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Post by mmou8685 on Mar 27, 2007 8:26:49 GMT -5
I heard a rumor that switching to a vegetarian diet can help manage the pain from the endo. Is this true? Or has anyone here ever tried that?
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Post by dinah on Mar 27, 2007 14:22:48 GMT -5
makes sense to me, remove dairy products and meat and you will probably feel better, I did a few years ago and feel much better, I can balance my hormones better that way.......Hope this helps
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Post by mmou8685 on Mar 27, 2007 16:37:35 GMT -5
Thanks. My dad doesn't believe it at all. He thinks I'm just making up some excuse to become vegetarian. LOL I wish I could give him my pain for just 1 minute...see how quick he cuts certain foods!
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Post by kb on Mar 28, 2007 11:20:30 GMT -5
hmmmm, i find this one an interesting concept.
Ive had probs for a long time, i became vegetarian when my symptoms were being managed well, out of choice. That was years ago.
When i got really sick nearly 2 years ago id been vegetarian for years then, people liked to blame not eating meat on being sick, was rubbish of course, but people who dont believe in vegetarianism will quickly jump to that conclusion the minute anything goes wrong.
I dont believe it could make that much of a diff, because i have alot of pain and i dont eat meat. When i got really sick i also got anaemic, and supplements didnt help, so i had little choice, i had to make some tough decisions, i always kept fish in my diet, but that was all. I decided after alot of research i was happy to include kangaroo meat in my diet (i know i know, sounds weird, but there a pest here, theyre not cute), it helped me, improved the anaemia probs. The pain did not increase when i added this into my diet.
I will say that celiacs is now being investigated, so the anaemia may go deeper than i thought.
So long story short, i dont really believe that cutting it out improves pain, but thats just my experience and everyone's body is different, and anything is worth trying, if it helps stick to it.
My naturopath did tell me that red meat would increase the pain, but i dont think it necessary to cut it out all together, maybe just reduce it, only really need meat 3 times a week.
Also keep in mind, while i say adding the roo meat didnt increase the pain, roo meat is also wild game, so no hormones and barely any fat. I would at least think it is advisable to only eat meat u can be assured has not been produced with hormones.
Also keep in mind if u cut out meat, that nutrition is very important, if u are not getting vitamins and minerals from meat like zinc, B12, iron, u need to be getting them from elsewhere. People who eat meat can be lazy with their diet and get away with it, vegetarians cant.
I know this sounds like im against it, im not, i after all happily gave up meat for other reasons, i just think people need to get all the info before making a decision to cut out a major part of their diet.
Forgetting all i said too, whatever helps, this is all trial and error i think.
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Post by ouchy on Mar 28, 2007 11:32:17 GMT -5
LOL. "Roo meat!" Sorry. I'm not making fun of you at all. It just caught me off guard. I wish we had more access to wild game where I live. I tried vinison once (dear meat), but it was a long time ago, and I dont' remember what it tasted like. KB, you really posted a great post, full of great info! Thanks!
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Post by camille on Mar 28, 2007 13:15:58 GMT -5
I was raised nearly vegetarian and then as a teenager became a strict vegetarian. I didn't eat meat until a couple of years ago, and then, only sparingly.
My Acupuncturist diagnosed me as a Yin body type who needs red meat. TCM believes that endo begins in the liver and is caused by a blood stasis. He wants to increase my circulation and temperature. So his diet recommendations are rather different than the endo diet recommended on this website.
Diet has been very frustrating for me since my diagnosis. I am a very healthy eater but find that it doesn't affect my pain much one way or another. My acu explained that I can eat all the healthiest foods and supplements in the world but still not feel well because I am not eating right for my body type -
so, that being said, I would prefer to be a vegetarian, mostly because I am used to it but I have been following the Yang diet and am honestly feeling really good - I still have pain but my energy is way high and Gd knows endo pain paired with a lack of energy is awful!
So, as KB said, it is really an individual decision.
BTW, I am not, and have never been to the best of my knowledge, anemic. Go figure...
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Post by camille on Mar 28, 2007 15:09:48 GMT -5
I should clarify: I only eat 100% Organic meat.
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Post by kb on Mar 29, 2007 0:42:57 GMT -5
Hahhahaha u can make fun of me Ouchy, i wont be offended at all.
My friends like to make jokes that how can i not eat cow but eat skippy.
Thats an interesting point Camille about the liver and blood stasis, ive also read alot on that. Its why i have been focusing alot on that, cut out alcohol, drink chicory and dandelion tea as much as possible, hot baths with certain oils like rosemary can help that too, and yoga of course is very good for it.
