Endo-Friendly Recipe Substitutes for Cooking With Your Partner

In another article, I wrote about where to find endo-friendly recipes when venturing into the world of the endo diet with your partner. As a reminder, the endometriosis diet is not specific, but rather the name was given to a range of anti-inflammatory diets that some people find to help them manage their endometriosis symptoms.

Again, it’s not an official diet. Still, there are commonalities between most versions of the diet, such as lower sugar intake, lower caffeine intake, and avoidance of gluten and dairy, sometimes fewer spices or citrus foods.

Recipe substitutions for endo-friendly cooking

What if you don’t want to follow recipes and instead want to cook as you always did but in an endo-friendly way? I want to review some of the ingredient issues you will run into and how to replace them.

I want to point out that I am not attempting to demonize any of these foods. Some people find that reducing these foods helps reduce inflammation and pain.

However, these foods can be enjoyed as part of a healthy diet. It's just about finding what works for you.

Dairy options

The endo diet normally cuts out or reduces dairy. This means that butter and milk, which is in many, many recipes, is a no-go.

Not to fret. Dairy tends to be very easy to substitute in recipes. Try shea and coconut oil-based ‘butter’ blocks for baking; there are many spreadable types of butter for toast.

Oat milk is a great creamy option but higher in carbs, whereas almond milk is thinner and lower in carbs.

Meat substitutes

If your partner’s endo diet cuts out meat, there are plenty of options. We tend to avoid the highly processed vegan meat alternatives and stick with more whole food options.

For example, puy lentils are a great, meaty replacement for mince. Tofu is another great way to get protein, and mushrooms, while not high in protein, are deliciously meaty and satisfying.

Drinking alcohol

Unfortunately, alcohol is undoubtedly inflammatory, and your partner may benefit from reducing its intake. But this doesn’t mean that you can’t go out for a drink.

Aside from plenty of alcohol-free beers, wines, and spirits now on the market, sparkling water-based mocktails are a delicious way to stay hydrated without looking out of place on a night out.

Replacing eggs

Eggs are a little trickier. They are certainly good for you, but if someone wants to go completely vegan, they’re out.

In baking, flax, chia, chickpea water, and banana are all used as substitutes, with varying results. Commercial vegan egg replacers are also available, but I haven’t tried them.

I advise sticking to eggless recipes if you are set on not eating them.

Flour alternatives

Finally, flour is a whole world of confusion. Gluten can be inflammatory for some, and many choose to cut it out.

Trying to recreate the consistency of gluten can be tricky. I would avoid generic gluten-free flour blends, as I never find they work, and instead, stick to tried and tested gluten-free recipe creators such as Cannelle et Vanille and Sweet Laurel.

Again, this article is by no means meant to demonize any food. Some people find that cutting out these foods helps manage their symptoms, and if your partner chooses this path to management, these options are a great way to have fun in the kitchen and join in with your partner’s endo journey.