Endo Q&A: Is Soy Bad for Endo? Are Eggs Bad for Endo? +More

Today's episode we're diving into your questions about endometriosis in another exciting Q&A session. I love answering your questions, so if you have anything you'd like to ask, feel free to message me on Instagram for our next Q&A episode!

In this episode, I answer:

-Will endometriosis cause weight gain?

-Is soy bad for endometriosis?

-Do supplements really help endometriosis? 

-Are eggs bad for endometriosis?

-What is the best water source for endometriosis?

Navigating endometriosis can be challenging, especially with the conflicting information available online. Thank you for sending in your questions and keep them coming! I'll be sure to feature more in our next Q&A episode.

Resources:

Will Endometriosis Cause Weight Gain?

Episode 36

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Disclaimer: This podcast is for educational purposes only. This may not be the best fit for you and your personal situation. It shall not be construed as medical advice. The information and education provided here is not intended or implied to supplement or replace professional medical treatment, advice, and/or diagnosis. Always check with your own physician or medical professional before trying or implementing any information read here.

Transcript

Alyssa Chavez [00:00:01]:
Hey, my friend, and welcome back to the Endo Belly Girl podcast. So first of all, I want to say that it is at the time this episode is going to be airing. If you are in the United States, it's already 4 July week, which is pretty nuts. So happy 4 July. Enjoy yourself. Go out and have a fun barbecue or something and just enjoy your life, right? Go celebrate. It is also my anniversary week this week, which is pretty cool. So yes, I did not on the 4 July.

Alyssa Chavez [00:00:36]:
My husband and I got married on the 1 July, so just a few days before. So it's a fun week for us because my birthday is actually last week. We have our anniversary and then the 4 July. It's like one celebration after another for us this time of year, which is pretty fun. And this year in 2024, if you're listening to this in real time, it's our seven year anniversary. So lucky number seven, right? It should be a good year ahead. So we've actually been together in a relationship now for 15 years, I believe, and seven years married. So yeah, a lot of time.

Alyssa Chavez [00:01:14]:
I don't feel like I'm even old enough for that, but I apparently I am. So anyway, just some excitement happening over here in my life. But anyway, today's episode is going to be a Q and a episode, which I really love. I think it's a lot of fun just to answer some questions that people bring to me. I often get questions in my DM's on Instagram or questions coming in from my clients or email or different things that come up right. And I know that you guys love these Q and a episodes because just looking at how many downloads or listens or whatever these podcast episodes get, the Q and A episodes have been some of the most popular episodes so far. So interesting for me to see. I'm glad you guys are liking them.

Alyssa Chavez [00:02:05]:
Keep the questions coming and I'll keep the Q and A episodes coming. That's how that'll go. You bring me questions, I'll bring you answers. So if you do have any questions pop up, by the way, you can always send them to me on Instagram. Hit me upendobellygirl. You can hit me up anytime with questions. Sometimes I'll pop onto stories and ask you guys for questions if I'm going to be recording one of these episodes soon. But you can totally pop on there anytime and ask me any questions that you have and I just save them for the future.

Alyssa Chavez [00:02:39]:
That's always an option. All right, I have a list of questions today that I am going to be answering. So let's dive in. Okay. First question. Will endometriosis cause weight gain? And this is an interesting one. I actually just recently wrote a blog post on this topic, so I am going to link to that in the show notes because that's going to go a little bit more in depth than how I'm going to answer today. I'm going to kind of give the overview of that today.

Alyssa Chavez [00:03:10]:
But if you want to read more, you certainly can check out that blog post. The gist of it is no, that endometriosis will not cause weight gain, at least not directly. That being said, weight gain is often associated with endometriosis, right? So it's not caused by endometriosis, but there is a common association. Not for everybody, of course. What really I see in my practice is that it tends to be more of the underlying imbalances that are impacting endometriosis and also impacting weight gain. There's some things that overlap and can really impact both, and that can be things like inflammation. We know that endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition, so that's absolutely something to consider when it comes to weight gain because our bodies tend to hold on to weight when they just don't feel safe in some fashion or another. So inflammation tends to make your body not feel super safe.

