QC: Navigating Diet Conflicts: Endometriosis Meets PCOS Meets Intermittent Fasting With Sarah Rae

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Registered dietitian Sarah Rae shares evidence-based nutrition strategies for those managing both endometriosis and PCOS simultaneously. She explains why balanced blood sugar is crucial for both conditions and how protein intake, fiber, and healthy fats support hormone regulation.

• Similar nutrition approaches work for both endometriosis and PCOS despite perceived conflicts
• Focus on balancing blood sugars which impacts sleep, hormones, and hunger levels
• Aim for 20-30 grams of protein at each meal with fiber and healthy fats
• Those with PCOS and insulin resistance may need slightly more careful carbohydrate management
• Intermittent fasting generally not recommended as it can lead to disordered eating patterns
• Regular breakfast helps prevent binge eating, control sugar cravings, and manage bloating
• Anti-inflammatory food choices benefit both conditions

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Have you ever wondered what diets would be
helpful for both endometriosisand PCOS, or are they different?
Are there conflicts of interestwhen you talk about diet with
PCOS and endometriosis, and isintermittent fasting something
that you should even considerwhen you have endometriosis?
Is it helpful or is it harmful?
Registered dietitian Sarah Raeis here to cut through the noise

(00:23):
and help bring clarity to thesevery things.
Stick around.
Life moves fast and so shouldthe answers to your biggest
questions.
Welcome to EndoBattery's QuickConnect, your direct line to
expert insights.
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(00:45):
No long episodes, no extra timeneeded, and just remember
expert opinions shared here arefor general information and not
for personalized medical advice.
Always consult your providerfor your case-specific guidance.
Got a question?
Send it in and let's quicklyget you the answers.
I'm your host, alanaana, andit's time to connect.

(01:09):
Today we're joined by Sarah Rayfrom Pacific Northwest
Endometriosis Nutrition.
She's a registered dietitianspecializing in endometriosis
and fertility nutrition.
She's here to cut through thenoise and share real,
evidence-based strategies tohelp you fuel your body.
Without the confusion.
Let's dive in.
How can someone with bothendometriosis and PCOS balance

(01:31):
their diet, when recommendationsoften seem conflicting?

Speaker 2 (01:34):
That is a really good question and I'm not sure what
recommendations this person isreferring to that are
conflicting, but I actuallyrecommend kind of a similar diet
for both.
So how I like to approachendometriosis nutrition and what
seems to make most people feelbetter is working on balancing
blood sugars, which can impactour sleep, which can impact our

(01:58):
hormones like estrogen andinsulin.
It impacts our hunger levelswhen we're eating frequently
enough and insulin it impactsour hunger levels when we're
eating frequently enough.
That kind of helps bothconditions.
So with PCOS people may not bebloating as much as people with
endometriosis, but both kind ofneed to eat frequently for
different reasons.
So if you have both and youhave PCOS and you're a little

(02:20):
bit insulin resistant, say, wemight need to be a little bit
more careful with carbohydrateintake than somebody who just
has endometriosis.
But for both populations Ireally like to focus on getting
enough protein at meals.
So usually that's at least 20to 30 grams every time we're
eating, getting a fiber and ahealthy fat as a part of that

(02:42):
meal and then a moderate amountof carbohydrates.
So you don't have to count yourmacronutrients.
But if we have like a wholelarge bagel and then just one
egg, our protein and carbs arereally kind of out of balance
and it's not necessarily goingto make the endometriosis grow,
but we're missing out on reallykey nutrients with that.

(03:03):
If you have PCOS, we're reallylooking at how that might affect
blood sugar balance.
So trying to get that balanceof macronutrients in eating
regularly, getting lots ofanti-inflammatory foods in that,
really speaks to bothpopulations.
So I treat both fairlysimilarly.
Unless somebody with PCOS isalso struggling with insulin, we
might look more at carbohydrateintake.

Speaker 1 (03:25):
Would this eliminate doing intermittent fasting?
Would you not recommend it forpeople that are dealing with
both of these things?

Speaker 2 (03:33):
I generally don't recommend intermittent fasting
One, because it's a food rulethat can lead to disordered
eating and a lot of times is notsustainable.
I have a couple of clients whohave said they feel better with
endometriosis and intermittentfasting and they just tended to
not be a breakfast eaternaturally.
So if that just feels natural,if adding breakfast in makes

(03:57):
somebody super nauseous and theykind of always ate that way and
we're making sure they'regetting enough calories and
maybe adding enough foods laterin the day if they aren't eating
till noon, say, I can supportthat.
But it's not something Irecommend for symptom management
for either group.
Breakfast is really importantfor preventing binge eating

(04:17):
later in the day, for helpingcontrol sugar cravings.
Usually people feel better withtheir bloat, with their fatigue
, with their brain fog when theyare eating balanced meals
throughout the day.
So it's not something that Iuse in my practice unless
somebody really feels stronglythat that's what's been best for
them in the past.

Speaker 1 (04:38):
That's a wrap for this Quick Connect.
I hope today's insights helpedyou move forward with more
clarity and confidence.
Do you have more questions?
Keep them coming, send them inand I'll.
Do you have more questions?
Keep them coming, send them inand I'll bring you the expert
answers.
You can send them in by usingthe link in the top of the
description of this podcastepisode, or by emailing contact
at endobatterycom or visitingthe endobatterycom contact page.

(05:03):
Until next time, keep feelingempowered through knowledge.