Antioxidants for Endometriosis

How many servings of fruit and veg do you get in a day?

Did you know, fruits and vegetables are the KEY component of an anti-inflammatory diet? They’re packed full of antioxidants and these play a vital role in reducing inflammation in our bodies.

Inflammation is largely due to a process in the body known as oxidation. In multiple studies, it’s been found that people with endometriosis have higher levels of oxidation and a lower intake of antioxidants, research has also shown that increasing levels of antioxidants, through fruits and vegetables, can help reduce oxidation levels in women with endometriosis.

Another reason fruits, vegetables and antioxidants are so important for endometriosis is down to oestrogen. Oestrogen, in many cases, has been shown to be a key driver of endometriosis growth. While a new study has found that not all endometriosis cells are oestrogen driven - some are driven by progesterone and some neither – there is still a large body of research does clearly show that in many cases oestrogen heightens endo growth.

So ideally, we want to ensure our hormones are balanced and at the levels they should be. One way to do that is to ensure that old and excess oestrogen is properly eliminated from the body through the detoxification system. We need to be eliminating old and excess oestrogen ever day through healthy bowel movements, ideally, you should be having 2 to 4 Bristol type 4 stools a day (check out your stool type here). Research has also found that that antioxidants helped to reduce oestrogen levels by supporting the detoxification pathways.

So how do we support proper bowel function and a healthy detoxification system? Hydration and lots of fibre from fruits and vegetables!

Finally, various studies have found that adding in more fruits and vegetables can be helpful for endometriosis. One study found that adding in more green vegetables and fruits significantly reduced the risk of endometriosis!

Yes it's important to reduce inflammatory food groups but it's also essential to ADD in foods that flight inflammation too!

In this special episode, I am sharing a recording from a FB Live I did in my private Facebook group challenge, Owning This EndoLife Challenge. The free month long challenge involved a new goal each week with videos, tips and resources and this particular challenge feels so important that I wanted to share it. Have a listen to simply to learn, but if you fancy trying the challenge, it’s never too late to join!

Owning This EndoLife Challenge is now set to a free year long group with monthly challenges and videos. You can join here.

Let's get social! Come say hello on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook or sign up to my newsletter.

If you feel like you need more support with managing endometriosis, you can join Your EndoLife Coaching Programme. A 1-to-1 three month health and life coaching programme to help you thrive with endometriosis. To find out more about the programme and to discuss whether it could be right for you, email me at hello@thisendolife.com

My new book This EndoLife, It Starts with Breakfast: A nutrition guide & cookbook for living and thriving with endometriosis, is out to newsletter subscribers today! Check your email for the secret password to get early access at a special price. My book is out to the rest of the world from Wednesday 20th - get your copy here.

This episode is sponsored by BeYou. Soothe period cramps the natural way with these 100% natural and discreet menthol and eucalyptus oil stick on patches and CBD range. Click here to find out more and to shop: https://beyouonline.co.uk

This episode is also sponsored by Semaine. Semaine is a plant-based supplement for reducing period pain and inflammation, that you take for 7 days of your cycle, during your period. Semaine is made up of 9 super-powered plant extracts and minerals that are all vegan and sourced for maximum quality and bioavailability and selected based on the latest clinical research.  If you want to try Semaine, they are currently offering 15% off your first order and they deliver worldwide! Head to: www.semainehealth.com

This episode is sponsored by my free “Endometriosis Symptom Tracker”. If you feel like you’re just in pain or tired all the time, and you can’t tell what’s making your endo better or worse, this tracker could help you begin to understand the subtle patterns in your endometriosis symptoms. As always, this guide doesn’t replace your medical treatment and is not intended to treat or cure endometriosis, but provides you with options that helped me to live well with endometriosis. Download here.

Show Notes

Bristol Stool Chart