EP.260/ Three ways to avoid a flare up on holiday
It’s August and some of us will be heading off on our holidays, but a big concern for many of with endo, is whether we will have a flare up or our period whilst on holiday. Typically, on holiday, inflammation levels will rise; we may be drinking more, sleeping less, eating less veggies and eating more sugar – all scenarios that have been shown to raise inflammation levels and unfortunately, inflammation is a key driver of endo and menstrual pain, and pain in general.
Now, whilst it is never, ever your fault if you have a pain flare or endo – let’s be clear, you didn’t choose to have endo and you certainly didn’t cause it – there are some strategies we can adopt that can prevent such high increases in inflammation levels, and therefore, can reduce the chances of a flare, or at least minimise the severity of it.
Whilst I cannot guarantee this will work for everyone, as after all, endo is unpredictable and there are multiple factors which can influence a flare, today I am offering three ways to counteract some of that increased inflammation.
Now, if you just want to go on holiday and not think about any of this, that’s fine – this episode is not for you and you absolutely do not have to listen. Remember, everything on this show is just about options – options for you to try if you want to, but ultimately, it’s your choice how you mange endo and you have to find tools and techniques that fit in with your lifestyle, budget and values. But, if you’re curious and you do want some strategies to have in your back pocket, let’s get started.
If you’re going to drink, drink with bar snacks or after/with a meal…
For many people, going on holiday means drinking more regularly. We know that alcohol affects blood sugar and inflammation levels, and it can also have an effect on our hormones levels and can create an oestrogen dominance scenario – all of these can and often do, worsen endo symptoms. Clearly, my first strategy here would be to minimise how much you drink whilst away, perhaps keeping it to something like three a week or one a per night, which is still quite a bit of alcohol when it comes to health and hormones, but we have to be realistic and for many people, alcohol will be a part of a holiday.
Now, if you are going to drink, whether that’s more or less than the amount I’ve suggested, one of the ways to partially counteract some of the side effects is to always have alcohol with food. If you’re out in a bar, eat some bar snacks, ideally first, before drinking, or at the very least, alongside. Fatty foods and high protein foods such as nuts, olives and guacamole would be good options, and even better if you had all of them!
If you’re after a drink with dinner, a good combination would be to have a salad starter followed by a protein heavy main – or at the very least, choosing a meal with protein and/or veggies.
Fat, fibre and protein help to prevent blood sugar spikes and will also slow down the absorption rate of alcohol. Blood sugar spikes are in part what makes alcohol inflammatory and so by supporting blood sugar, you’re helping your body to cope with the effects of alcohol and this will in turn lessen the chances of a flare up.
If you’re going to eat sugary food, protect your blood sugar levels…
For me, one of the best bits about travelling to a new country is trying some of their sweet foods, but as we know, sugar is one of the most common inflammatory foods, and one of main reasons for this, is due to the spike it causes in our blood sugar levels. When we have rising levels of inflammation in our body, this can increase pain levels. As endo is an inflammatory disease and the main driver of pain with endo is inflammation, we can lower the chances of pain by managing inflammation levels.
Now, of course, the general rule of thumb would be to keep sugar intake to a minimum or moderate amount – so say if you’re away for a week, you perhaps have a desert maybe three times, rather than every day, and instead delight in trying local fruits. But, I also want to be realistic and not cause anxiety about enjoying your holiday treats, so if and when you do decide to eat a goody, however often it may be, two good strategies would be to:
A) Follow that sweet treat with a walk - so perhaps eat ice cream whilst walking along the beach, or eat that cake you’ve been eyeing up before you go for a hike or on a walking tour.
B) Eat desert after a meal, rather than as a standalone. If you eat a desert after a meal, especially one containing fat, fibre, and protein - so for example, steak and salad or fish and veggies - this helps to slow down the absorption of sugar into the blood stream. If you’re having something with a lot of simple carbohydrates, such as pasta, pizza or a burger, then these tend to spike blood sugar, so if you’re also having a dessert after that, a post-dinner walk could be a good shout – BUT, these are all just options and you don’t have to do this. These are just strategies if you want to try them, but by all means, enjoy your pizza and ice cream!
Take some good quality anti-inflammatory supplements before and during your trip…
So, lastly, I wanted to give you something that is relatively easy. I could give you lots of tips on nutrition, sleep, knowing your triggers, etc. but I’m hoping this one feels like it doesn’t require too much thinking and should be as straight forwards as taking a pain killer, which many of us are used to doing.
So, as we know, the key driver behind endo pain is inflammation – though of course there are other factors like pelvic floor dysfunction, adhesions and nervous system upregulation, but all of those take longer term work, so I’m giving you tips you can bring in and see improvements with relatively quickly. The good news is, there are plenty of supplements that have been shown to reduce inflammation levels, and even reduce pain in people with endo and/or painful periods.
Supplements have accumulative effects, so ideally, I would start a month before you go away, as some of the pain relieving benefits have been shown after a month of consistent use, and then continue during your holiday. A few of the most effective include ginger, magnesium, omega 3 fatty acids and curcumin. You could take a few of these individually, such as magnesium, omega 3 and curcumin, that would give you a really wonderful broad range, but if you know that you’ll struggle to remember to take all of them whilst on holiday, you could get a general anti-inflammatory complex that contains a few powerful antioxidants. Look out for supplements with those ingredients I just listed, but other great ones would be green tea extract, resveratrol, alpha-lipoic acid, vit C, vit E and pine bark to name a few. Have a listen to my supplements’ episodes for more.
Though I’ve never personally tried either of them, two good complexes which contain some of these include Inflammatone by Designs for Health and Endometrio by Natural Approach Nutrition. I also recommend Endo Support by Wild Nutrition, which I personally have taken in the past and found it to be remarkably effective!
Show Notes
https://endometriosis.net/living/how-to-balance-your-blood-sugar-levels-to-reduce-endo-symptoms
https://endometriosis.net/living/diet-sugar
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/supplements-shown-to-target-endometriosis
https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/supplements-for-period-pain-menstrual-symptoms
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