Fibromyalgia is a disease that causes a generalized pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as chronic fatigue. The symptoms may vary from day to day and can depend on such conditions as your stress level, the time of day and even the weather. A well-balanced diet may help keep symptoms in check and improve your overall sense of well-being.
Significance
Eating the right foods will keep insulin levels from rising and prevent your fibromyalgia symptoms from getting worse. If you do not follow a healthy diet, you may feel overly tired or irritable, suffer from depression, or experience food cravings, blurry vision, poor memory and anxiety.
Foods to Eat
Focus on "light" carbohydrates that have a low glycemic load, meaning they break down to a lower amount of sugar in the body. These foods include berries, lettuce, broccoli, cabbage, mushrooms and peppers. Combine these foods with healthy proteins, such as chicken, turkey, egg whites, fish and soy. Good meals include a meat and vegetable stir-fry, or an egg-white omelet with vegetables. Make sure your fats are healthy fats, such as those that come from macadamia nuts, pecans, almonds and cashews.
Foods to Avoid
Some foods will worsen fibromyalgia symptoms and should be avoided. Do not eat full-fat dairy foods, such as cheese or yogurt. White sugar and flour -- found in white breads, pastas and rice -- also may make your symptoms worse. Do not eat cured meats, such as deli meats or cured bacon, and avoid dried fruits and fruit juice, as the sugars in these foods may cause a flare-up of symptoms. Foods with a lot of preservatives can bring on symptoms. Skip fried foods as well -- opt instead for foods that have been baked or grilled. Be careful about what you drink -- do not drink carbonated or alcoholic beverages, or drinks that contain caffeine.
Time Frame
According to the Holistic Online website, it is better to eat four or five small meals a day instead of three bigger meals. Eating too much food at once may increase insulin levels and decrease blood sugar, causing you to become more tired.
Considerations
No two fibromyalgia patients respond to dietary changes in the same way. For example, some fibromyalgia sufferers have allergies to wheat, corn or dairy, while others do not. Keep a journal of the foods you eat and how you feel after eating them to determine which foods may trigger an attack.
