What to Read First If You’re Curious About Food, Nutrition, and Lipedema
A guide to food, nutrition, inflammation, insulin, and lipedema symptoms through science and lived experience.
Food and nutrition have always been a big part of my life, both personally and academically. I have a master’s degree in Food Science and a bachelor’s degree in Human Nutrition, and one of the things I love most is sharing knowledge about food in a way that feels useful, honest, and understandable.
Here on LipedemaScience, I often write about food, inflammation, blood sugar, insulin, swelling, pain, hormones, and the complicated relationship many of us with lipedema have with our bodies and our diets. Not because I believe there is one perfect “lipedema diet” that works for everyone, but because I believe food knowledge can give us more freedom, not less.
So I wanted to make this little guide for you. If you are curious about nutrition and lipedema, but feel overwhelmed by all the strong opinions online, this is a good place to start. Below, I have gathered some of my articles and reflections on food, anti-inflammatory eating, insulin, sugar, weight, symptoms, and what I have learned from both science and my own body over many years of living with lipedema.
The Hidden Role of Calories in Lipedema
When I studied nutrition during my bachelor’s degree, I spent time working in a clinical setting. I met people who were struggling with weight, and one thing became very clear to me early on. Most of them were not “doing everything wrong.” They were often doing many things right, but missing a few small details that made a big difference.
What I Actually Eat as a Nutritionist with Lipedema in Norway
Some people have asked me for a meal plan, but the truth is I’m more of a “vibe cook.” I rarely follow recipes, and I almost never measure anything. That occasionally frustrates my partner, especially when I can’t quite explain how I ended up with the meal we’re eating. Still, the approach itself is very simple.
Insulin Resistance, Diabetes and Lipedema
LipedemaScience is where I try to make complex lipedema science understandable without making it simple in the wrong way. This article is part of that work. It is written for women with lipedema who want to understand their bodies more deeply, and for those who have started wondering whether insulin, blood sugar, inflammation and adipose tissue biology …
Mediterranean-Style Ketogenic Diet for Lipedema
When I was in my early twenties, before I started studying nutrition, I tried different diets, including low carb and keto. At the time, I did not really understand food quality in the way I do now. I did not know much about ultra-processed foods, ingredient lists, additives, pesticides, macronutrients, micronutrients, or how much the overall composition of a diet matters. I had also grown up eating very few vegetables, so for me, learning to eat in a more varied and nourishing way was a process in itself. I spent a lot of time moving beyond the familiar cooked carrots on the plate and slowly teaching myself how to include more vegetables, flavors and nutrient-dense foods in my everyday life.
White Bread with Jam and the Blood Sugar Rollercoaster
In my bachelor’s in human nutrition, we were split into groups for a simple experiment. We were going to test how different breakfasts affected fasting blood sugar. One group had egg and bacon, basically keto. Another tested a smoothie. A third ate whole grain bread with ham, cheese, and vegetables. And one group, my group, tested white bread with jam.
Every Meal is a Vote
If you live with lipedema, you have probably heard every version of “just eat better” delivered with the confidence of someone who has never had to negotiate pain, swelling, fatigue, and a body that does not follow the usual rules.
Not One Lipedema Woman
When you live with a chronic disease that is influenced by food, your relationship with eating can become complicated in ways that are hard to explain to anyone who has not lived it. Food stops being neutral. It becomes a daily negotiation, sometimes a source of comfort, sometimes a source of fear, and often a place where guilt and shame quietly attach themselves. For many women with lipedema, the emotional weight is not only about what they eat, but about what eating represents in a body that can feel unpredictable, painful, and resistant to change.
Lipedema Diet and the Biology of Pain A Researcher’s Perspective from NTNU
Julianne Lundanes is a Norwegian researcher with a background in movement science and clinical health science from NTNU. Her academic interests have long centered on metabolic health, obesity, physical activity, and diet. During her master’s work on nutrition after bariatric surgery, she became connected to Siren, who was then planning a project on lipe…