Endo Diet

ORGANIC VEGETABLES

Cruciferous vegetables are probably the single most important part of the endo diet. They are even more powerful when fermented, so eat lots of kimchi and sauerkraut! Make sure they are well-cooked if not fermented.

Cruciferous vegetables: arugula, bok choy, broccoli, Brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, chard, collards, kale, kohlrabi, radicchio, turnip, watercress

Other veggies: artichoke (excellent for the liver), asparagus, beets, cactus, carrots, celery, chickweed (excellent for reproductive health), corn (only to be eaten when nixtamalized), dandelion (eat the whole plant; excellent for the liver), fennel (excellent for the liver), garlic, green beans, all leafy greens, all fermented foods (except alcohol), lotus, mushrooms (especially shitake), nettles (excellent for reproductive health), okra, olives, onions/chives/leeks/scallions/shallots, parsnip, radish, rutabaga, seaweed/spirulina/blue-green algae (excellent for reproductive health), squash, sunchokes, sweet potato

AVOID: frozen/canned vegetables, all nightshades (eggplant, tomatoes, all peppers, white potatoes, tobacco, ashwaganda, golden berries), corn, cucumber, pumpkin, snow peas, yams, non-organic soy/edamame, spaghetti squash, raw cruciferous vegetables, raw green beans, raw mushrooms, raw onions, raw peas, raw radish, raw sprouts, raw squash

ORGANIC FRUIT: Limit all fruit except avocados to reduce fructose intake.

dried fruit (for constipation), apples (cooked), apricot, avocado, all tropical fruits (bananas, pineapple, mango, etc), all berries, cherries, dates, figs, grapes, kiwi, lemons/limes, mulberry, nectarine, peach, pears (cooked), plantains, plum, quince (cooked), rhubarb, tamarind

AVOID: frozen/canned fruit, all fruit juice (choose smoothies instead), citrus, raw apples, raw cranberries, raw pears, raw quince, goji berries, melon, persimmon, pomegranate, prunes

ORGANIC, HORMONE-FREE ANIMAL PRODUCTS: Avoid red meat and dairy, especially US dairy products.

eggs from pasture-raised poultry, wild-caught seafood (especially clams, oysters and small, oily fish like mackerel), wild-caught or pasture-raised meat, casein a-2 dairy products from southern Europe (France, Italy, Switzerland, etc)

AVOID: all American/casein a-1 dairy products, hard cheese, ice cream

ORGANIC NUTS & SEEDS: It is always preferable to sprout your nuts and seeds.

almond, chestnut (high in phytosterols), chia (must be soaked), coconut meat/milk/cream/yogurt (without sugar or additives), ground flax (highest concentration of lignans, high in omega 6 fatty acids), hazelnut, hemp/hemp protein (without sugar or additives), macadamia, pecan, pine nut, pistachio, poppy, sesame/tahini (high in phytosterols), walnut

AVOID: cashew, peanut, pumpkin seeds, sunflower

ORGANIC LEGUMES: Feel free to sprout your legumes as much as possible. Like cruciferous vegetables, they should always be very well-cooked.

fermented miso paste (non-soy varietes available), aduki beans, black beans, black-eyed peas, black lentils, kidney beans, lima beans, navy beans, pinto beans, red lentils, mung beans, white beans

AVOID: chickpeas and non-organic soy/tofu/tempeh

ORGANIC GRAINS: Grains should also be sprouted when possible and always well-cooked. My favorite grain pasta is sorghum.

amaranth, millet, oats, sorghum, teff, white rice

AVOID: all gluten, wheat, barley, brown rice, buckwheat/kashi, bulgur, kamut, popcorn, rye, quinoa, spelt, puffed rice products (cereal, rice cakes, etc)

ORGANIC FLOURS/SOURDOUGH: Fermented flours, known as sourdough, are the best way to consume flour. My favorite is teff sourdough, which becomes the spongy bread known as injera in Ethiopia. Making sourdough is extremely easy. All you have to do is add water and let it sit. Add enough water that you can stir it easily, like a pancake batter, or even thinner. You will know if you put too much water in because it will rise to the top after 12 hours or so – just skim it off and stir. Cover the top with a cloth and rubber band – do not use a lid or fill to the top as the sourdough will expand. Stir as often as you think of it, at least twice a day. Let it sit out, not refrigerated, for 2 days, or until you see bubbles and it tastes a little sour (hence sourdough). Pour into a hot pan with oil and fry on one side only! I eat injera for almost every meal as it is full of iron and protein.

For baking, almond and green banana flour are my favorites.

almond, arrowroot, cassava, coconut, green banana, sweet potato, ivory or brown teff (for injera), tiger nut

ORGANIC OILS: avocado, coconut, flax, hemp, macadamia, raw olive oil, sesame, walnut

AVOID: all partially hydrogenated oils, canola, cottonseed, corn, grape seed, peanut, safflower, soy, sunflower, vegetable oil

ORGANIC CONDIMENTS/SPICES: all vinegars, aloe vera, basil, cacao (without sugar or additives), cayenne, cilantro, cinnamon (anti-microbial), cloves, curry powder, fenugreek (excellent for reproductive health), ginger (for cramps), ginseng, horseradish, lavender, lemon balm, lemon grass, mustard, nutritional yeast, oregano, mint/spearmint/wintergreen, peppermint (for bloating), rose, rosemary, saffron, sage, thyme, turmeric (contains curcumin; excellent for the liver; must be consumed with black pepper to active its properties), vanilla

AVOID: ashwaganda (nightshade), hops/beer, wheatgrass

ORGANIC SWEETENERS: Cutting out refined sugar is one of the most important parts of this diet. I was plagued with an aggressive skin condition called tinea versicolor (in Hawaii it’s called haole rot), and after trying every natural remedy out there, the ONLY thing that made it go away was cutting sugar (as well as gluten and alcohol) out of my diet. I also noticed a huge boost in my immune system, better energy, more stable mood, etc. If you have a similar skin condition, it is very important not to wear tight-fitting clothes, especially when made with synthetic materials.

raw honey, maple syrup, stevia

AVOID: all refined sugar, agave, brown rice syrup