Endo Belly Friendly Salted snickers smoothie

If you have my cookbook, you’ll know I’m a fan of veggie based smoothies from a blood sugar perspective (and for added nutrients of course!), so this one is a bit of a treat because it contains banana and dates, with no veg (shock horror). But don’t worry! As you’ll come to learn, I’ve still been really mindful to make this tasty shake blood sugar friendly.

Not only is this smoothie focused on blood sugar balance, it can also assist you with endo belly problems like constipation and bloating, POTS symptoms (many people with endo also have POTS) and even PMS.

This Salted Snickers Smoothie…

• Is rich in potassium from the banana, peanut butter, dates and coconut water, which helps to support healthy bowel motility.
  

• Contains chia, an effective evidenced based food to help ease constipation, which is common with endo, SIBO and in the luteal phase!
  

• Helps to ease premenstrual water retention, thanks to the potassium rich foods. Potassium, alongside sodium, helps to regulate fluid in the body. When we are in the luteal phase, hormonal changes (esp. imbalances), can cause water retention.

• Uses low FODMAP serving sizes, to prevent triggering endo belly or SIBO flares - though I am not suggesting we all go low FDOMAP, I’m just trying to make this recipe as endo belly friendly as possible. Remember, the low FODMAP diet isn’t effective for everyone, and isn’t a long term solution.
  

• Is rich in magnesium, a mineral shown to minimise PMS symptoms and cramping.

• Is a source of omega 3 fatty acids from the chia, which helps boost anti-inflammatory chemicals in our body to fight inflammation (the key driver of endo pain).
  

• Is a great source of sodium, which can help minimise dysautonomia symptoms (go heavy on the salt to balance out the potassium). Dysautonomia tends to worsen during the luteal phase and menstruation, so staying hydrated with mineral rich drinks is important!
  

• Contains around 30g easy to digest protein, to aid recovery after surgery and keep hormones stable.

• Is rich in fibre from the chia, fat from the peanut butter and protein from the protein powder, supporting balanced blood sugar levels (crucial for happy hormones and lowering inflammation!).

• The cacao hit, and energy packed banana and dates, with the bonus of blood sugar friendly fibre , fat and protein, can help combat fatigue and brain fog by providing us with a substantial but steady release of energy.
  

• Contains prebiotics from the chia seeds and cacao, which feeds good gut bacteria. People with endo have been shown to have imbalances between good gut bacteria and opportunistic/pathogenic bacteria, so re-establishing balance is important.
  

• Is rich in polyphenols from dark chocolate, antioxidants which are fantastic for gut health and overall health.

Important notes to help you tailor this smoothie for your own body and needs

Omega 3

The key driver behind period pain and endo pain, is inflammation. Whilst there are a few suckers responsible, inflammatory prostaglandins are at the heart of pain with endo and dysmenorrhea, being shown to be at elevated levels for both communities.

Inflammatory prostaglandins are actually essential to have a period and even to ovulate (not to mention, many other things, like healing from wounds), but they need to be counterbalanced with anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, and when we’re lacking in those or our inflammatory prostaglandins are too high, we get pain.

Omega 3 is the precursor (in short, it makes) anti-inflammatory prostaglandins, whilst omega 6 makes inflammatory ones. People with endo have been shown to have higher levels of omega 6, and lower levels of omega 3, so we want to correct that balance. And don’t worry – you don’t need to avoid healthy sources of omega 6 like nuts and seeds, we just need to get more omega 3, as many of us don’t get enough!

So, one of my key strategies with clients is to ensure their diet is rich in these good guys, and this smoothie will help you get there (though topping up on foods like salmon is a good shout too).

Magnesium

Magnesium is also a nutrient which has been shown to lower inflammation and improve period pain and PMS. Many of us who deal with chronic stress (ahem, endo) are often low in this mineral, but cacao, chia seeds and bananas are a great way to boost your levels and helps you to fix those chocolate cravings.

Chia seeds

The low FODMAP serving size for chia is 24g per person. However, I recommend my clients start lower, at 15g, as sometimes that’s all we need per day to get the bowels moving, and it may take their bodies time to adjust to the extra fibre, so we build up slowly.

Additionally, depending on your gut issues, chia may be better tolerated at lower levels. Remember, if you have SIBO, just because something is low FODMAP, does not mean it won’t trigger symptoms, so always check your tolerance levels.

Always remember to drink an extra 150ml water with chia or flax, as they are both very absorbent and need water to create the slippery gel that helps with constipation. If you don’t drink much water, they can actually dry things up and worsen this gut problem.

Finally, it’s worth noting that whilst this may be the trick to get things moving again, it often takes consistent daily use of chia to see a difference, and even then, if you have more going on with your gut health, you might need extra help.

