Posted by MERM on 5/26/2009, 10:54 am
The Fibromyalgia Diet: Eating for a Better Quality of Life
There has been little information available from the scientific community on nutrition and diet for Fibromyalgia patients.
Research has not yet proven that any specific foods affect Fibromyalgia, positively or negatively. But we do know that eating a good balanced diet helps everyone’s body function at its best.
Good nutrition can help in your health and healing. Eating healthful foods including those low in fat and high in immunity boosting antioxidants and phytochemicals may work together to help maximize energy and alertness and minimize constant fatigue and lethargy.
Many people have overcome their Fibromyalgia symptoms by changing their lifestyle and diet.
Mary Moeller, author and spokeswoman on Fibromyalgia, now enjoys a state of remission from her Fibromyalgia symptoms by making a few changes in her lifestyle.
To reach this ideal she advocates eliminating 4 foods completely from your diet
Chocolate
Carbonated beverages
Coffee
Alcohol
Along with changes in nutrition she encourages stretching, exercising and drinking 8+ glasses of water a day.
The 12 items to avoid are:
High fat dairy foods
White sugar and white flour
Fried foods
Preservatives, junk food, and salt
Red meat (especially salt cured, cured bacon, smoked, beef or nitrate cured)
Coffee and caffeinated teas
Colas, soda pop, and carbonated beverages
Some unsubstantiated studies claim that carbonated beverages leak phosphorus from your bones, and the aspartame (Nutrasweet) in sodas cause memory loss. Others have claimed the sugar in carbonated beverages (some as many as 12-14 teaspoons) may contribute to yeast problems.
Caffeine in soda and other beverages is a diuretic, which means you need to drink additional water to replace the lost water. Scientists at Washington State University found that caffeine makes people lose calcium in their urine faster than they usually do. Caffeine can also put added stress on the adrenal glands and the liver. Since most Fibromyalgia sufferers may have adrenal malfunction due to chronic stress and inadequate nutrition it is probably wise to avoid the caffeine and carbonated drinks.
Liquid with your meals
Alcoholic beverages
All forms of tobacco
Prolonged periods of direct sun exposure
Nutrasweet and saccharine
If you subject your body to highly refined, over-processed foods, sugar, caffeine, pork, junk food, highly processed starches, additives and preservatives, and highly acid foods, it is possible that your body will suffer because of an already compromised immune system that may be found in many Fibromyalgia sufferers.
Most processed foods are often adulterated by heating, and are full of additives, preservatives, colorings, salt and sugar. Fried foods and salt have been found to aggravate pain or swelling in some Fibromyalgia patients. By the way, most drinks purchased at a store have been processed including soda, bottled juices, coffee, alcohol and others. Since many Fibromyalgia patients are sensitive to food, drugs, chemicals and pollutants in the environment anyway it is important we do not subject our bodies to more than what’s necessary.
Even many non-processed foods or "natural" foods can be hazardous to the health of Fibromyalgia patients. Many Fibromyalgia patients are chocoholics. Chocolate is high in fat and caffeine. According to Mark Pellegrino in his book, Fibro Survivor, reducing fatty intake could increase energy. Don’t be fooled when buying dietary chocolate, which has no added sugar. Although they may have replaced the sugar with manitol or nutrasweet the fat caloric content still remains high. Therefore a low fat diet is recommended. This means chocolate should not be ingested or should be eaten in moderation.
Certain foods have been found to cause fatigue. Doctors concluded in Annals of Rheumatic Disease that in certain individuals some foods aggravate arthritis. Often, foods that are acidic are the culprit. Therefore an arthritic diet is one that remains alkaline. Some Fibromyalgia patients find that highly acidic foods such as citric, foods in the nightshade family like tomato, potato, eggplant, and peppers, red meat, cow milk products, brown and white wheat flour products, sugar containing foods, coffee, chocolate all seem to trigger more muscle pain.
