Endo Series Part 3: Anti-Inflammatory Eating For The Win! 🥑
And it’s here that we get to dig into one of my most asked questions about nutrition for endometriosis. That is, “What is anti-inflammatory eating?” and the usual follow up question is “Can it improve pain?”
In pelvic pain spaces, there are a handful of diets you’ll hear about – it might be low FODMAP, gluten-free or the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) diet.
And one thing these three diets all have in common is that they initially focus EXCLUDING foods.
Yikes.
I don’t know about you but the less foods I have to cut out the better!
Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely think some people can benefit from swapping out certain foods in favour of others. But I would NEVER make blanket statements for people to eliminate foods unless the research was really strong in that area. And frankly it isn’t.
However, the evidence we do have is pretty clear that anti-inflammatory eating can improve symptoms. And I for one believe that we shouldn’t have to cut out everything we love in the process.
Remember that endometriosis is a WHOLE body condition after all. And as a result, we need to make sure we’re taking care of our nervous system and mental health in the process. And dietary changes that cause more stress long-term may not actually be helpful!
So what does the research say? There are more studies coming out every year on the impact of nutrition on endometriosis (yay!). Here’s an overview of a couple of studies that support anti-inflammatory eating:
Study 1: Mediterranean diet research with 68 participants with endometriosis
Dietary intervention:
For 5 months, participants included fresh vegetables, fruit, white meat, fish rich in fat, soy products, wholemeal products, foods rich in magnesium, and cold-pressed oils. They avoided sugary drinks, red meat, sweets, and animal fats.
Results: The study found a significant relief of general pain, period pain, pain with sex, and pain passing a bowel motion as well as an improvement in the general condition was found (Ott et al. 2012).
Study 2: High anti-oxidant diet research where 37 participants had a high anti-oxidant diet vs 35 participants as the control group. All participants had endometriosis.
Dietary intake:
For 4 months, the high-antioxidant group achieved specific levels of anti-oxidant vitamins A, C and E through intake of specific vegetables, fruits and seeds.
Results: Although they didn’t measure the change in symptoms, the study found a decrease in peripheral oxidative stress markers, and an increase in antioxidant markers. AKA the body improved its ability to handle inflammation!
Was this research perfect? No. Do we need more research. Yes.
But based on these studies (and a few others) we now know that anti-inflammatory nutrition changes can improve both symptoms AND immune functioning in the body of people with endo!
So let’s get to the stuff you all want to know. What does anti-inflammatory eating actually look like?
There are about 9 key nutrients I like to chat about when talking about anti-inflammatory eating, but for the sake of this email, let’s chat about my top 3.
NOURISHING FATS
POLYPHENOLS
FIBRE
Nourishing Fats
These are our little nutrient-filled powerhouses that support anti-inflammatory processes in our body. As an example, extra-virgin olive oil contains a substance called oleocanthal which shares unique anti-inflammatory characteristics with Ibuprofen. So it’s like nature’s little anti-inflammatory medicine (without the negative impact on the gut!).
Not to mention fats make our meals so much more satisfying. Choose at least one to include more of!
P.s. Seeds are under-utilised in our society so I’m always encouraging my clients to boost their seed intake. My favourite way to have seeds is to toast sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a pan and add them on salads or avo toast.
Polyphenols
Polyphenols are known to have anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that have been shown to be supportive in other inflammatory and estrogen-related conditions. Although research in endometriosis is limited, there is more and more interest into these compounds, such as resveratrol and quercetin.
Although polyphenols are found in pretty much all colourful foods, these ones will give you the most bang for your buck!
Fibre
Fibre, especially soluble fibre, is helpful for relieving constipation and supporting healthy clearance of estrogen and cholesterol. Prebiotic fibres provide food for our gut bacteria, supporting a healthy gut microbiome. A healthy gut microbiome in turn supports immune function through maintaining a healthy gut lining and producing anti-inflammatory short-chain fatty acids.
Hot tip: if you don’t include legumes in your eating regularly, try bulk up your meat dishes by adding a can of beans e.g. add black beans or lentils to a mince dish or roast cannellini beans next to your roast chicken. If you struggle to tolerate legumes, start low and increase slow. Or you can start with a teaspoon of psyllium husk to help get your body used to the fibre.
That’s it for my top 3 anti-inflammatory nutrients!
And remember – you don’t have to change everything at once! Sustainability of changes is key.
Making the changes we chatted about last week (especially regularity) can result in almost immediate improvements in symptoms. Anti-inflammatory eating however can take a little longer. You can see these studies went for 4-5 months. So make sure any changes you’re making feel enjoyable and sustainable for the long-term.
Thanks for joining me on this little tour of anti-inflammatory eating.
See you over in my next blog post when we dive into endo and the gut.
Nadia xx
REFERENCES:
Ott J, Nouri K, Hrebacka D, Gutschelhofer S, Huber J, Wenzl R. Endometriosis and nutrition-recommending a Mediterranean diet decreases endometriosis-associated pain: an experimental observa- tional study. J Aging Res Clin Practice. 2012;1:162–6.
Mier-Cabrera, J., Aburto-Soto, T., Burrola-Méndez, S., Jiménez-Zamudio, L., Tolentino, M. C., Casanueva, E., & Hernández-Guerrero, C. (2009). Women with endometriosis improved their peripheral antioxidant markers after the application of a high antioxidant diet. Reproductive biology and endocrinology : RB&E, 7, 54. https://doi.org/10.1186/1477-7827-7-54