A massive welcome to Broccoli People - who brought you - The Food Wisdom Ebook and paperback series to learn the fundamentals of nutrition for sharing this inspirational post with practical diet guidance for those living with a fibromyalgia diagnosis.
What is fibromyalgia?
FM is related to the central nervous system, it affects the person’s sensory processing system with the effect of amplifying painful sensations, or in other words, the way the brain processes pain signals. The main symptoms are widespread body pain together with chronic fatigue, sleep, mood and possible memory problems.
The person doesn’t always experience symptoms, and when it happens, it is called a flare and can last from days to weeks. There are many triggers for those flares, but a very common one is stress! So the first advice is to pay attention to your emotional life and stress levels, learn how to cope with them, and get them all in balance!
So, when flares happen, can they be reduced or controlled?
Patients following holistic approaches do experience long periods with no symptoms, and there is accumulating evidence that diet can lead to real improvement, and this is something directly to everyone’s control! [1] Good news, right?!
These are some of the principles regarding diet that can benefit patients with FM [1][2]:
1. Reduce or eliminate food additives
Food additives (like MSG, some processed foods and sauces with artificial ingredients), aspartame (often added as a sweetener in soda, drinks, and dairy), protein isolates, yeast extract, aged cheeses.
In general terms, it consists in eating a whole food diet limiting the consumption of processed foods with additives, and choosing products which ingredient lists on their food labels that are short, easy to read, and with understandable names.
The reason for this is because these foods are related to glutamate and aspartate, which are two neurotransmitters link to pain occurrence, and concretely, there have been studies where higher brain glutamate levels have been reported in FM patients as compared with healthy controls.
2. More magnesium, zinc and vitamin B6.
Micronutrients are very important in supporting optimal brain health and the neurotransmitters (or messengers) in it, and concretely magnesium, zinc, and B6 are related to the levels and optimal functioning of glutamate.
Magnesium: whole grains, pumpkin seeds, almonds, cashews, peanuts, sesame seeds, beans, spinach, milk, figs, cocoa, okra, bananas, avocados, molasses, and salmon)
Zinc: Whole grains, baked beans, chickpeas, nuts (cashews and almonds), dairy, oysters, shellfish, red meat, and poultry.
3. More omega-3 fatty acids
Omega 3: oily fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel and tuna), flaxseeds, walnuts and chia seeds.
Deficiency in omega-3 fatty acids has been shown to increase the process in which nerve cells are damaged by excessive stimulation by neurotransmitters, like glutamate.
4. More antioxidants
Vitamin C: citrus, guava, broccoli and spinach
Vitamin E: olive oil, nuts, avocados, carrots, spinach and grains
Others: Green tea, grapes, and in general, more fruits and vegetables!
5. Reduce gluten
Gluten sources: wheat, rye, barley and malt
Gluten-free sources: rice, cassava, corn, potatoes, tapioca, beans, quinoa, millet, amaranth, flax, chia, yucca, gluten-free oats, and nut flours.
The spectrum of gluten-related disorders has acquired a new syndrome, defined as non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and fibromyalgia is one them. FM patients under studies have shown improvement in their symptoms and manifestations resembling the clinical picture of non-celiac gluten sensitivity such as skin rash, cognitive dysfunction, headache, anxiety, and depression.
There are still more studies needed to be research on this field, but for now, it seems that reducing gluten in diets could help with some of those symptoms.
And now, how to put it in practice?
You can consider the following approaches:
-
Small changes: don't do all of these at to see improvements, it is better one change at a time, but keep it constant and persistent over time. Do what you are able to depending on your personal situation, and keep in mind that you can always do something.
-
An elimination diet: if your circumstances are good for it, you can adopt an elimination diet to observe the effect of each foods and changes in your symptoms. You would need to apply it for long enough to see the real effect, and it would require persistent and commitment from your side, and some time to prepare your meals and menus.
Whatever is the way you choose, be patient and consistent with it, because it is usually in the long term when you see the benefits of them!
References
[1] Kathleen Holton, “The role of diet in the treatment of fibromyalgia”, Future Medicine, 2016
[2] Umberto Volta, “Gluten-free diet in the management of patients with irritable bowel syndrome, fibromyalgia and lymphocytic enteritis”, Arthritis Research & Therapy, 2014, DOI 10.1186/s13075-014-0505-1
[3] Rita Chiaramonte, “Multidisciplinary protocol for the management of fibromyalgia associated with imbalance”, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, University of Catania, Italy, 2019
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you would like to learn more about this, you can have a look at our book series “Food Wisdom” that will guide you through the fundamentals and topics about nutrition and health, in clear and simple ways!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Written by Broccoli People | Mind Your Life, Mind Your Body
Broccoli People have the intention to spread knowledge and awareness in nutrition and wellbeing, in mind-body balance, in helping to make better choices, in accessible, easy and practical ways. They have created the series of books "Food Wisdom", with all the guidelines to make you become your own food master, the plans to maximise your energy levels, and the principles to become happier and healthier.
Follow them at www.broccolipeople.com for practical, educational and interactive tips about food and wellness.
