A Day on the Endo Diet

When I first decided to tackle a major diet change, I was intimidated, anxious, and a little indignant: why should I have to restrict myself so much? That's not fair! Well...now that I've put in a couple of weeks of change, my body looks and feels totally different. Ok...so maybe it is worth it. And to be honest, it wasn't that hard! The biggest difference I've noticed is a more regular...ahem...digestive system, and a huge decrease in belly bloat. I can't say for sure what exactly this is a result of: less inflammation, 5 lbs of weight loss, less...ahem...digestive trouble. 

Whatever it is...I feel this diet is doing something good for me. So I'd like to share what a day on this diet looks like. (Shh...it's not all bad!)

A Day in the Life without Gluten, Sugar, Soy, Dairy, Chocolate, Caffeine, or Alcohol

Breakfast:

This is the biggest change for me. I'm not a morning person (blame persistent nausea, fatigue, and back pain), and I am not known for waking early to make a big, healthy breakfast. However, on this diet, I can't eat what I used to have for a quick, on-the-go meal: cereal, yogurt, waffle, donuts! None of my go-to foods. So, I've made the commitment to wake a little early and make myself something healthy. This typically includes (all foods organic):

1 serving of gluten-free oatmeal made with rice milk

a handful of fruit (berries, peaches, banana) 

wild, raw honey to taste 

1 cup of fresh-brewed decaffeinated tea (usually herbal)

Lunch:

This wasn't a hard change. Lunch is typically my throw-away meal anyway, since I'm either running after kiddos, or busying myself with sewing or projects at home. My lunches are usually fairly small. Also, if I'm home, I sleep in pretty late to make up for my fatigue and exhaustion from work (hopefully this will change after my surgery!). So I usually eat a good, late breakfast, and don't need a big lunch. So I usually eat:

fresh veggies with hummus

fresh fruit

home-made granola or gluten-free muffin

nuts

OR

leftover dinner from the night before

Dinner:

This is the meal I actually don't usually cook. I've been so exhausted lately that by the end of the day, I'm done! We try to make large meals that can be eaten the next night, or as lunch. I've been known to make a crock pot meal and eat it all week. If you don't get tired of leftovers, it's a great way to take advantage of a good day when you have energy and make a great, big meal that can be picked on for several days. There are a LOT of foods that follow the diet, and I try to make sure my dinners include 1-2 types of veggies, a protein, and a grain or bean. Here's a list of foods we might eat separately or prepared in a stew, casserole, or stir-fry:

steamed veggies, like broccoli, corn, carrots, squash, parsnips (I like to microwave corn in the husk...it steams itself in 3 minutes!)

organic beef, turkey, or chicken (organic is super important, especially for chicken, at least with endo)

gluten-free grain, such as rice, quinoa, barley

beans

gluten-free pasta (I like to make a creamy sauce of avocado, basil, lemon juice, and a little olive oil)

I also snack on nuts and fruit when if I get the urge during the day. I allow myself to have honey or agave as a sweetener, and because I have to drink baking soda each night, I don't restrict myself from drinking juice or diet sodas. I use my Soda Stream to make sodas at home, and I try to drink 100% juice with no added sugar. 

Do you have any great recipes that follow the diet? Feel free to follow me on Pinterest as I grow my inventory of great tips and meal ideas!