Restrictions and Diets for Endometriosis: Should You Go Gluten or Dairy-Free?
Our diet has a significant impact on how our bodies operate on a day-to-day basis. When you’re an endowarrior, the impact of your diet is even further heightened. Certain foods can become your secret weapon for relieving painful endometriosis symptoms, while others can become the cause of them.
While restrictive diets, especially those centered on dairy and gluten free foods, are hot topics for endometriosis,
There is definitely no “one size fits all” solution. So, what will it really take to manage your endo symptoms with your diet? And should you be filling your diet with dairy and gluten free foods? Read on for some answers to these key questions.
Lifestyle Changes for Endometriosis
Living with endo is not easy. As a fellow endowarrior, I know the struggles first-hand. Contrary to what outsiders may think, it’s a condition that affects your entire body. Although changing the way you eat does scientifically alleviate symptoms, the reality of maintaining a limited diet daily can come with its own pressures. You have enough to worry about without adding additional stress every time you go out to eat or shop at a grocery store.
While I do encourage feel-good changes, you’ll also never hear me talk about adopting a restrictive diet.
Instead, I’m all about establishing consistency. intentional habits around incorporating foods that nourish and support your gut and liver, and eliminating or reducing ones that are "enemies” of your unique endo. The quality of what you eat and diversity in your food choices will benefit you more than singular restriction!
How Much Does Diet Affect Endo?
As you can tell, diet plays a significant role in symptoms and overall health management. However, lifestyle changes for endometriosis should always be ones you can follow easily and consistently. Here are some examples of how the right approach to your diet can give you a tremendous advantage over your endo symptoms:
Individuals with endometriosis experience an already weakened immune response system. Introducing protein-rich foods such as fish, eggs, low-fat dairy products, nuts, seeds, and legumes can aid in digestion and healing.
Colorful diets centered around diversity help promote bowel regularity, inflammation reduction, and healthy bacterial strains in the gut.
Inflammation is at the root of many other endo symptoms. Having a good consumption ratio level of omega-6 (pro-inflammatory) to omega-3 (anti-inflammatory) fats allows you to reduce inflammation and pain, while potentially improving your fertility.
So, why are dairy and gluten free foods so often included endometriosis dietary recommendations? Now I’ll answer one of the most common questions I get as an endometriosis dietitian – should I go gluten and dairy free?
Should I Go Gluten and Dairy Free?
So, you know your diet has the power to help you be a valiant endowarrior, but you’re not sure what in your diet needs tweaking. (After all, no one wants to cut out a bowl of ice cream if they don’t have to.)
Dairy and Endometriosis
Let me start by saying the research on dairy and endometriosis is not definitively clear. The whole idea of cutting out dairy stems from the fact that the proteins in foods with dairy and gluten were determined to be similar to proteins and immune cells that the body typically labels as foreign. While eliminating dairy may be beneficial for those with autoimmune conditions, A1 beta-casein allergies, or a confirmed leaky gut, dairy has way too many benefits to eliminate entirely just because of an endometriosis diagnosis.
Dairy is one of the best sources of vitamin A, vitamin D, and protein. It’s also thought to help improve ovulation and conception rates. And your parents weren’t lying when they told you that drinking milk gives you strong bones!
Ultimately, if you don’t have to remove dairy, don’t!
Gluten and Endometriosis
The thought process behind eliminating gluten is similar to the one many have about fully eliminating dairy. Fully reducing gluten often does not have as impactful of an effect as some of the other strategies we’ve already discussed.
However, reducing gluten can help with symptom management. In fact, this case study monitored 207 women with severe endometriosis pain and found that 75% experienced a significant decrease in pain after 12 months on a gluten-free diet. After years of listening to my body and monitoring my endo flares, I’ve personally transitioned to a mostly gluten-free diet as well, which has allowed me to feel a bit more balanced again.
However, gluten-free diets do come with their own problems that should not be ignored. Gluten-free foods are naturally:
Lower in fiber, vitamin D, B12, folate, iron, zinc, magnesium, and calcium.
Higher in saturated and hydrogenated fats
Higher on the glycemic index
These factors can actually contribute to more inflammation, hormonal imbalances, and even pain without supplementing the nutrients a gluten-free diet eliminates.
Here are some gluten-free, endometriosis dietary recommendations that you should apply as you transition:
Opt for whole food sources of gluten-free foods more often than boxed ones. Search for the whole grains that are usually served with meals like oats, quinoa, and teff.
Substitute your gluten-free foods with something that has a comparable amount of protein—for example, almond meal, amaranth, and buckwheat.
Remember to still get your fructans! Gluten-free grains are missing healthy prebiotic fiber found in those that contain gluten. Add foods like onions, peas, watermelons, pistachios, popcorn, and even chamomile tea for some fructan content.
Find fun replacement endo diet recipes as skipping meals can worsen inflammation
Eating with endo isn’t about elimination, it’s about full-body rejuvenation. By swapping trigger foods instead of just removing them altogether, you’ll have a multitude of options to make your meals more diverse and enjoyable!
Eating for Endo and Optimal Digestion
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes answering the question, should I go gluten and dairy free? Eating dairy and gluten free foods may have benefits, but it’s also important to understand their consequences.
The choice is yours endobabe, but at the end of the day, being more intentional with what you choose to consume (and how you consume it!) can transform your symptoms and your life. (Did you know actually intentionally chewing your food 30-40 times before you swallow helps with breakdown and digestion?!)
If you need support in reducing painful symptoms, customizing your nutrition plan, and adopting lifestyle changes for endometriosis symptoms, then my coaching program might be an excellent fit for you. Drop any questions in the comments section below!