Yes foods and no foods
Here, you will explain in more detail the Yes Foods and No Foods in relation to endometriosis.
As you learned, a proper diet improves the pain response and helps to remove the estrogens (female sex hormones) in excess, responsible for the worsening of the symptoms.
This guide is a practical grocery list of foods with excellent nutritional properties, perfect to combine in new recipes to keep at home or safe on your phone.
The combinations of foods and their quantities, instead, must be defined by a nutritionist that knows the specific nutritional needs of the endometriosis patient.
This list was compiled thanks to the scientific support of the Italian Endometriosis Foundation, which has been devoted to the research and diagnosis of this disease for over 15 years.
? Key principles
1. Freshness
Buy the freshest food possible and eat it while it is still fresh.
Avoids excessively processed foods, which are full of additives and poor in nutrients. Cook using raw materials with cooking methods that do alter them too much (for example, boiling, slight stir-frying, in hoven and in the microwave). Remember to include uncooked vegetables and fruit, before and/or after the main meals, every day. To minimize the exposure to pesticides, when possible, consume foods from biological production or local farm markets.
2. Variety
Consume a wide variety of foods each day, a little bit of everything.
Eating is a pleasure; have fun trying new recipes when you can.
Try to combine the foods on the list to discover new recipes and cook for others.
? Vegetables (Yes foods)
REMEMBER: vegetables are fundamental to keep the intestine healthy and facilitate the excretion of excess estrogens.
Below, there are various examples of recommended vegetables:
- Courgettes
- Cucumbers
- Asparagus
- Broccoli
- Cabbages
- Red radicchio
- Fresh tomatoes
- Carrots
- Onions
- Fennels
- Rocket and mixed green salads
- Red and yellow bell peppers
- Leeks
- Turnip tops
- Pumpkins
- Red onions
- Spinaches
- Chards
- Savoy cabbages
- Black, white and green cauliflowers
- Courgette flowers
- Artichokes
- Aubergines
- Green beans
- Endives
- Potatoes
- In general, leaf and cruciferous vegetables (like cabbages and broccoli)
? First courses (Yes foods)
REMEMBER: in contrast with what commonly believed, except for assessed coeliac disease, gluten should not be completely avoided; on the contrary, it should be part of the diet, otherwise the body would lose its ability to metabolize it. As a general rule, you should always prefer whole grains combined with vegetables.
- Wholegrain rice (Learn more about Flours, cereals and endometriosis )
- Quinoa
- Amaranth
- Black or red wholegrain rice
- Chickpea, lentil and bean flours
- Cornmeal mush
- Potato gnocchi with whole-wheat flour
? Second courses (Yes foods)
REMEMBER: the protein supply is crucial to provide the muscles and the body with the required energy, along with iron, vitamin B, Omega 3 and calcium (important for the bone health of women).
- Salmon (preferably non the smoked one)
- Oily fishes (“blue fishes”)
- Mackerel
- Shellfishes
- Canned tuna, in moderate amounts
- Fresh tuna, in moderate amounts
- Salted cod
- Codfish
- Gilt-head bream
- Sea bass
- Eggs (if whole, they contain folates)
- White meat
- Parmesan cheese, in moderate amounts
- Crustaceans
? Condiments (Yes foods)
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Homemade pesto
- Avocado
- Lemon
- Turmeric
- Parsley
- Seeds of sesame, pumpkin, sunflower, etc. (for yogurts and salads)
- Chia seeds
- Cumin
- Basil
- Pepper
- Honey
- Unsweetened cocoa
❌ No foods
REMEMBER: endometriosis is caused by the estrogens that our body naturally produces. By eliminating foods rich in estrogens, we not only avoid increasing the amounts of such components in our organism but also reduce the inflammation and, thus, their production itself.
- Chili pepper
- Alcoholic drinks (Beer, wine, liquor, etc.)
- Caffein
- Red meat
- 00 flour
- Fresh cheeses containing lactose
- Cured meat
- Industrial chocolate
- Industrial soft drinks (sodas, sweetened drinks, sparkling drinks, etc.)
- Butter
- Margarine
- Desserts, especially the packaged ones
- Sugar and sweeteners
- Soy
- Oat
- Aloe
- Rye
? Foods to consume on a limited extent
REMEMBER: in your diet, some foods must be consumed on a limited extent but not avoided (the key rule is ‘variety and moderation‘) since they provide useful nutrients but are harmful when consumed in large quantities.
- Seasoned cheeses
- Ricotta (Learn more about Milk and endometriosis )
- Natural yogurt and Kefir
- Red wine
- White meat from controlled farms
| DID YOU KNOW? For endometriosis patients, there are some recommended alternatives to bread: puffed rice cakes, puffed quinoa cakes, corn crackers, homemade whole-wheat bread and homemade chickpea bread |
? Which flours to use?
- Chickpea flour for bread, etc.
- Rice and almond flours for cakes and biscuits
- Chestnut flour
- Whole-wheat flours
? 7 ideas for a quick snack
- Seasonal fruit + 10/20 g of walnuts
- Orange juice + 10/20 g of almonds
- Fat-free Greek yogurt + mixture of oily seeds and red fruits
- Smoothies of vegetables and fruit (no milk)
- Puffed cakes + avocado sauce and salmon
- Ginseng coffee (no sugar)
- Homemade popcorn (no butter)
? 5 conclusive tips
1. Fill up your fridge with fruit and vegetables, to have them always available. It is easier to improve your habits if what benefits you is at hand. To escape the temptation of bad snacks, it is good to bring with you small packs of carrots, fennels or dried fruit.
2. Base your meals on a large portion of vegetables, not meat. Instead of a chicken steak accompanied by a little spinach, put a large portion of spinach at the centre of your dish, with a few chicken steak strips on the side (to provide some proteins).
3. Include vegetables and fruit in all your recipes. Explore new combinations. What about chopping some pumpkins for your pasta sauce, accompanying salmon with julienne courgette or putting some fennels in the salad?
4. Do workouts with a partner but be ready to make them alone, if required. When you are in the company of someone, the exercises are less tiring and it is an excuse to stay together. However, do not forget that a walk can be a unique chance to stay alone when you cannot find a partner; you can be your best partner.
5. Find what you like doing and do it! Who says that workouts can be exclusively an aerobic session or an hour at the gym? What about signing up for a course of Latin dance, creating a new garden, refreshing your tennis skills, or learning mountain biking?
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