Have you ever said to yourself about something,  “If I’d only done this sooner?” Well, that's exactly what I said when it came to the “Endo-diet."  What is the Endo-diet you ask? Basically, it‘s a list of foods that can either help or worsen the symptoms such as bloating, inflammation and severe cramping associated with Endometriosis. 

I was diagnosed with endometriosis in 2016, prior to that, I had never heard of the condition nor did I know anyone that had it to assist me on the steps I needed to take with dealing with it. For years, I thought I was "irregular" when it came to my menstrual cycle and that I was just one of the women that had painful periods. I had no idea that my level of pain and symptoms were NOT common and that support and education would be so vital. 

First I had to find out what Endometriosis was, and what I found out was, it's a condition where the tissue like lining found inside the uterus grows outside the uterus. This tissue thickens, breaks down and bleeds just as it would the normal tissue inside of the uterus during a menstrual cycle, but because it's outside the uterus, the blood is trapped.  The condition causes irregular bleeding, inflammation and scarring to the surrounding areas. The tissue is commonly found on the ovaries, however, the tissue can invade other organs outside the pelvic cavity.  The level of damage and scarring has 4 stages with the 4th being the worst (which is what I was diagnosed with). I also found out that some common symptoms were, severe cramps, abnormal heavy, or irregular bleeding, pelvic, back, and leg pain, fatigue, bloating, inflammation, and infertility. Naturally, this made me search out what I could do about it. Well, it turns out, there is no cure for endometriosis so therefore, I had to turn to my faith and develop a new mindset. 

This first thing I did was to give it to God and secondly was to change my way of thinking and speaking over my body. I was no longer someone with endometriosis because I spoke and currently speak life into my body. I changed how I defined it over my body and instead of saying I have it, I say I've been diagnosed with it.  I encourage anyone who has been diagnosed with this condition to do the same exact thing.  In this journey, there has to be a renewed mindset! A mindset that speaks healing over your body and letting the body know that it has to align up with the fact that you are believing in COMPLETE HEALING! Also, thanking God and believing that your healing is already complete. Literally, speaking that thing as though it were already done as written in Hebrew 11:1, "Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." 

As far as the dieting goes, it turns out that had I followed an Endo-diet years ago, I could have avoided a lot of pain and possibly laparoscopic surgery. After my first exam, I was told that one of my endometrial cyst was the size of three fists put together. It was so big that it was pressing one side of my fallopian tube almost to the point of closure.  I was literally feeding my cysts with what I was consuming.  So what is good and what is bad? First off let me say that the goal is not a diet but a change in lifestyle. 

The best way to treat Endometriosis is through healthier thinking, healthier eating, exercise, proper rest and a stress free atmosphere. With that being said, as it pertains to food, you don't want to just dive into this. I've found that eliminating one item at a time has helped me. It's a major change for some and therefore it's a process that's going to take time. If you are looking to do this instantly then prepare yourself for disappointment and I'm not saying that it can't happen but the chances of it happening overnight are far-fetched. How you want to approach this is slow and steady. I know it’s cliché but the saying that "slow and steady wins the race" is true in this case. 

For anyone beginning this journey, or already on it, just know that change is possible and knowledge is key! Be Blessed.