You've heard the expression: You are what you eat. Well, if you've been diagnosed with fibromyalgia, this saying takes on even more meaning. As part of your overall treatment, your doctor might (and should) recommend diet changes. Even if your doctor doesn't discuss diet with you, you should make it a point to add a diet regimen to your overall treatment plan to help make your life with fibromyalgia more comfortable.
Studies have shown that eliminating one or more foods from your diet can help reduce your symptoms and pain from fibromyalgia. Foods that boost and support the immune system should be a large part of your diet whereas processed foods and those that contain a lot of additives and preservatives should be avoided.
Foods To Eat
Below is a list of foods that can help you with your fibromyalgia. The rule to remember is this: fresh is always better than frozen or canned foods and the less preservatives you consume the better.
Meat, Poultry, Fish -
• Lean beef
• Lean pork
• Chicken
• Turkey
• Shrimp
• Scallops
• Clams
• Nitrite free bacon
Dairy (small amounts)
• Cheese
• Sour Cream
• Butter
Eggs
Nuts
• Pistachios
• Macadamia nuts
• Walnuts
• Cashews
• Almonds
• Peanuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Nut Butters
• Brazil nuts
Beans
• Lentils
• Kidney beans
• Pinto beans
• Refried beans made with lard seems to be especially good
• Garbanzo beans
• Black beans
Fruit
• Grapefruit
• Pineapple
• Tangerines
• Oranges
• Cooked Tomatoes
• Unsweetened applesauce
• Coconut and coconut milk
• Avocado
Grains
• Al dente pasta - made from refined wheat, spelt, or rice and not fortified
• Unfortified white rice
• Tortillas - corm and wheat
Vegetables
• Artichokes
• Asparagus
• Broccoli
• Chard
• Dandelion greens
• Celery
• Eggplant
• Green Beans
• Kale
• Peppers - red, green, yellow and orange
• Radicchio
• Spinach
• Squash
• Zucchini
Making The Change
Changing your diet isn't always easy. After all, our current food habits have been formed over time so you need to give time to changing them. For some, changing your eating habits is more of a marathon than a sprint - slow and steady wins the race. While others prefer the "cold turkey" method. Whatever your methods, it's important that you persevere and make the life-long commitment to improving your eating habits so that you can support your overall plan in treating your fibromyalgia.