If you’ve been following along, you probably know that I’ve been trying to figure out what the heck to do with my endometriosis while we’re trying to grow our family.
Lately, I’ve been going down the rabbit hole of the anti-inflammatory diet.
I want to do everything I reasonably can to support my fertility, hormones, and body—but I also know myself well enough to know that I don’t want to follow a super restrictive diet.
I don’t want to be afraid of carbs. I don’t want to feel guilty for eating pizza with my husband. And I definitely don’t want to spend the rest of my life obsessing over whether every single thing I eat is “healthy.”
Instead, I’m trying to look at this as an anti-inflammatory lifestyle rather than an anti-inflammatory diet.
I’m focusing on the things I can realistically do consistently, without making myself miserable in the process.
Eating More Whole Foods
This is probably the simplest change I’m making: I want to eat more real food.
I’m focusing on:
- More fruits and vegetables
- Quality protein
- Whole grains and minimally processed carbs
- Healthy fats
- Nuts and seeds
- More homemade meals when I have the time
I’m not trying to make every meal perfect. Sometimes I’ll make a giant salad and sometimes I’ll realize at 8 p.m. that I barely ate a vegetable that day. 😂
I’m also not giving up carbs.
I love sourdough, oats, potatoes, pasta, fruit, and all the other foods that seem to get labeled “bad” depending on what diet is trending.
My compromise is quality. I’m trying to choose minimally processed carbohydrates most of the time and make most of my food from ingredients I’d actually recognize.
I’m also choosing to limit some of the highly processed oils I don’t feel like I need regularly, including:
- Canola oil
- Soybean oil
- Corn oil
- Sunflower oil
- Safflower oil
- Cottonseed oil
- Grapeseed oil
- Rice bran oil
At home, I’m primarily reaching for extra-virgin olive oil and avocado oil.
I’m not going to panic if I eat something at a restaurant that contains canola oil. I’m going for consistency, not perfection.
Making Movement Part of My Everyday Life
Because I work from home, it is ridiculously easy for me to sit all day.
So I’ve made 10,000 steps my daily minimum.
That doesn’t mean I have to go on a 10,000-step walk every day. I’m just trying to move more throughout the day:
- Taking walks
- Getting up from my desk
- Walking while I’m on the phone
- Getting outside
- Doing workouts I actually enjoy, like Lagree
I want exercise to make me feel stronger and healthier—not something I use to punish myself for eating something.
Creating Better Morning & Nighttime Routines
I’m also trying to give my days a little more structure.
Morning
I’m working toward:
- Waking up around the same time
- Getting natural light
- Using my vibration plate/lymphatic massage
- Eating breakfast before getting into work mode
I’ve started incorporating my vibration plate into my morning because it’s easy, and honestly, I’m much more likely to do something when it doesn’t feel like a whole production.
[Read about the vibration plate I use →]
I also wrote about how I’m creating a better morning routine while working from home:
[The Best Way to Build a Morning Routine While Working From Home →]
Night
At night, I’m trying to create more of a wind-down period:
- Dimming the lights
- Getting off my phone
- Doing my skincare
- Taking my magnesium
- Going to bed around the same time
- Giving myself enough time to actually sleep
I’m hoping that having more consistency with my mornings and evenings will help support my circadian rhythm and sleep.
I don’t need a complicated 14-step routine. I just want my evenings to feel calmer.
Reducing Unnecessary Toxins in My Home
I’m definitely not trying to make my house completely “toxin-free.” That’s not realistic for me.
But there are some things I do want to be more intentional about.
I’m slowly working on:
- Replacing plastic food storage with glass
- Avoiding heating food in plastic
- Reducing unnecessary fragrance
- Choosing simpler cleaning products
- Being more selective with bath and body products
- Paying more attention to the ingredients in the products I use every day
This is going to be a slow process because replacing everything in your house at once is expensive. 😂 I’m also sharing the non-toxic swaps I’m making along the way over on my [Shop My Non-Toxic Swaps →] page if you want to see the products I’m using and switching to.
And honestly, fragrance is probably going to be the hardest one for me because I love perfume and candles.
I’m not giving up everything I enjoy. I’m just trying to reduce unnecessary exposure where I reasonably can.
Taking Stress Seriously
This is probably the hardest part for me.
It’s easy to obsess over things like calories, protein, steps, and vegetables because they’re measurable.
Stress isn’t.
So I’m trying to make more room for things that actually make me happy:
- Going for walks
- Spending time with my husband
- Hanging out with my pets
- Watching a comfort show
- Working on my blog
- Getting outside
- Having time where I’m not being productive at all
Because what’s the point of creating a “healthy” lifestyle if I’m constantly stressed about doing it perfectly?
I’m Still Going to Enjoy My Life
This might be the most important part.
I still want pizza.
I still want dessert.
I still want to go out to dinner.
I still want a glass of wine.
I still want to wear perfume and burn my candles.
I don’t want wellness to take over my life.
I want to make healthier choices most of the time while still enjoying the life I’m actually living.
I’m not trying to cure my endometriosis with food or pretend that changing my habits will magically fix my fertility. I’m simply trying to give my body some extra support while I figure all of this out.
For me, an anti-inflammatory lifestyle isn’t about perfection.
It’s about doing the things that make sense for me, doing them consistently, and still enjoying my life along the way.