Alyssa Chavez [00:04:17]:
And so sometimes it'll hold on to body fat in a way to kind of store it up and make sure that it has resources available should it need it in the future. Things like blood sugar imbalance, right. Insulin resistance is super common these days, and that can absolutely lead to weight gain, right? Like belly fat in particular, is really common with insulin resistance. So getting your blood sugar managed through dietary strategies and things like that can be super, super important. Estrogen dominance is something else that can impact your weight, right? Because if you're estrogen dominant, meaning you basically have more estrogen than progesterone in your body, that can cause an imbalance, right. And estrogen tends to promote fat storage. Now, I don't like when I see people really demonizing estrogen because estrogen really helps to support our bodies in many ways, and we need estrogen. You will not feel very good if you don't have estrogen in your body.

Alyssa Chavez [00:05:25]:
Trust me, I've experienced that before, and it's terrible. But we do want to keep things in balance, right? It's all a balancing act. And then there's also thyroid health to think about, right? I see all the time in my practice, hypothyroidism with endometriosis, there's just a common crossover between those two, or even hashimoto's, which is an autoimmune thyroid condition, super common with endometriosis and can contribute to weight gain.

Alyssa Chavez [00:06:00]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:06:00]:
That's one of the common symptoms of hypothyroidism, is that weight gain.

Alyssa Chavez [00:06:05]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:06:06]:
What will help along the way, if you do find yourself gaining weight and not really being able to figure out why what's going on with that is just really getting to the root of imbalances in your body, reducing the stress on your body. So that can look like nourishing your body. Well, not over exercising, reducing inflammatory foods in your diet, things like gluten and dairy, possibly soy and corn and things like that can vary a little bit from person to person, but kind of looking at where inflammation might be coming from and reducing that stress, internal and external stress. So certainly looking at you, you know, what your general lifestyle is like as well, can make a difference. If you feel like you're doing all the things, you're eating healthy, and you're exercising and doing all the right things on paper, but you're just not losing weight, it might be a sign that you just need some deeper support.

Alyssa Chavez [00:07:01]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:07:02]:
You're not doing anything wrong. There's nothing wrong with you. Sometimes there's just deeper underlying things that can be contributing, that you just might need some support to help you figure that out. So just wanted to mention that a little bit here. Okay, question number two, is soy bad for endometriosis? This is a question that I get fairly frequently because soy has kind of been demonized, right? Just like red meat has been demonized and, you know, saturated fats and things like that, that I get questions about a lot of. And with soy, the long story short is that it's kind of a gray area, right? So I'm not gonna tell you, hey, you should just go out there and eat all the soy all the time. And I also don't necessarily recommend that people, everybody needs to cut it out completely. It used to be widely accepted that endowarrier should just avoid soy because soy contains phytoestrogens, right? And phytoestrogens are a plant compound that mimics estrogen.

Alyssa Chavez [00:08:12]:
And they used to think that that basically caused estrogen levels in your system to rise and that contributed to endo symptoms. But now research is actually showing that phytoestrogens might actually help to balance estrogen levels, meaning it can help to lower estrogen levels in people that have levels that are too high and even there was a study done on the japanese culture because the japanese diet tends to be much higher in soy. And turns out that they actually had lower incidence of endometriosis, which is interesting. So does that mean you should go out and eat soy every single day? Well, probably not that either, because the flip side of that too is that soy is also high in phytates, which are antinutrients, meaning they bind to nutrients and prevent absorption. So like other nutrients that are in your body. And they also are heavily sprayed with glyphosate, which is a terrible chemical that they spray on crops that can really be detrimental to our health. And soy is one of those crops that is heavily sprayed with glyphosate. So it's certainly not a perfect food.

Alyssa Chavez [00:09:25]:
I wish there were some. It were some magical solution where, hey, just eat soy all the time and you won't have any more problems. My best recommendation is to just limit soy.

Alyssa Chavez [00:09:38]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:09:39]:
Eating it in moderation, if you tolerate it. Some people just don't do well with soy at all. Like, my mom is an example of that. She just doesn't tolerate soy at all. So she just has to eliminate it altogether. So something to consider if you are going to eat. Soyezheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh I would just stick with whole food sources.

Alyssa Chavez [00:09:59]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:09:59]:
And preferably even fermented sources of soy, like natto, is a good option that you can go to. I will say also just be careful with soy sauce because soy sauce itself contains gluten. It contains wheat. And so many of us endo warriors are gluten intolerant or gluten sensitive or celiac or something along those lines. So just something to be aware of. So, yeah, a little bit of a gray area there with soy, but that's my two cent on that as of the current research that's been done. Okay, next question, and this is an interesting one. Do supplements really help endometriosis? And this was really kind of a deeper question, asking like, okay, I'm spending a lot of money on supplements, doing all the things.

