My rules for eating to decrease pain

I have 16 years of “experience” in fighting fibromyalgia, and I’m here to tell you that nothing makes more of a difference in my pain level than what I eat and what I do not eat. My rules have evolved over time. I don’t stick to them absolutely, but when I start to feel poorly, I can almost always make myself feel substantially better by getter stricter with these rules.

My rules for eating to feel good in spite of my fibromyalgia:

1. Every time I eat, I eat protein. I build every meal around it. If I am going to eat, I eat at least 6 grams of protein along with whatever else I eat.

2. Avoid sugar and sugar substitutes. If I find that my will power is weak and I decide to eat sugar in spite of the rule, I’ll lessen the impact by eating only the real stuff in the evening with at least 6 grams of protein.

3. Avoid chemicals and additives. The best way to avoid chemicals is to eat whole foods. Eat apples, potatoes, beef, eggs, carrots, barley, etc. Avoid box cereal, hamburger helper, fruit roll ups and everything “processed.” Avoid anything with an ingredient list where you don’t know what one of the ingredients is (for me that eliminates most things with an ingredient list)

4. Use caffeine and alcohol in moderation, if at all.

5. Eat one serving of yogurt (with live, active cultures) every day.

I’ve found many people are not willing to make the huge lifestyle change to eat differently. I believe that if you try it, you’ll experience a real difference.

You can prove to yourself whether what you eat does or does not make a difference. And if food can control your pain level, don’t you want to control your food?