Different foods affect each individual Fibromyalgia patient differently. For instance some Fibromyalgia patients have severe food allergies for dairy, wheat, corn, nightshade family plants, etc. whereas others do not. You can discover your own food sensitivity by eliminating foods that trigger pain. Keeping a food diary can help. In your diary write down everything that goes into your mouth and at the same time track your Fibromyalgia pain. By comparing the two you may discover that certain foods may trigger allergies or pain. It has been found that food allergies may undermine your nutrient uptake.
60% of Fibromyalgia patients of normal weight crave carbohydrates, and 75% of obese Fibromyalgia patients crave carbohydrates.
However, cravings for carbohydrates are not limited to Fibromyalgia sufferers and therefore, can’t be considered a unique characteristic of individuals suffering from Fibromyalgia.
Some Fibromyalgia patients have a low carbohydrate intolerance or reactive hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) that occurs after eating carbohydrates. This can cause problems metabolizing carbohydrates, inability to lose weight, fatigue, carbohydrate craving and worsening symptoms.
Carbohydrates stimulate insulin production. Excess insulin can cause an increased uptake of sugar into muscle and liver, which can be stored as fatty acids in fat cells, and prevent carbs from being used.
There are nutritional strategies to help Fibromyalgia patients. Dr. Mark Pellegrino says that because of the biochemical changes in Fibromyalgia patients it makes good medical sense to try a low carb, high protein diet. Protein diets can decrease cravings, increase energy, lose weight and help with hypoglycemia. Pellegrino suggests watching carb’s like bread, potatoes and refined sugars. There are many fad protein diets like Sugar busters, Zone, Adkins and other low carb diets. However, Pellegrino says that some Fibromyalgia patients do not tolerate a protein diet as well as others, so experiment and find what dietary plan works for you.
Dr. August believes that a 30/30/40 ratio of carbohydrate, fat and protein enables Fibromyalgia patients to reach their optimum weight with maximum health. Hypoglycemia and low carb intolerance can be controlled by diet. Dr. August advocates the zone diet
However, there is strong evidence that the Zone diet "works" mainly because of the reduction in total caloric intake with little or nothing to do with the release of insulin.
Your cells must receive nourishment and eliminate wastes. When you start to eat healthful foods you may find that you crave sugar, fat, starch and processed foods. This is a normal occurrence due to a physiological change in your body’s chemistry. During the transition time try not to indulge in sugar, fat and processed foods. These cravings will become fewer and further between as time goes on. Of course, people who do not suffer from Fibromyalgia also have the same cravings; therefore, we are not unique.
People with Fibromyalgia need to take extra care to eat well. Try to incorporate raw foods into your diet. I try to eat a piece of raw fruit or vegetable for breakfast and a raw vegetable or salad for lunch. Raw foods contain enzymes that can assist in the digestion of foods. Raw foods are full of antioxidants and phytochemicals that help boost the immune system.
If have a juicer, fresh carrot juice is a wonderful addition to incorporate into your lifestyle. Many people have claimed to heal cancer along with an array of diseases by eating raw foods and drinking carrot juice. Of course, most of these claims are testimonials with little scientific research to back the use of raw foods to prevent chronic disease.
Along with vegetables, and fruits, omega 3 fish oil contains anti-inflammatory properties. Eating well does not mean you have to starve yourself or totally eliminate all the foods you love. Rather make small gradual changes and focus on the foods you enjoy.
Eating well may help reduce the fatigue and maximize energy. Incorporate variety, balance and moderation. Improve your health by reevaluating your overall eating habits and try making your diet more nutritious. Your body has been wonderfully and marvelously designed.
Do you allow it to run as efficiently as possible?
The photochemicals present in vegetables and fruits have been shown to have a protective effect against many chronic diseases including heart disease and cancer the second most prevalent killers in the U.S. These same phytochemicals may help reduce the pain response among Fibromyalgia patients.
Although definitive solutions to the Fibromyalgia dilemma await research verification it is my thought that we begin to incorporate more "raw foods or slightly cooked" vegetables and fruits into our diet in order to live a quality life postedbyMERMwellnesstrainresearchteam
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