I find diet frustrating too, i find the info contradictory. I havent read Carolines book, but it seems to me that the foods cut out are about aiding digestion, which of course makes sense with the bowel and uterus being so close together, the better the digestion the less pain.
Meat, dairy, wheat are all harder for the body to digest, but it may not be necessary to cut it out, just think more about digestion. Alot of indian and chinese cooking are ideal, the recipes are designed to be easily digested, indian in particular uses spices that counterbalance the harmful effects of another part of the dish.
Also i think alot of the diet choices people make are beneficial coz alot of people with endo have other conditions like IBS/Crohns/Celiacs etc all of which are controlled with diet.
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Post by chloelouise on Mar 30, 2007 7:05:59 GMT -5
Hiya,
I was brought up a vegetarian so couldnt say if it helps converting from meat to veggie but if you do decide to it is really important to make sure you take vitamin supplements for everything you're missing out on. I take Calcium and b2, vitamin C, iron and a mulity vitamin that has everything else in it! Folic acid etc etc ;D Oh and evening primrose (like the veggie version of cod liver oil)
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Post by scarlett on Mar 30, 2007 16:00:09 GMT -5
I don't know about being totally vegetarian as I'm not, but since I was diagnosed with endo in Dec 06 've made an effort to at least eat much more fruit and veg and eat less (although still some) red meat. I kept this up and felt pretty decent once I got over my lap, until 2 weeks ago when I went on a business trip on which I didn't eat anywhere near as much fruit and veg because I was eating out a lot and didn't have much food in the apartment I was staying in. It was the same this week as I was only back and didn't get round to doing any food shopping until today - so again, much less fruit and veg than before. Plus I ate beef for the first time in 3 months last weekend.
So, I noticed that this week (mid cycle) I've had pains I never had before, like I'd been punched in the lower abdomen, around where my uterus would be. It hurts to bend down and also a bit when I stand up. I really wonder if this is because of the change in my diet over the past 2 weeks?? It was very different from ovulation pains I'd had in the past, so I don't think it was that.
The proof will be over the next 2 weeks when I start eating more f&v again - I'l let you know!
Btw, I've found that a great way to eat lots of fruit is fruit smoothies in the morning for breakfast. I was never a big fruit eater before, but now I just blend a load of whatever fruit (not citrus fruits) I have with a hand blender and add some porridge oats - it's great!!
PS: I totally agree with you kb, I've found the diet advice very contradictory!!
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Post by denna on Mar 31, 2007 7:27:48 GMT -5
wow..it tough to be a vegetarian..at least for me.i love chicken and i actually don't take much vege.anyway, past 2 days,i've started eating fruits.
scarlett,let us know what do you feel when you eat more F&v..i'm trying..very hard hahaha
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Post by scarlett on Apr 24, 2007 14:33:37 GMT -5
I said I've give an update on whether I saw an improvement in symptoms I had last month (pretty bad mid-cycle pains) when I'd eaten more fruit and veg like normal this month.
I haven't had any such pains this month after eating more fruit and veg, so I guess that's an improvement. There is no definite proof that's it's the diet, but I guess having those pains the one month when I wasn't eating anywhere near as much fruit and veg says something!!
I particularly love my breakfast fruit smoothies - just fruit and sometimes seaseme seeds - yum!! Great because otherwise I find it difficult to eat a lot of fruit.
I'm totally craving avocado ever since I got diagnosed with endo - about then anyway. Not such what that means! They are relatively high in fat for a fruit, but have more potassium than bananas (which I don't like), so maybe my body just needs that.
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monira
Full Member
Life is always exploring something new.
Posts: 117
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Post by monira on Jul 13, 2007 9:39:56 GMT -5
I am sure veg diat really helps endo. As I tried to do that many times and it help evertime. But the thing is we'll have to add suppliment as we'll miss some important vit like zinc, magnesiam etc. Also in some veg we can find replacement of meat though its not fully replaceable like rad or other beans, egg, etc. Eating more fruit and veg really good for my symptoms........
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Post by jellybean on Aug 22, 2007 1:20:43 GMT -5
I'm a vegan now, but when I first experienced endo symptoms, I was only 11. I became lacto-ovo-vegetarian at 16 and vegan a few months before I was 17.
I can't recall any difference, but I wasn't looking for one then. One thing I did notice when I became vegetarian was I had fewer colds. I usually had the cold once every couple weeks, asthma was horrible, had lots of eye issues (red eye every couple months among other things), and my rhinitis was unbearable. But once I made the step to go vegan, all of that was so much better. I'm amazed if I'm ever troubled by anything aside from my reproductive problems anymore.
I've been anemic most of my life as far as I can remember, but as long as I eat beets, my blood count normalizes. I just can't stand the taste of them. Eating them now though as I'm TTC/possibly pregnant again.
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