A Crazy Good Smoothie for Managing Endometriosis (Really!)
March is Endometriosis Awareness Month. Discover what endometriosis is and enjoy my other endo-related posts!
Smoothies are a dime a dozen these days, and how can you know what ingredients are best for you? From nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables to superfoods and powders, the options are endless.
Building a great smoothie means paying attention to the nutrients our bodies need- and giving it!
For endometriosis, there are two main goals:
- Balance Hormones
- Reduce Inflammation
FOOD is a fantastic way to accomplish these goals. Sometimes I feel like we get caught up in the supplements we need to balance our hormones, when food is really our first defence.
Every ingredient in the following smoothie has been carefully selected to possibly be beneficial for managing endometriosis and it’s accompanying symptoms like the “fuck the world!” pain that is often frequent and intense.
Grapes + Blueberries
These bad boys (and other dark berries) are great sources of resveratrol. Red wine also contains resveratrol, and you may have heard that as being a health benefit of wine. Alcohol consumption isn’t my first recommendation when it comes to balancing hormones, foods like berries and red grapes containing resveratrol are a great addition to a proactive endometriosis diet. Resveratrol has been connected to endometriosis management in a study that found it helpful through its anti-inflammatory and anti-angiogenic effects. What this means simply is that fewer blood vessels were able to form in the tissue and overall size was decreased. Regular consumption of red grapes and dark berries could provide your body with resveratrol as a positive measure toward endometriosis balance.
Flaxseed
Flaxseeds are potentially an excellent food for endometriosis. These seeds contain very high levels of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids. Science is with us on this by showing that inflammatory markers such as interleukins and prostaglandins in endometriosis were reduced with consumption of omega-3s. Additionally, omega-3s were shown to reduce the survival of endometrial tissue. Yay!
Spinach
Spinach is a hormone-balancing powerhouse. It’s loaded with vitamin C, iron, folate, fibre and lots of other phytonutrients. One such phytonutrient (literally, “plant nutrient”) is alpha lipoic acid. Reduced size of endometrial cysts and reduction in inflammation was found with consumption of alpha lipoic acid (in addition to other anti-inflammatories).
The folate in spinach (along with other vitamins and minerals) is inversely related to the risk of endometriosis.
Turmeric + Black Pepper
Turmeric is one of the safest medicinal plants there is. It’s useful in so many conditions, from joint pain to blood sugar control and of course managing endometriosis. All you need is a small amount to get the effect. Adding just a tiny pinch of black pepper to any recipe (including this crazy good smoothie!) with turmeric helps to increase its bioavailability by 2000%!! That’s insanity. And a reason to never eat your turmeric without a tiny touch of pepper again.
Avocado
One of my favourite hormone-balancing fat sources, avocados are a great source of MUFAs, or monounsaturated fatty acids. This type of fat could be helpful in releasing unwanted weight, reducing that dreaded belly fat and reducing cancer risk. Not to mention that avocados can boost fertility when used regularly.
[yumprint-recipe id=’11’]
What nutrient-dense foods do you love to use for your Endometriosis? Did you try the smoothie? What did you think? Please share in the comments!!
What type of protein powders do you recommend as the whey and others have inflammatory properties. Do you have a recommendation?
Hey Angel,
Thanks for your question!
Yes, many types of protein powders are full of crap and extremely difficult to digest.
I’m going to have to do a Periscope video broadcast on this topic because I’ve gotten this question quite a bit recently! Feel free to follow me on Periscope for access, https://www.periscope.tv/TheHormoneDiva/1dRJZVAYaAAJB
There are 3 main ones I recommend:
1. Collagen Hydrolysate by Great Lakes or Vital Proteins
2. Women’s Sport Shake by ND Shake (more of an all-in-one- harder to digest than the other suggestions for some people)
3. Plain, nothing else added Hemp (like Manitoba Harvest) and/or Pumpkin Seed protein (like Styrian Gold)
Hope this helps! And look out for that scope coming soon.
Robyn
Hey there!! I love this recipe. I have a blog about helping women who have endometriosis and other illnesses.
What’s your blog? I’m always looking for information to help with my symptoms.
Hi I would love to read your blog!, I suffer with severe endemitriosis. It’s getting harder to cope with it.
Hey Janeth!
I’m so glad you enjoy the site. 🙂 There’s loads of info about endometriosis on here, take some time to look around!
My smoothie comes out green. Is this normal?
Yes! Depends on the greens….sometimes mine comes out more green as well.
Hello,
I was looking for a hormone balancing smoothie. I was diagnosis with PCOS a few years ago and I am now ready to take control of this. Do you think this smoothie would be good for this as well?
Maybe, maybe not- either way, it’s delicious! If you need I have a great PCOS meal plan that might be helpful.
Hey there!
I’m trying to track the foods I’m eating and wonder if you may have the calorie content of this smoothie? It was amazingly delicious by the way!
Hey Sam!
Truthfully I’m not big into calorie counting, so I don’t include it with my recipes! The MyFitnessPal app is a great way to do it though!
Robyn