Abdominal discomfort, bloating, lower back pain — period cramps are no fun! Once a month, the majority of women experience period-related symptoms that usually are fairly mild. But imagine cramps so severe that you can’t function, you vomit and sometimes you even pass out. This is what some women with endometriosis experience every time.

Endometriosis is a condition in which tissue that typically lines the uterus falls outside the uterus onto the fallopian tubes, the bladder, the abdominal cavity as well as other areas. This condition can cause lesions and inflammation inside the uterus, leading to extreme pain, scar tissue formation and even infertility. More than six million women in the United States suffer from endometriosis and, sadly, treatment doesn’t work for everyone. But, what if you could cure your endometriosis just by changing the food you eat? Today we are going to discuss how to treat your endometriosis by changing your diet.

First, let’s talk about why changing your diet is so important. Changing your diet will decrease inflammation, decrease estrogen levels, encourage weight loss, reduce bloating and increase your energy levels. All of these things are extremely important when it comes to managing endometriosis.

So, how should you change your diet? Here are some tips.

Incorporate more anti-inflammatory foods.
Foods such as berries, leafy greens and salmon all help to decrease inflammation. Spices such as turmeric are an excellent anti-inflammatory and can be added to many foods to give them a little kick of flavor and inflammation fighting power. Remember some of those foods we talked about in last week’s 8 Pantry Perfect Foods? Well things like chia seeds, flax seeds and coconut oil are also great to help cut inflammation.

Up your magnesium intake.
Magnesium is a natural muscle relaxant, so it makes sense that it would help to ease your cramps. Try adding some spinach to your omelet in the morning or making some avocado toast.

Don’t forget about iron.
Iron is lost through the excessive bleeding you experience while on your cycle, so it’s important to replenish what you’ve lost. Navy beans, beef and even molasses are all excellent sources of iron.

Keep in mind that all of these things can be supplemented into your diet. In addition to eating magnesium rich foods you can take a magnesium supplement, and the same goes for the iron.

Changing your diet and lifestyle should decrease your symptoms and allow your endometriosis be more manageable if not going away all together.

To learn more about women’s health check out the Women’s Mind Body Wellness Summit. It contains 6 interviews by top female health professionals plus two workout videos and 3 bonus videos on mind-body wellness with MyHealthSpin Founder Lori-Ann Rickard.