Nutrition Suggestions for Fibromyalgia

This is part 3 of the fibromyalgia roundtable recap. You also can read parts one, two, and three.

Food choices can play a vital role in improving health for people with fibromyalgia. If your symptoms get worse on a rainy or humid day, you may have a Chinese medicine diagnosis of dampness. Just like the ground becomes soggy after a rainstorm, dampness in the body can cause swelling, puffiness, fatigue, and pain. Dampness can be caused and/or treated by certain food.

Patients with fibromyalgia generally respond best to a whole food, minimally processed diet. Try to avoid greasy or heavy food, sugars and simple carbohydrates. Dairy may also be an issue for some people who have food sensitivities. To find out which foods you are sensitive to and should avoid, you may want to try an elimination diet.

On the other hand, some of the best food for people with fibromyalgia is leafy greens like kale and spinach. Bitter and spicy greens like arugula and mustard greens, are especially good at resolving dampness.

Don’t eat these veggies cold, though. Cold food actually impairs the digestive process, and makes dampness worse. Instead, lightly steam vegetables so that they are more easily digested, while still maintaining their nutritional value.

Do you have any other questions about the Traditional Chinese Medicine approach to fibromyalgia? Please leave a comment below.

Comments are closed