Alyssa Chavez [00:10:53]:
Is this something that I even really need to be doing? Is this really making a difference in my body? And I will say that the short answer is, it depends. It depends on what you're taking, why you're taking it. You know, what, what the quality of the supplement is that you're taking, because that can vary widely. The supplement world is a little bit of a wild west at the moment. Like, there's, there's some things that maybe should be regulated more in the supplement industry. A lot of what you find on typical grocery store shelves is just not the best quality out there. And of course that's going to make a difference in the way that you feel. So yeah, I did actually an episode recently with Kate Mahoney, a colleague and friend of mine who is a supplement expert.

Alyssa Chavez [00:11:43]:
She is super knowledgeable on this stuff. I actually did a whole course with her because she has just so much knowledge to share on supplements. And so I did an episode with her. It was a recent one, episode 36, all about supplement quality. So if you really want to take a deep dive onto that, I would listen to that episode. I'll link to that in the show notes. But the gist of it is, what really matters is, number one, supplement quality. What are the actual ingredients in the supplement? Is it the right form that's actually going to be bioavailable for your body? All the things, where are the ingredients sourced from? And number two is what supplements you actually need.

Alyssa Chavez [00:12:26]:
So this comes back to that bio individuality piece that I like to talk about a lot, right, that thinking about what you actually need, right. Not just taking a supplement because somebody on the Internet recommended it or you heard about it somewhere and it sounds great, right. Finding what you actually need.

Alyssa Chavez [00:12:44]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:12:45]:
Targeting the supplementation to your unique needs. Because I see a lot of people just taking so many supplements, they're all of a sudden taking like 2025 supplements and it just becomes a lot.

Alyssa Chavez [00:12:57]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:12:58]:
It can become overwhelming. It can start to become a burden on your liver when you're taking tons and tons of supplements. So I would say just take a more targeted approach with that. Take what you really need, think about really what symptoms are a priority in your body and kind of go from there. That's what I, the approach that I take with myself, the approach that I take with my clients, I love me some supplements. I actually think supplements are fantastic. And there's some really good supplement companies out there who are making some amazing products that are just going to get you to your health goals much faster than just trying to do things through food alone. There's some things that we just need deeper support with and there's some really fantastic therapeutic supplements out there that can be super helpful.

Alyssa Chavez [00:13:48]:
But yeah, it's just a matter of what you really need. So do supplements really help endometriosis? Absolutely, yes. As long as you're taking the right ones for your body. And I will say too, I'll add in this note. This is something that I say frequently, but just it, it needs reminding that you cannot out supplement a poor diet or lifestyle, for that matter.

Alyssa Chavez [00:14:15]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:14:15]:
So you can't go out and eat a standard american diet and all the fast food and junk and then take supplements and expect to be healthy.

Alyssa Chavez [00:14:25]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:14:26]:
We're doing the dietary and lifestyle work that should be like 80% to 90% of your focus and then adding supplements on top of that to help to support your health. So it's not like a replacement for a good quality diet that can absolutely make a difference in how effective supplements are as well. Okay, next question. Are eggs bad for endometriosis? So, similarly to the soy thing, eggs have been demonized. Right. A lot of it really comes back to the fat thing, because eggs do contain fat, they do contain cholesterol. And those are things that, for many people have kind of become this red flag of something that you should be avoiding, especially if you have some sort of health concerns going on. Now, I will say with eggs, of course, it's going to be, again, an individual thing because eggs are a relatively common food sensitivity.

Alyssa Chavez [00:15:27]:
Not as common as something like gluten or dairy, but I do see it pop up with people. But that doesn't mean that everybody across the board should be avoiding eggs, because eggs are actually a wonderful, beautiful food that are super good for you if you tolerate them well. In general, I love eggs. I actually eat eggs very frequently. It's one of my favorite foods, honestly. One of my colleagues, Liz Wolf, who's a fellow nutritional therapy practitioner, wrote a book called Eat the Yolks. That's all about, you know, things like that, why we should actually eat the egg yolks that we've been told not to for years, especially if you lived through the 1970s. I did not.

Alyssa Chavez [00:16:11]:
But, you know, I'm sure there are others out there who did the whole low fat diet phase. I do remember my mom being all about the low fat thing when I was a kid, so I do remember that, yeah, fat and cholesterol just gets a bad rap. But the truth is that we actually need fat in our diet. We need cholesterol in our diet. Because your body actually needs cholesterol in order to produce sex hormones. You're not going to have estrogen or progesterone or any of that. If you're not. If you don't have cholesterol in your body, your body needs the resources to be able to produce these things.

