Endo Belly easing rocket (arugula), beet and butter bean salad

This salad is on repeat for me at the moment, and I shared it on my IG stories and had lots and lots of requests for the recipe.

Something to know though, is that this is not a recipe! I am not a chef, and most definitely not a savoury one. I love sweet (sugar free or low sugar!) bakes and that’s where my inspiration for my recipes stems from, and as a result, my actual main meals are pretty simple and straight forward. In my mind, that makes them not very interesting or worth sharing, but perhaps that’s exactly what this community needs? Healthy, easy, uncomplicated meal ideas?

So, if that sounds good to you, please know that this salad is just here as inspo and as a foundation - you can do whatever you like with it! It’s not a science, it’s a very messy art.

This recipe is here to get your digestive juices flowing at the start of a meal, to help reduce endo belly and also features ingredients to support healthy blood sugar levels. Plus, it’s packed with anti-inflammatory foods and gut supportive nutrients to further help us manage endo and endo belly.

This recipe…

• May help reduce endo belly and bloating thanks to the bitter-tasting rocket, blend of herbs and optional ingredients.

  Did you know, your body requires bile, stomach acid and digestive enzymes to digest food properly? When we’re low on these, it can result in bloating, gas and general IBS issues.

  These digestive supports can become reduced or affected by an array of issues our community often face - chronic fatigue/poor health, stress, SIBO, coeliac disease, etc.

  You can improve this digestive trio with supplements like Swedish bitters and betaine hydrochloric acid, but before you take that route (which by the way, you should do with the assistance of a practitioner because betaine HCL can be very strong and cause more problems), you can actually support their production with food.

  Something like betaine HCL directly replaces/tops up stomach acid, but bitter tasting foods and herbs and spices actually stimulate the body to start making bile, stomach acid and digestive enzymes. In short, they prepare our body for digestion, which is why I like to eat this salad at the start of a meal as it can help reduce bloating and digestive discomfort, which many with endo struggle with.

  There are plenty of herbs and foods that support digestive enzyme, bile and stomach acid production. Some of the best herbs and spices for this are garlic, mint, onion, rosemary, turmeric, ginger, fenugreek, thyme, caraway, fennel, coriander, oregano, black pepper and cumin. Bitter foods like rocket/arugula, radish and citrus fruit are also fantastic. I have a complete run down on foods like this in my courses, but also in my coaching. Maybe I should do an episode on the topic?!

  I’ve used more bladder friendly and histamine friendly additions in this recipe, to be mindful of sensitivities, but I’ve given extra options for those who want more digestive boosters and added some notes below.

• Helps keep blood sugar levels stable thanks to the fibre and fat in the salad. Eating fibre with a meal helps to stabilise blood sugar by slowing down the breakdown of carbs into glucose, which then gets absorbed into the blood stream. Eating fibre, fat and/or protein before starchy carbs further helps to slow down the release, because it sort of acts like a buffer and gives the gut something to work on first, which slows down digestion. This recipe features a generous serving of olive oil to provide the fat, and fibre from the beans and veggies. There is protein from the beans, but it’s not super high, so if you want to further boost it, add some seeds or nuts. Walnuts work really well here (and provide some extra omega 3), but I think pumpkin seeds or any nut/seed would be lovely additions.

  Keeping blood sugar levels stable helps to prevent oxidative stress, which leads to more inflammation in the body and that may trigger further pain and symptoms.

  Additionally, constant blood sugar swings can take their toll on hormones, leading to issues like elevated androgens (think testosterone), which can affect ovulation and cycle length. Blood sugar swings may also cause oestrogen excess or dominance and low progesterone if ovulation is interrupted or stopped entirely.

• A great source of prebiotics fibre thanks to the beans and beetroot (and walnuts if adding!).

  Beans get a bad rap because they cause a lot of people to have gas - but that’s not actually a bad thing. The reason why they cause gas is because they are rich in certain fibres that our good gut bacteria love to eat. When gut bacteria eat, they release gas and this process is called fermentation. Some people with digestive issues like SIBO (which may well be some of you, given the current research on endo and SIBO) or IBS, cannot deal with such high levels of fermentation without it triggering endo belly, but the thing is, feeding our good gut bacteria is important - especially for endo…

  Fermentation increases levels of short chain fatty acids, beneficial gut compounds which are produced when good bacteria eat fibre. These guys help to keep inflammation down in the gut and the body, help to keep blood sugar levels healthy, can inhibit bad bacteria and foster good bacteria growth. People with endo often have gut inflammation, high levels of unhealthy gut bacteria and low levels of beneficial bacteria, as well as blood sugar issues, AND often low levels of short chain fatty acids.

  Eating more prebiotic foods like beans, in amounts we can tolerate, can help us to build a healthier microbiome and raise short chain fatty acid levels, which in turn, will help calm intestinal inflammation.

