Red meat. Saturated fats in red meat interfere with proper circulation and increase pain sensitivity. They also contribute to fatigue, making it difficult for patients with fibromyalgia to get the exercise they need to promote muscle flexibility and range of motion.
Foods that can trigger fibromyalgia pain include refined sugar, caffeine, chocolate, alcohol, fried foods, red meat, processed foods and others. Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition that causes widespread pain and tenderness throughout the body, sleep problems, fatigue, and depression.
Fibromyalgia patients often experience general hypersensitivity which translates into increased sensitivity to blood-sugar highs and lows. Avoid simple carbs like white sugar, white flour, and even wheat if possible. Also, be cautious with whole grains, since they can quickly elevate blood-sugar levels.
Lean protein: Eating some type of protein at every meal—whether it's chicken, fish, beans, nuts, or peanut butter, gives you energy by fueling your muscles. With fibromyalgia, it's common to feel low on energy, so bulking up on protein is essential.
People should try to opt for low fat versions or dairy alternatives such as soy milk. It may also help to limit the consumption of red meat. Instead of eating red meat every day, opt for turkey, fish, and vegetable based substitutes.
Foods that are high in omega-3 fatty acids have an anti-inflammatory effect, which is good news for painful joints. This food group includes salmon, Brussels sprouts, eggs, chia seeds, walnuts, sardines, flax seeds, and soybeans.
Choose Dark, Leafy Greens, Nuts, and Seeds for Magnesium
Magnesium is found in many healthy foods, including legumes (dried beans and lentils), nuts and seeds, avocado, yogurt, bananas, fatty fish, dark chocolate, and dark, leafy greens.
Possible triggers
Fibromyalgia is often triggered by an event that causes physical stress or emotional (psychological) stress. Possible triggers include: a serious injury, such as after a car accident. an infection, such as Epstein-Barr virus or Lyme disease.
Biofeedback, deep breathing, meditation, self-hypnosis, or even just distracting yourself with a good book or some soothing music can help take your mind off the pain and make coping with a flare more manageable, say experts at the National Fibromyalgia Association.
According to research, it looks like tea has several things to offer, both for the public in general and for those of us with fibromyalgia or chronic fatigue syndrome.
The drugs amitriptyline, duloxetine, milnacipran and pregabalin can relieve fibromyalgia pain in some people. They may cause side effects such as a dry mouth or nausea. Normal painkillers like ibuprofen or acetaminophen (paracetamol) aren't recommended for the treatment of fibromyalgia.
Magnesium
Not only is it credited with keeping the heart, kidneys and bones strong, it also helps us avoid muscle spasms, weakness and back pain, Dr. Teitelbaum says. Women with fibromyalgia may be deficient in magnesium, studies suggest. And magnesium may help relieve fibro pain and other symptoms.
Poor sleep quality
Fibromyalgia can affect your sleep. You may often wake up tired, even when you have had plenty of sleep. This is because the condition can sometimes prevent you sleeping deeply enough to refresh you properly. You may hear this described as non-restorative sleep.
Bananas can help boost energy levels, as they are high in carbohydrates, vitamin B6 and potassium. Non-citrus fruits such as pineapple, papaya and guava contain enzymes that are beneficial to the gut. Dried fruit, seeds and beans are rich in magnesium and help the body use calcium properly.
Medications can help reduce the pain of fibromyalgia and improve sleep. Common choices include: Pain relievers. Over-the-counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen (Tylenol, others), ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve, others) may be helpful.
Some vegetables may trigger flare up of symptoms in fibromyalgia patients. These include tomatoes, chili, eggplant and bell pepper.
Dark green vegetables such as spinach, kale, and broccoli are also good options. Eat more fiber. Beans, fruits, vegetables, lentils, and brown rice are healthy choices. People who are not eating enough fiber should increase fiber levels gradually and drink extra water to avoid gastrointestinal discomfort.
A healthy balanced diet including lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean protein is recommended to help patients keep their energy up and avoid other health problems. One study found that adding omega-3 fatty acids found in oily fish and walnuts helps reduce symptoms such as morning stiffness and joint pain.
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.
Fibromyalgia patients have lower metabolism than people of a normal weight, a study from the Fibromyalgia Research Foundation found, so it can take more effort to torch calories and make weight loss stick.