The Sunday News
Tine Mataz
HAPPY Sunday to you all. I am happy to be educating you once again this week. Last week we learnt about the stages of endometriosis and the conventional treatments out there. What we eat is also very important as it can create or reduce inflammation in the pelvic region.
As we have discussed before, endometriosis causes inflammation and this is because of elevated estrogen. Endometriosis is actually fed by estrogen synthesis. Some of the conventional methods we spoke of last week reduce estrogen but we can actually reduce estrogen by eating better and using alternative methods. Estrogen can be in the form of food, can be produced by your body, or can even be in the form of certain chemicals and toiletries that we use. In the cases of chemicals, we call them xeno-estrogens.
Estrogen = Inflammation; Inflammation = Pain
It is important to avoid foods that are rich in estrogen and these include:
1. Soy products
2. Wheat
3. Red meats
4. Caffeine
5. Dairy produce
6. Refined sugars ( use organic honey)
7. Eggs
8. Fried foods
9. Tinned foods
10. Alcohol
11. Additives and preservatives
12. Chocolate.
We also need to deal with prostaglandins. These are hormones in the body that create natural fatty acids and they usually come from dietary sources.
The painful cramps or painful periods are actually a product of prostaglandins. We need to eliminate the bad prostaglandins and replace them with good ones. The good ones include:
1. Oily fish
2. Walnut oil
3. Pumpkin seeds
4. Dark green leafy vegetables.
Now that we know which foods to avoid, let’s learn about the foods that actually help us to become stronger, to have more energy and combat pain.
These foods are hormone balancing foods:
1. Pulses
2. Beans
3. Red and purple berries
4. Garlic
5. Apples
6. Fennel seeds
7. Cabbage
8. Nuts and seeds
9. Celery;
10. Spinach (rich in iron to replace lost blood)
11. Rhubharb
12. Carrots.
In conclusion a woman should: Increase omega 3 fatty acids, avoid red meats, sugars and wheat, increase fibre, modulate estrogen, avoid alcohol, avoid caffeine, avoid soy products, peel fruit before you eat in order to remove toxic chemicals, eat organic foods, drink plenty filtered or mineral water.
I know I have given you a handful of information but it’s really going to help you. You are what you eat and many women with endometriosis report that after changing their diet, their symptoms improved. I have noticed I feel more pain when I eat certain foods. Try to make some dietary changes and see if you have any improvements.
Until next week stay safe, and remember you may contact me on +263778026402. I am here for you.