Alyssa Chavez [00:16:51]:
Right?

Alyssa Chavez [00:16:51]:
They don't just come out of nowhere. So if you're avoiding eggs just because you've heard that they're bad for you or anything like that, stop it. That's my best advice.

Alyssa Chavez [00:17:05]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:17:05]:
Eat the eggs. Unless you actually have a sensitivity to the eggs.

Alyssa Chavez [00:17:09]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:17:09]:
The goal always is to eat as many foods as possible, not to eat the most restrictive diet that you can. That's not going to be benefiting you in the long run.

Alyssa Chavez [00:17:22]:
All right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:17:24]:
And, wow, we just whipped right through these today. Last question of the day, what is the best water source for endometriosis? Is it okay to drink bottled water if it's BPA free? This is a great question. My best advice, first and foremost, is to avoid the plastics whenever possible. Like, let that be your last resort as far as how you're going to get your water. Only if it's the only option. If it's completely be dehydrated or drink out of plastic. Okay. Drink out of the plastic, but whenever possible, avoid it.

Alyssa Chavez [00:17:59]:
Because even something that's labeled as BPA free, which honestly, I feel like most plastic things are these days, because it's become so commonly known that BPA is not good for you. It doesn't mean that it doesn't still contain other harmful chemicals. It just means that it's BPA free because that's that chemical that was studied and shown to be harmful to our health. But, yeah, it doesn't mean that there aren't other harmful chemicals in the plastic. And the plastic itself can actually leach into your water.

Alyssa Chavez [00:18:33]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:18:33]:
Microplastics are a big thing, especially if that bottle has been heated in any way. Like, you leave a water bottle in the car, you should not be drinking it later, even if it is cooled off after the fact. Right. That's actually a good general rule of thumb.

Alyssa Chavez [00:18:50]:
Right.

Alyssa Chavez [00:18:50]:
Never heat food or beverages or anything like that in plastic because it causes leaching of those microplastics into your food or into your water. So in general, just try to keep the plastic in your life to a minimum. Is that tricky? Absolutely. How many foods do we buy that just come wrapped in plastic? I get it. It's tough, but do your best, right. Generally, your best choice is going to just get yourself a good quality filter and a good stainless steel or glass refillable bottle that you can just use over and over again and carry with you so that you can stay well hydrated. So as far as a good quality filter, a reverse osmosis is a good choice. I will say that a reverse osmosis does such a good job that it also removes all the minerals, your water, and you're going to need to add those back in.

Alyssa Chavez [00:19:47]:
So you want to filter the water well, but then you also want to make sure that you're remineralizing the water because you actually need minerals in order for your body to absorb the water that you're drinking. It's not just about getting liquid into your body, it's about getting your body to actually be able to absorb that liquid. So options for that, you can just do a pinch of salt. Like Redmond's real salt is a favorite of mine. You could just sprinkle a tiny pinch of that in your water. That can add some mineral content. A celtic sea salt is kind of a similar thing. Or there are many different electrolyte powders out there these days as well.

Alyssa Chavez [00:20:28]:
Like element is one that I like, spelled l m n t. You can look them up. Body bio has a good electrolyte. Redmond's actually has an actual electrolyte as well, besides just their salt. So some good options out there if you need to add minerals back in. Now, I will say getting something like a reverse osmosis filter is quite an investment. It's not a super cheap option. So if you find that that's not something you are ready or able to invest in right now, do your best, right? Get some kind of filter is going to definitely be better than tap water.

Alyssa Chavez [00:21:08]:
Even something like a clearly filtered pitcher, like one of those water pitchers with a filter built in, is going to be better than nothing, right? Even the refrigerator filters, they're not fantastic, but it's better than nothing. But do your best, right? If you need recommendations for filters, just reach out to me on Instagram. I can help you out with that a little bit, but that's my best recommendation with water. So man, I kind of whipped through those questions today. That's okay. Thank you guys for sending me those questions. Please keep them coming. I have just a running list of questions that I keep in my phone so I can use that when I am ready to record a Q and a episode.

Alyssa Chavez [00:21:54]:
So keep them coming anytime. Reach out to me on Instagram, endobellygirl. Send me your questions and I will, you know, create a podcast episode around that. So thank you for joining me today. I hope you have the most fantastic day. If you're in the states here and celebrate the 4 July, have a happy 4 July. Enjoy yourself, stay safe, go watch some fireworks, celebrate, have some fun with some family and friends, and we'll talk soon.