination fase.
But let’s be honest for a second.
I just described the one percent, didn’t I?
Most of us are just exhausted, we’d rather rest than going grocery shopping and we crave our favorite comfort food. On a good day some of us might enjoy cooking or meal prepping, but how many of those days do we have?
The non-diet endo diet
Just like everything in the E2E framework, I think it’s important to take your current energy and habits as the basis, and not rely on willpower alone.
After peeling away layer after layer of confusion, these are the only 2 rules you should try to stick to.
the more plants the better
limit some harmful foods
The more plants the better
Research showed that eating more than 30 plants per week, improves your gut health. This in turn leads to a better functioning immune system, hormone regulation and reduces inflammation.
30?!
Yes, and it’s easier than you think.
Every plant counts, so we’re talking
fruit
veg
legumes
grains
nuts
seeds
herbs & spices (only as 1/4 point because of the small amount)
And to make things even easier: different color = different plant!
The only ones that don’t count are those that don’t contain any fiber anymore, like fruit juice or white rice. When in doubt, stay as close to its natural state as possible.
And while we’re at it, let’s add some good news: chocolate counts! A bar with 50% cacao won’t do you much good, but a 78% bar with very little sugar, preferably with raw cacao? It’s anti-inflammatory!
Do no harm
A few foods have been proven to harm us. They either mess with hormones, cause inflammation, or kill good gut bacteria. Here are a few you might want to limit:
coffee
alcohol
sugar
ultra-processed foods (be on the lookout for emulsifier in particular)
fried food
That’s for the theory. But how do you do this when life is lifing all over you?
Step by step
There is absolutely no need to go full in, all at once.
If your current go to breakfast is leftover pizza, try and swap this out a few times per week with a healthier alternative. I don’t mean you should drink a kale smoothie every morning if seeing that on insta makes you shiver. Maybe you can eat some wholegrain toast with jam and eat one piece of fruit. Or a yoghurt with fruit and nuts.
I make chiapudding once every 5 days, with loads of raw cacao powder. So I’m basically eating chocolate for breakfast, and it’s anti-infammatory.
You notice how I also prepare it in advance and just eat the same every day. You really don’t have to reinvent the warm water each morning. Just managing to eat one healthy meal per day means you’re about 25% eating healthy, that’s a great start!
The next step could be to find a way to add one plant: can you get 2 colors of apples or bell peppers? Or buy some frozen soup that contains a vegetable you don’t usually eat? Maybe buy a nut mix or 2 types of seeds you can add as topping at breakfast or on a salad? Or those beautiful basil leaves on top of your pasta?
To reduce the potentially harmful foods, go easy and remember you don’t have to eat like a saint. It’s all about crowding them out with the good stuff. Try to think where you could make an easy change.
Maybe you don’t like coffee but you need it to wake up. Could you try some green tea and an energy supplement instead?
Maybe you eat fried food in the evening because it’s convenient and you’re just exhausted. Can you get a few healthy frozen meals to use in that case?
Maybe you have a sweet tooth and love baking. Can you find healthier recipes? Or melt some chocolate on top of fruit and have a luxurious and healthy snack? Or can you just add more fresh fruit and nuts on top of your cake?
Remember
Whatever feels right to you is the correct way to approach this.
Don’t cut anything out and feel like you’re dieting, just reduce where you can, but focus on adding more good stuff.
The first step
The entire E2E framework is a first step. Starting with very low energy, making easy changes. Once you start feeling more energetic but you have some remaining symptoms, in some cases it might be a good idea to take a next step. Maybe you end up following a low FODMAP diet with a dietician, but at least you’ll do it while you already fed your gut microbiome, made a habit of eating more healthily and have the energy to stick to this diet.
One thing I would recommend, is to keep a diet & symptom tracker. Even though plants in general are incredibly healthy, some might cause cramps or bloating. In general, you don’t need a highly restrictive diet to rule these out. Just keeping track of it for a few weeks will tell you a lot.
You can download the free tracker here. I also added a plant tracker, so you can see how quickly you manage to increase the number of plants you eat.
Diet is only one piece of the puzzle. If you want to speed up your journey to start feeling better, make sure to subscribe to the free e-mail course. It will hand you the overview, I like to think of it as the box of the puzzle. Once you see how everything works together, it becomes so much easier to choose which other strategies to implement.