Here we are in the midst of the holiday season filled with events based around food. If you are following a diet for endometriosis, then this can cause some stress. Right?
I was brought back to an old post today after an endo sister left a new comment. The post referenced being a Holiday Food Warrior.
It included a slight rant about how tricky it can be to follow a diet for endometriosis during holiday events that are focused on food. Thanksgiving is definitely one of those.
It’s easy to fall into patterns of thinking about all the things you cannot eat on the endo diet. It’s easy to feel “left out.”
But, this year instead of going on another rant, I’ve like to offer up the suggestion to shift your mindset.
And re-frame the question to: What CAN I eat?
“What CAN I eat?”
Now, you may not be creative in the kitchen and it may feel overwhelming to cut out common ingredients like wheat and dairy.
But, luckily there are so many creative foodies out there who’ve designed delicious recipes to help shift back to the what CAN I eat question.
A great place to start: Pinterest 🙂
You can search for gluten-free, dairy-free recipes. And with a little experimentation, life in the kitchen can get fun again.
With Thanksgiving around the corner, one of my long time favorites that I feel like I miss out on is pumpkin pie.
But why miss out? Instead of lulling in this thought, this afternoon I decided to make some delicious pumpkin energy bites, that very much remind me of the taste of this long time favorite. Yum.
And they are made up of endo friendly ingredients that will not leave me feeling yucky. Yay 🙂
Best to Be Prepared
If you are headed out to an event that is focused on food and are not sure what the menu will be like, then it’s good to come prepared with foods that you CAN eat.
Offer the hostess to bring something to add to the meal and then make it endo friendly.
Having at least one thing you can eat helps bring down the anxiety of the situation and helps to curb the urge to splurge on that which does not serve your body.
If you don’t want to bring a whole dish then it may be best to eat before hand, or bring some snacks with you to tie you over.
On the Positive Side?
While I still struggle with these food holidays, I must say that’s it’s way easier now for me to say “no” to certain foods and not feel weird about it.
When you decide to become aware and stand up for what goes into your body, then you become empowered to improving your own health.
And it turns out there are lots of foods you CAN eat that will serve your health and healing.
So, I hope this year you make the empowered choice and shift your mindset to what you “CAN” eat and go get creative in the kitchen.