  Additionally, microbiome dysbiosis (an imbalance between healthy bacteria and bad bacteria or pathogenic bacteria) also causes a lot of IBS issues, like bloating, so getting your levels healthy, can also further help with symptoms.

  A way around the bean problem is to start with smaller serves of beans whilst you address the bigger issues like SIBO, etc. You can also try serving sizes that are lower in FODMAPs. FODMAPs are fermentable carbohydrates that ferment rapidly in the gut, so can trigger reactions in people with sensitivities, but if you stick to lower FODMAP servings of beans, this can lessen that (please note, I am not saying you should go low FODMAP in general, this is just a way to start adding beans into your diet). This recipe gives you two options; a low FODMAP serving of butter beans (not very much!) or a larger but still low FODMAP serving of cannellini beans. I like white beans in this recipe, simply because I feel that this recipe has more Med vibes and white beans feature in lots of Italian dishes, but you can use any bean you tolerate. Also, if you tolerate these white beans just fine, please go for your usual serving size!

• Rich in anti-inflammatory and gut supportive polyphenols from the olive oil, rocket, walnuts, beetroot and herbs. These ingredients contain types of plant antioxidants called polyphenols. Polyphenols not only have a profound effect on reducing inflammation levels , important for us given that endo is an inflammatory disease and we tend to have higher levels of inflammatory markers). They are also a favourite food for our gut microbiome. Because people with endo tend to have microbiome dysbiosis, with lower levels of some beneficial bacteria and higher levels of pathogenic (bad) bacteria, feeding our gut bugs is essential to reestablishing balance.

• A source of anti-inflammatory omega 3 fatty acids from the walnuts (if using).  Walnuts are a good source of omega 3, specifically alpha-linolenic acid (ALA). Omega 3 fats help us to make our anti-inflammatory prostaglandins (as well as other anti-inflammatory mediators), naturally occurring immune compounds that help to counteract the effects of our inflammatory prostaglandins.

  People with endo (and people with dysmenorrhea and heavy menstrual bleeding) have been shown to have higher levels of inflammatory prostaglandins, and what we eat can help us to modulate these levels.

  Additionally, various studies indicate an association with lower levels of omega 3 fatty acids and dysmenorrhea and endometriosis. In fact, dietary intervention with omega 3 fatty acids is now being explored for endometriosis treatment and management.

  Finally, omega 3 fats and healthy fats can actually help us to make sufficient progesterone, which is important for stabilising mood, and preventing issues such as PMS and luteal phase spotting.

  However, it’s worth remembering you need a mix of omega 3 fats; EPA, DHA and ALA. ALA comes from plant foods and is the non-active form of omega 3 and needs to be converted by the body into EPA and DHA, which are the active forms (meaning usable). The body doesn’t always do the best job of this and so consuming active forms from foods like fatty fish and algae (if vegan/avoid fish), can provide our body with a broader range of omega 3.

Important notes to help you tailor this toast recipe to your own body and needs (and tastebuds!)

Low FODMAP

There’s no exact measurements in this recipe, but I have given you general recommendations and then low FODMAP serving sizes for those who need it. Please do what’s best for you! However, do note that if you’re using the low FDOMAP sizes, it’ll be a small salad, so you’ll need to top up your food in other areas of your meal.

Interstitial cystitis or histamine issues

If you have histamine intolerance, interstitial cystitis or dysautonomia, some of the optional ingredients may bother you. However, with these two conditions, triggers are very individual and variable, so it’s worth experimenting to find what you tolerate personally. Don’t just rule something out without knowing if it’s actually a problem with you, because that can just lead to unnecessary restriction.

Fat and nausea

Some people with IBS or low digestive enzymes struggle to digest fat, so a large serving of olive oil may cause you some nausea or digestive distress, though it’s typically fried food and fatty processed foods that have been researched. Occassionally, if there a light meal (like a salad) and lots of oil/fat, that can be triggering for some. If that is you, start with the lower suggestion of 1 tbsp and see how that suits you (remember, the ingredients serve two people), if you need to go lower, scale back, but try increasing with time as you begin working on your gut health because olive oil is so beneficial to our health.

Further resources

If you’re struggling with your gut health, you might find my courses and one to one coaching helpful. You can find out more here. I’ve also got endless podcast episodes on gut health and blood sugar.

To understand more about the low FODMAP diet, start here.

Method:

Cube the beet into small chunks (peel first if using raw).

Rinse the beans and wash the rocket well (and any other veg you may be using).

Throw in a bowl with the olive oil, herbs and any other ingredients you’re using. If you’re using fresh herbs, strip the leaves off the stems and finely chop before adding.

Serve as a starter or simply eat at the beginning of your meal to help with blood sugar and digestion!