When you have Endometriosis it can be a challenge to survive the festive season, let alone enjoy it. So I thought I’d give you some tips now, at the beginning of December, so you can be prepared – and hopefully enjoy the season.

I’ll start with tips if you have not changed your diet yet to manage your Endometriosis. The second part of this post will help those of you who have already made some diet changes and are worried about not being able to stick to it.

Not made any changes to your diet yet?

Here’s the thing. So many people go on a diet AFTER the festive season to try and ‘undo’ the damage they did with too much food and too much alcohol. That may work (although the typical lack of success makes me doubt that a bit) if you are overall quite healthy.

But because you’ve got Endometriosis (and so you’re not a healthy person), that would be the equivalent of preparing for a big running race as a non-runner, by doing absolutely nothing in the weeks before the race and going in training afterwards.

A better approach is to try and minimise the impact of the festive season as much as possible. That means you need to prepare! You need to go ‘in training’ beforehand so your  body is able to cope.

It will also increase your chances of actually being able to participate in events if you can reduce the severity of some of your symptoms leading up to it.

So, to survive the festive season I recommend that your ‘training’ looks like this.

• Go gluten and dairy free for the weeks leading up to a big ‘do’. Most women with Endometriosis are intolerant to gluten (the protein in wheat) and diary protein and removing those from your diet can start to reduce your symptoms. That could mean the difference between being able to go to events and being too unwell to go. Now, I know removing gluten and dairy from your diet, even for a few weeks, can be difficult. If you’d like some help, check out this course. https://theendometriosisnutritionist.online/course/remove-gluten-and-dairy-from-your-diet/
• Avoid alcohol leading up to the event. We often don’t’ stop to think about the damage alcohol does and how it worsens your symptoms. Alcohol dries out your gut, removing the very important mucous layer on the gut wall. Give your gut a good break by avoiding alcohol, and then limit your alcohol as much as possible during events.
• Avoid caffeine in coffee, tea, green tea, energy drinks and chocolate. Caffeine irritates your gut wall and worsens leaky gut.
• Eat lots of fresh fruit and vegetables, eat the rainbow, small amounts of quality meat, and avoid any processed foods. It allows your body to get lots of important nutrients.

Already using diet to manage your symptoms?

You’ve worked so hard to make diet changes and you’ve probably already noticed an improvement in your symptoms. So you might be worried about not being able to stick to your diet when eating out or when dinners are cooked by someone else.

If so, here are my tips for you to survive the festive season.

• If you’re going to someone else for meals, would they mind if you bring some food that is suitable for you? If you can bring a dish that you know you can eat and add it to the dinner, you know you’ll be able to eat something that is right for you.
• Or would they be willing to cook, or partially cook, for your diet, with your input and advice? Not everyone is comfortable cooking for diet requirements, but perhaps with your help some of the dishes can be adjusted?
• If you are going out to dinner, the restaurant may be willing to help you find dishes you can eat or even prepare alternatives for you. A few days before the event contact them and explain you are allergic to certain ingredients, such as gluten and dairy. Even though you might not be allergic to the foods you’ve removed from your diet, I still recommend you say you are. Food intolerances are typically seen as fads and something for fussy people. Allergies, however, worry restaurants, and they are typically very willing to try to accommodate you.
• And my final tip to survive the festive season: accept that you will probably eat something that you react to and that you will have some symptoms afterwards like bloating or constipation. Be prepared for it – perhaps build in some quiet days at home to look after yourself.

The festive season is about being with people you love, family, friends, and yes, probably not eating the best. Your Endometriosis can be a real party pooper, either because you’re too unwell to participate, or because you know you’ll feel horrible afterwards.

But with a bit of preparation, you can not only survive the festive season but enjoy it as well!