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Fibromyalgia flares are the worst part of the disease. One day you’re functioning at your normal levels, then the next day you’re down and out with all the pain and fatigue of a full-blown flare-up. While it may not be possible to completely prevent flares, you’ll want to avoid certain things can definitely trigger them. Like most health conditions, diet plays a major role. Here are some of the foods you should avoid because they might cause a fibro flare.
Sugar – Who among us doesn’t love a sweet treat? Even babies show preferences for sugar shortly after birth. When you deal with the frequent misery of fibromyalgia, it’s understandable why you might want to indulge in the simple pleasure of a bowl of ice cream. However, sugar raises insulin levels, which has been linked to more pain.
Caffeine – When you live with fatigue and chronic exhaustion, caffeine seems like a necessary pick-me-up just to get through the day. But caffeine signals the adrenal glands to make more of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline. When the caffeine buzz wears off, it can result in a crash and make it hard to bounce back. Best advice: you can still get that latte, but make sure you order it decaf.
Aspartame – You know you’re supposed to avoid sugar, but you’ll be fine if you get sugar-free, right? Maybe not. In a cruel twist of irony, artificial sweeteners are also bad for your health if you have fibromyalgia. Aspartame, better known by the brand names NutraSweet and Equal, seems to cause more pain symptoms in many individuals. Since there’s little definite proof about the downside of aspartame, try cutting it out for a couple weeks and see if your symptoms improve. If you simply can’t go without artificial sweeteners, the sucralose-based Splenda might be a better choice.
Gluten – There’s a reason so many people are avoiding gluten, and it’s not just because it’s trendy. Although many fibro sufferers have trouble with digesting carbohydrates due to overburdened adrenal glands, gluten may be a particular problem. Many people find that the proteins in gluten are more likely to cause inflammation, which leads to more pain. To really benefit from eliminating gluten, don’t just switch to gluten-free products with other refined grains. Try to cut down on grains altogether.
Processed foods – It can be difficult to avoid processed food. Our busy modern lifestyles make it more necessary to find convenient meals, almost all of which are heavily processed. The problem isn’t just the fact that processed food is far removed from its natural state, though. Most processed “junk” foods are high in chemical additives like sodium, artificial flavors, and MSG, and contain large amounts of refined sugar and flour and trans fats.
Fibro patients have to be more careful than most people about the quality of what they eat. It’s ultimately a blessing because everyone should be eating a healthy diet. But the food/pain cycle is undeniable for fibro sufferers. If you keep your diet clean, you should eventually be able to tell which foods cause you the most pain.
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