Diet changes can help reduce the symptoms of endometriosis and removing dairy and gluten can help reduce inflammation, bloating and pain which are very common distressing symptoms
There is no doubt that changing your diet can improve your endometriosis symptoms. Sometimes it happens quickly (1-3 months) and sometimes it takes time (12 months) so don’t panic if changing your diet doesn’t yield results immediately. This is about a lifestyle change that will help your body function optimally.
Dairy can be very inflammatory for many people. Depending on where you live, dairy can contain hormones and/or antibiotics that get passed into the milk when administered to cows to increase milk production and treat disease. This increases overall toxic burden and impacts the health of the microbiome, which both contribute to the severity of this condition.
The worst type of dairy for women with endometriosis (and people in general) contains A1 casein. Unfortunately, this is produced in dairy-producing cows in North America and most parts of the world. So, if you’re consuming dairy, it’s highly likely that you’re also consuming A1 casein. Goat and sheep milk contain predominantly A2 casein, which is tolerated better than the former and may be a viable alternative for you.
Gluten has also shown to be particularly inflammatory to the gastrointestinal tract. Many people report sensitivity to this food and experience relief of symptoms when removed from their diet.
In one study that enrolled 207 patients with severe painful endometriosis-related symptoms found that 75% (156 women) reported statistically significant reduction in painful symptoms after 12 months of following a gluten free diet.
I know this advice sounds pretty radical to most of you, but it does help.
When I cut out dairy and gluten from my own diet it helped to reduce the bloating I used to suffer as well as some of the pain. Also, by cutting out gluten it helped reduce the brain fog and the fatigue which I used to suffer from really bad. So I was willing to go without these foods because of the benefits I gained and if I slipped up I would get a flare up of symptoms, which gave me the encouragement to keep these foods out of my diet.
References
Ho S, Woodford K, Kukuljan S, Pal S. Comparative effects of A1 versus A2 beta-casein on gastrointestinal measures: a blinded randomised cross-over pilot study.Eur J Clin Nutr. 2014 Sep;68(9):994-1000. doi: 10.1038/ejcn.2014.127. Epub 2014 Jul 2.
Marziali M1, Venza M, Lazzaro S, Lazzaro A, Micossi C, Stolfi VM. Gluten-free diet: a new strategy for management of painful endometriosis related symptoms? Minerva Chir. 2012 Dec;67(6):499-504.
About the Author
My name is Carolyn Levett, the Founder of endo-resolved - I am an Integrative Health Coach having studied nutrition, naturopathy, aromatherapy as well as being a published author. I used to suffer from severe endometriosis and was able to regained my health and heal from the disease with the support of nutrition and natural therapies.
My motivation is to help other women with endometriosis to heal their bodies so they may overcome this awful disease without having to rely on toxic drugs and surgeries which can cause further damage - with healing thoughts, Carolyn.