Blood sugar

I tend to steer clear of using a lot of sugar in my recipes to help keep blood sugar stable and inflammation low. Bananas, dates and coconut water are all sources of naturally occurring sugar, and I wouldn’t normally cram them all into one recipe (not that they’re ‘bad’ foods, they’re wonderful!). But, they’re packed with the nutrients I wanted to include in this recipe and I’ve been very mindful of serving sizes, plus I wanted to give you guys something really tasty. This recipe includes one medium banana between two, one date each and only 50ml of coconut water each, which equates to 13.5g of naturally occurring sugar per serving, which is released slowly thanks to the fire, fat and protein containing ingredients.

However, to keep blood sugar stable, the ingredients you use matter. Dates like medjool dates are high in sugar (about 18g per date) and can cause quite big blood sugar spikes. I’ve used deglet noor dates, which are much lower in sugar, at about 3-5g per date. I also used a pure coconut water, which wasn’t concentrated and didn’t have added fructose (watch for that), so was only 3g carbs/2g sugar per 100ml. If you’re struggling to find a coconut water that isn’t high sugar, just lower the amount you use or omit (though of course, it’s your choice - you can use a sugary one if that’s what you want!).

Finally, if you want to keep sugar l lower because you’re sensitive to blood sugar spikes and you’re actively working on getting them down, or because you’re due on your period in the next day or so and you’re trying to minimise sugar (more spikes = more inflammation = more pain), you can swap the banana for a frozen medium courgette. It’ll still make this smoothie super creamy, but will cut down the sugar content by at least half. This is also a great swap if you’re not a fan of banana.

Additionally, you could also swap the coconut water for canned coconut milk (watch for added ingredients) at 60g per person for a low FOMDAP serving size. It’ll still contain minerals like magnesium and potassium, but it’s richer in fat and lower in sugar/carbs, so a good choice for those of you bring very careful with your blood sugar at the moment.

Totally your choice and no judgement - I’m just here to give you options so you can make informed decisions!

Salt and Dysautonomia

For those of us with dysautonomia with endo (yep, it’s a thing), symptoms like dizziness, feeling faint, etc. can really pick up towards menstruation. One of the key ways to regulate dysautonomia is through extra salt and hydration (mineral rich drinks, electrolytes, etc).

However, the balance of potassium to salt is important, because people with dysautonomia tend to have low blood pressure, and potassium lowers blood pressure, whereas salt raises it, but it’s important to get both for adequate hydration (dehydration makes dysautonomia worse).

So, with that being said, if you do have dysautonmia, you’ll be used to adding a lot of salt to foods and drinks, and it’s really important you do that here because of the various sources of potassium. If you’re worried, omit some of the potassium foods like coconut water. However, I absolutely urge you to listen to your body and also consult your doctor first, so you understand how much salt you personally need and how to balance that with potassium rich foods.

If you’re newly diagnosed, have a listen to these episodes:

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/pots-dysautonomia-with-endo?rq=POTS

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endo-and-dysautonomia?rq=POTS

https://www.theendobellycoach.com/podcast/endometriosis-and-ehlers-danlos-syndrome?rq=POTS

Peanut butter

I’m English so I use the UK version of the Monash App, and they state that UK peanut butter brands are low FODMAP at 50g per serve, but I have my doubts about that being pure peanut butter, because 28g peanuts is low FODMAP. I wonder if it’s more based on that is combined with oils, sugar, etc. Additionally, they state that American based peanut butter brands are low FODMAP at 32g per serve.

So, to be safe, I say sticking with somewhere around 20g-30g of peanut butter per person, using a 100% peanut butter (no other ingredients other than salt) is probably wise, but it’s up to you!

Cacao

Unfortunately, research emerged recently about high lead and cadmium levels in many dark chocolates and cacao (though cacao has not yet been measured). As a result, many practitioners (and even NHS doctors I’ve spoken to) are advising we limit our cacao intake. Whilst there’s no hard and fast rule as of yet, Dr Aviva Romm recommends no more than 2 ounces of dark chocolate, max twice per week (about 112g). Obviously cacao powder is not dark chocolate, but I generally try to use this rule for both until we have more info.

So, with that being said, I wouldn't make this smoothie your go to breakfast!

Additionally, if you’re sensitive to cacao due to histamine issues, etc. (yes, testing these recipes has been a bit rough on me!), then you can swap to carob, at 6g per person.

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, plus, you might find these article helpful in terms of how to manage your blood sugar levels and why:

https://endometriosis.net/living/diet-sugar

https://endometriosis.net/living/how-to-balance-your-blood-sugar-levels-to-reduce-endo-symptoms

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