9 Tips for Choosing Foods When You Have Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia can be difficult to diagnose and difficult to treat, especially considering researchers are only just beginning to understand the underlying mechanisms of this very painful condition. In addition to the widespread discomfort and fatigue suffered by people with fibromyalgia, dealing with those symptoms every day can be emotionally and psychologically draining, so it’s not surprising that a lot of these same individuals also have struggles with depression. Even though researchers are still learning how fibromyalgia “works,” they do know monitoring your diet and being careful of the foods you eat can help reduce symptoms — sometimes dramatically. If you have fibromyalgia, here are nine simple tips to make sure your diet is working to reduce your symptoms, not make them worse.
Nutrition is keyNine tips may sound like a lot to remember, but most of these tips are based on good common sense. Once you start shopping with these tips in mind, you'll start to get a "feel" for the foods you should be choosing and those you should avoid. By identifying the "good" and "bad" foods in your local market, you can make a list of "fibromyalgia-friendly" foods to reference when you shop so trips to the store are a lot faster and simpler.

1. Look for “whole” foods. Eliminate as many processed foods from your diet as possible. Processed foods contain more additives and chemicals and fewer natural nutrients your body needs to stay healthy. Ready-made foods may be more convenient, but these foods typically have far fewer vitamins and minerals and a lot more of the chemicals that can trigger symptoms. 
2. Don’t eat cured meats. That includes bacon, ham, canned meat products, jerky and any meats from your deli case. Processed meats contain high levels of salt as well as chemicals used in processing and flavoring them.
3. Read food labels. Don’t just skim the package front. Dig deep into the complete list of ingredients on the back or side panels to ferret out foods with chemicals, additives, and preservatives. Quick tip: If the ingredients have complex or long names you don’t understand, skip it.
4. Avoid glutamate. Almost everyone has heard about sensitivity to monosodium glutamate or MSG. But you won’t always see it listed that way on food labels. Look for terms like “protein isolate,” protein concentrate” or “hydrolyzed,” all of which are buzzwords for glutamate. And try to steer clear of canned soups, Chinese food products, and processed foods, all of which tend to contain the chemical.
5. Control your sweet tooth. Limiting your sugar intake is important for reducing fibromyalgia symptoms and for improving health in general. When you do indulge, opt for natural sweeteners like honey, maple syrup or brown sugar instead of artificial sweeteners or high-fructose corn syrup, which are found in a surprising number of products. 
6. Try the DASH diet. Short for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, the DASH diet was developed as part of a study looking for ways to control high blood pressure, but it can help with lots of other medical problems too, including fibromyalgia. DASH focuses on whole grains, fruits and veggies, and lean protein, and this diet avoids added sugars, fat, and high amounts of salt. 
7. Get plenty of vitamin D. Vitamin D is important for healthy bones, but several studies show consuming healthy levels of this vitamin also reduces pain in people with fibromyalgia. Vitamin D is found in eggs, tuna, salmon, and fortified foods like some brands of orange juice and milk.
8. Choose foods high in antioxidants. Antioxidants protect our cells from toxins, and eating antioxidant-rich foods protects our cells from damage and helps keep them healthy and functioning. Choosing foods with lots of antioxidants is easy — and colorful. Look for fruits and vegetables that are deep red, orange, yellow or purplish-blue (like berries). 
9. Add foods with omega-3 fatty acids. Like the fruits and veggies listed in the earlier tip, omega-3 foods like seafood, walnuts, chia seeds, and flaxseeds can help increase your levels of antioxidants to help reduce pain as well as boost your immune system. Look for natural sources and try to avoid omega-3 supplements since these contain gelatin, which could make your symptoms worse.

Professional nutritional counseling can help tooAt Modern Concepts, we help people reduce fibromyalgia symptoms by tapping into the body's own natural capacity to heal. With nutritional counseling, we can help you create an eating plan that helps reduce pain and other symptoms while still supporting your busy lifestyle. To learn more fibromyalgia and the treatment options we provide, contact the practice today.