The Endometriosis Diet: Alternatives to Wheat & Gluten

Why Cut Out Wheat & Gluten?

Wheat and gluten have been implicated in a number of health and digestive issues and sufferers often have some degree of wheat intolerance, whether that's a simple sensitivity or something more severe like coeliac disease. It can exacerbate conditions such candida and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) which occur frequently alongside endometriosis.

There are a number of theories as to why gluten is such a problem, particularly to endometriosis sufferers, but the exact cause is unknown. The most popular theory is that the mass-produced crops we grow today are vastly different from the original crops. Through genetic modification we've made the crops more resistant and suitable for mass-production, but at what cost to its nutritional value? Combined with the huge number of pesticides and synthetic fertilisers used to grow the crops, wheat is no longer the healthy grain it once was and our bodies are unable to process it as easily anymore.

Symptoms Of Gluten Intolerance

While coeliac disease is a much more severe allergy and has it's own set of symptoms, it does share some common symptoms with the less severe intolerance. The most common symptoms of gluten intolerance are:

• Cramping & bloating
• Gas or a rumbling stomach
• Fatigue and/or headaches
• IBS - either constipation or diarrhoea
• Iron/B12 deficiencies
• Anaemia
• Depression

Gluten Free Effects On Endometriosis

Although cutting gluten from your diet has no guarantee of reducing your pain, this is the case for many of the women who try a gluten free diet. Up to 80% of women with endometriosis who follow a gluten free diet experience a reduction in their cramping, bloating and pain symptoms and of those some even find that they have no endometriosis symptoms at all. For those resisting the idea of trying this diet, isn't that worth just 1 month of changing your diet as a test?

My personal experience is that while sticking strictly to the endometriosis diet I have ~80-90% reduction in my pain symptoms. While mostly following the diet I have ~40-60% reduction and when I don't follow the diet at all (I sometimes slip up and quickly regret it) my symptoms are rather quick to return. Of all the foods cut from this diet, gluten is the one rule I will not break as I can bloat up to 2 clothing sizes bigger within 30 minutes of eating it. In the 18 months I've been on the diet I've only eaten gluten by accident (improperly labelled foods or getting caught out by the trick foods I'll mention below).

Cutting Gluten From Your Diet

Although it sounds extreme, gluten isn't as difficult to cut from your diet as it once was. Most stores usually have a 'Free From' section and many of the big brands are starting to offer gluten free alternatives of their products. Even if your local shops don't have a gluten free section, there are plenty of health shops that stock alternatives such as rice flour, corn flour or oat flour to name just a few of the options!

The best thing to do is eliminate gluten from your diet gradually or you may find yourself with a hefty food bill to begin with! Start by replacing items that run out with gluten free alternatives, such as your bread and pasta. Then over time you can learn new recipes and alternatives and stock up on the necessary ingredients as you need them. Eating a gluten free diet doesn't need to be expensive, but you do have to be willing to cook from scratch and rely less on convenience foods.

If you want cheap, convenient and tasty foods you're out of luck, but you're also forgoing all of the additives and chemical nasties added to food too so don't feel too bad. See those things as a triangle - you can have cheap and tasty if you're willing to put the time in, cheap and convenient if you're less fussed on the taste, or convenient and tasty if you'll spend a little extra on the ingredients, but not all three at once.

To see whether gluten is a problem for you, realistically you need to be eating a completely gluten free diet for at least 2 weeks to see if it has worked. You will experience some benefits of reducing gluten, but only cutting it completely will show true results.

Gluten Free Dining

Making gluten free food at home is relatively simple once you get the hang of it, but what about those special occasions when you want to eat at a restaurant? The best thing to do is look at menus before you go. Coeliac is becoming a more widely understood food intolerance and as a result more and more restaurants are starting to cater to the diet.

Also don't assume anything when it comes to ingredients - some meals are inherently gluten free even if it's not stated on the menu, whereas others seem like they should be gluten free but aren't. (I'm looking at you roast potatoes and gravy...) Over time you'll get used to identifying 'safe' foods and also 'trick' foods - ie the ones that shouldn't have gluten in but always seem to for the fun of it. (Here I'm thinking of Corn Fajitta Wraps. Took me far too long to realise they had wheat in them too!)

Takeaway Cheat Sheet

You may think your days of takeaways and fast food restaurants are long gone when deciding to take on this diet, but you'd be wrong! Here are a few of the restaurants and meals I've found to be gluten free when desperate for an unhealthy fix! (I've stuck to well-known brands here to increase the chances you'll have one nearby - always check local takeaways too as they sometimes have better adapted menus!)

• Nandos - Endo friendly as a whole as it turns out. Ask for their Butterfly Chicken with any sauce you like! You can even skip the salad and team it with their fries as long as you ditch the piri piri salt (boo!).
• McDonalds fries - okay, not a whole meal as most of their foods are breaded or battered, but if you're after a quick salty snack it's better than nothing! (Of course their salads etc. are available too, but who goes to McDs for a salad?!)
• Chiquitos - these guys have a fabulous gluten free menu that can easily be adapted to the endo diet, simply ask for no sour cream/cheese etc.
• Indian Takeaways - if you like it hot, a curry is brilliant for takeaway nights with friends or family. The mild curries always have cream or milk in them, but you can specify no dairy when you order in any place that makes their meals from scratch. (I have my local favourites trained to my tastes now!) Also ask them what their poppadoms are made from. Traditionally they're made with Gram Flour, but some places now use wheat instead.

Alternatives to Wheat

As mentioned earlier, there are a number of alternatives to wheat - particularly when it comes to flour. They vary in price and also application - some are better for savoury foods while others are more suited to cakes and baking. Rice, corn and potato flours are the most common you'll find in gluten free products - particularly breads and wraps, although you may also see tapioca and maize too.

When it comes to baking at home you can buy special gluten-free flour blends, but they tend to be bleached and low in nutritional value. Personally I prefer to use rice flour in most of my baking, although any health food shop will be able to give you a number of options, such as Buckwheat (not actually wheat - just shares the name!), Amaranth, Potato, Chickpea, Millet, Quinoa... the list goes on!

If you're looking for recipes there will be plenty added to this blog over time, or simply try googling them - you'll be amazed at the options out there now!

Roundup

Living a gluten free lifestyle is not as hard as many people make out. It requires some advanced planning and a learning curve upfront, but over time it gets a lot easier to follow than you'd think. You'll learn your favourite recipes and always have the ingredients to hand. You'll find the gluten free friendly cafes and restaurants in your area and you'll even introduce your friends and family to foods they probably haven't tried before and now love! Tom was very anti-cous cous to start with, but now it's a staple in our meals. So give it a try - what is there to lose except the pain of endometriosis?

I'd love to hear your experiences of trying a gluten free diet - the treats you were surprised you could still have and also the things you miss most (Dominos pizza anyone?). Let me know in the comments below!