If you’re one of the 5 million American adults living with fibromyalgia, you understand the fatigue, pain, tenderness, and other symptoms this condition can cause. And while there’s currently no cure for this chronic condition, medical researchers and doctors have found ways to help sufferers reduce symptoms and improve their quality of life.
Board-certified pain management physician Daljit S. Buttar, MD, at Raleigh Spine and Pain Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, specializes in diagnosing and treating fibromyalgia. With our help, you can better manage your condition and reclaim your quality of life.
Dr. Buttar usually treats fibromyalgia by combining therapies, such as exercise, stress management, behavioral therapy, medications, and lifestyle adjustments. And as part of lifestyle adjustments, he often recommends making dietary changes.
Scientists believe that diet plays a key role in managing symptoms, because a healthy diet can boost your overall health and help minimize inflammation. In this blog, Dr. Buttar explains three fibromyalgia-friendly diet changes you can make today.
One of the best things you can do is switch from processed foods to whole foods. By eating whole foods, which have more fiber and nutrition, you can improve your overall health and reduce fibromyalgia symptoms.
Making this switch means choosing foods that are as close to their natural state as possible and avoiding packaged goods, which are often stripped of much of their nutrients. Here’s a look at some common processed foods to avoid:
Many other food products are also processed, so when in doubt, reach for foods that have the fewest extra ingredients as possible and that are close to their natural state. For example, grab an apple instead of sweetened applesauce.
Fruits, vegetables, and other plant-based foods contain antioxidants. These compounds inhibit damaging oxidation and help your body get rid of toxic free radicals, which are things that can increase physical stress and inflammation and make fibromyalgia worse.
Research shows that eating diets high in plant-based foods can reduce fibromyalgia symptoms significantly. So consider reaching for more fruits, veggies, and plant-based options.
Try having a fruit and spinach smoothie for breakfast or a bowl of whole oats with berries. Instead of packaged snacks or dairy and meat products, reach for options like carrot sticks and hummus, broccoli and cauliflower, and colorful berries, if you want something to munch on.
For lunch or dinner, fill a large plate or bowl with a big salad and eat this first to fit in as many fresh fruits and veggies as you can. And, you can add nuts and seeds to your salad to get a boost of extra vitamins, minerals, protein, and fiber.
Although researchers are still working to figure out the link between vitamin D and fibromyalgia, large meta-analysis studies indicate that patients with fibromyalgia have significantly lower levels of vitamin D compared to control groups.
Your body uses vitamin D as a hormone to help your body in a number of key ways, such as to reduce inflammation and pain as well as boost your immune system. Having healthy vitamin D levels can also reduce fatigue, musculoskeletal pain, cramps, and achiness, as well as improve balance, mental health, sleep, and immune function.
Talk to Dr. Buttar about taking a vitamin D supplement if you have fibromyalgia. In the meantime, you can seek out foods with vitamin D, such as:
Your body also synthesizes vitamin D from sunlight, so consider getting 10-30 minutes of sun exposure three times a week.
For personalized dietary recommendations to help you better manage your fibromyalgia, call 919-867-3176 or book an appointment online with Raleigh Spine and Pain Center today.
