Fibromyalgia Diet Tips

A fibromyalgia diet could help you manage and avoid pain. Fibromyalgia is a painful disease that affects about four percent of the population. It is much more common in women than in men.

There is no cure for fibromyalgia, but a doctor can prescribe medications to treat the depression, anxiety and pain that come with the disease. Many of the treatment options are self-directed, so embracing an overall plan of wellness, which includes a healthy diet, may help you deal with your symptoms.

Do Foods Play a Role?
There is no special diet for those who have fibromyalgia, but there is plenty of anecdotal evidence that certain foods trigger a flare-up of pain. Problem foods vary from person to person. The best thing to do is to keep a diary of the foods you eat, making note of which foods adversely affect you when you eat them.

There are five types of foods and additives to avoid if you have fibromyalgia. These foods seem to affect many people who have the disease.

• Aspartame: Chronic pain opens the NMDA receptor in cells, which affects their response to pain and overall flexibility. Aspartame, a sugar substitute, stimulates NMDA receptors to open. Some people with fibromyalgia also have already overly active NMDA pain receptors, which makes them more susceptible to the stimulation. A study published in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy in 2001 shows that reducing aspartame in the diet of people who have fibromyalgia makes those people feel better overall.
• Food additives, including MSG: Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) can intensify pain in many people who suffer from fibromyalgia. Like aspartame, MSG is an excitotoxin that affects NMDA receptors in cells.
• Sugar, fructose and simple carbohydrates: Simple carbohydrates can be found in items such as cake and white bread. Cutting these sugars and carbs out of your diet helps with weight loss, which is beneficial to fibromyalgia patients, and reduces symptoms from chronic yeast infections. 
• Caffeine: Caffeine comes from many different sources, including tea, coffee, soda and chocolate. It is a stimulant, but it worsens the symptoms of fatigue. The boost from caffeine only lasts a short time. In patients with fibromyalgia, the crash that occurs when the stimulant leaves the blood is felt much more strongly than in people who don't have the condition.
• Yeast and gluten: Both of these foods are commonly used together in baked goods. Yeast is also found in beer. Yeast may contribute to the growth of yeast fungus in the body, increasing joint and muscle pain. Gluten in combination with aspartame or MSG can increase pain by making it easier for excitotoxins to activate NMDA receptors.

Eating for Sleep
It's important to note that these recommendations are based on anecdotal evidence and have not been confirmed by multiple studies. If you're looking for ways to manage your pain, try limiting these foods and additives to see if it helps.

Keep in mind, too, that fibromyalgia and sleep are closely related. The fatigue and exhaustion associated with fibromyalgia stem from difficulty sleeping, while the muscle pain may be linked to insufficient levels of dopamine, a natural painkiller, in the blood. Avoiding foods that are difficult to digest or additives that keep you up at night, such as sugar and caffeine, may go a long way toward managing your symptoms.