There is some debate among patients of chronic illness whether nutrition is a contributing factor to our illness. I can only speak to my truth on this matter, and for myself it is an emphatic yes.
When I think back to the days after both traumas – the first that triggered my fibromyalgia and the second that exacerbated my symptoms – I clearly see that my eating behaviors contributed to my dis-ease.
Before the first head trauma I had what I consider healthy eating habits. But as soon as I became couch-ridden, trying to recover my ability to speak coherently, I turned to food as a source of comfort. I jokingly say now that I was “medicating myself with mashed potatoes.” But really, it was the truth. Overnight I lost – was forced to give up – so much of my life as I knew it, but the one thing I could still do and not cause myself more pain or distress was to eat.
Eating became the one thing I still had control over.
Food became my comfort, and in a way gave me a sense of empowerment during a very vulnerable period of my life.
Eventually I made my way off the couch and back out into the real world, but with each flare I returned to this behavior. “Can I get you a glass of water?” my husband would ask me trying to help. “Yes.” I would reply, “And some potato chips.” Flare after flare, this was the pattern. At the time I did not make the connection, but with time and healing, it is painfully clear to me now.
No longer was I nourishing myself with foods that sustained me, instead I was stuffing myself with foods that depleted me. My new eating behavior did not cause me to develop fibromyalgia, but it did contribute to my overall pain, fatigue, and mental fog. It did prolong my flares, and it most likely is going to make my recovery more difficult. I actually was causing myself more pain and distress without realizing it.
But I forgive myself this lapse in food judgement.
My mashed potatoes and potato chips actually did bring me comfort on some very dark days. Would I ever go back and deny myself that comfort? No. But I would share some of my new wisdom with that me, and love her and forgive her if she was not ready to hear it.
Food matters.
And it wasn’t until my 13th year of illness that I started to acknowledge how much food matters. When a very wise doctor recommended I would feel better if I eliminated gluten from my diet, I walked out of his office and that day became gluten-free. I was ready for the change. I was strong enough that I could let go of my attachment to food as comfort. And he was right. Within three short days I was feeling better!
The pain in my hands that had me convinced I was developing arthritis was gone! The debilitating head and neck aches I regularly suffered – never noticing that they occurred most often after mealtime – happened with less and less frequency. My hair stopped falling out!
So, if eliminating gluten could improve my health so much, isn’t it worth considering how other foods I eat are affecting me? And so the shift in me happened. And today I can happily say I have cut back on or eliminated many foods that deplete me and complicate my health – gluten, processed foods, fried foods, sugar.
I am nowhere near a saint, and I do still enjoy my comfort foods. In fact the other night I made mashed potato for dinner. But instead of butter and milk, I use greek yogurt to thin them out. And instead of pan-fried pork chops to accompany them, I grilled vegetables. And instead of needing the mashed potatoes to comfort and sooth me, they were just a tasty part of my meal.
So when someone asks me if curing fibromyalgia is a simple as good nutrition I say absolutely – No.
Fibromyalgia is a neurological disorder, and there are many component of FM that nutrition will not address, but good nutrition can help improve many of the symptoms that are a part of fibromyalgia – poor sleep, fibro-fog, IBS, fatigue. It is not a cure. Currently there is no cure. But if good nutrition can reduce some of your symptoms and improve your quality of life 15, 20, 30 percent, then isn’t it worth a consideration?
Great post! I have been reading all over the web about what ‘diet’ may help with fibro. and there is so much conflicting information out there. It is very frutrating at times because if there is something I can change in my diet, I want to know about it! I am already gluten and diary free and vegetarian, but I wonder if there are other things in my diet that may be adding to my pain etc.
It is frustrating Kimberly. You clearly follow good nutrition (and practice yoga), and yet you still suffer from fibromyalgia. I know the changes in nutrition I have made are helping me, but they will never eliminate all of my symptoms.
And with all the conflicting information out there it can be very overwhelming! I think when it comes to nutrition we need to really listen to our bodies and follow our intuition. Hopefully all of our bodies tell us twinkies are bad, but apples are good! 🙂
Are you familiar with Ayurveda? I am reading “Perfect Health” by Deepak Chopra and it is all about the healing power of Ayurveda. It is mind-body medicine and really breaks down what foods are best for which body types/constitutions. It may be worth a read if you are not already familiar with it.
I am familiar with Ayurveda. I have a couple of books, one being a big cookbook-yum! I have also recently emailed an Ayurvedic physician(don’t know what they are called) and am waiting to hear back from him. He is not far from where I live. I am very interested in seeing if there are other ways to help with fibro. I may have to check out the book you are reading. Thanks!
Hello FibroHaven,
Great post! I certainly agree with everything you have written. My journey has been similar with yours. Head trauma, healthy eating before fibro crash (nearly vegetarian, all pastas whole wheat, limited sweets.) Head trauma brought on the crash etc…
I also tried so many diets for my health to overcome my fibro symptoms: elimination diet with soy, wheat, dairy, rice; eat right for your blood type diet, and the rotation diet. After all of these trials I finally found the diet for hypoglycemia that includes low glycemic fruits, veggies, and meat. It has two parts strict– for weight loss and liberal for maintenance which includes sugar-free grains.
What I have realized for myself is that I must also be gluten-intolerant, as well as, carbohydrate intolerant. That might be the part of the puzzle that Kimberly is missing. She probably needs protein. If I don’t eat whey protein powder or chicken and fish I get really tired and really foggy.
Hey there Chantal! Your comment makes sense to me. I have been going to PT every week lately and she is making me rethink my diet of NO meat. My thing with meat is that if I’m going to eat it, I want ‘clean’ grass fed meat. I will not eat yucky meat. So, I went and bought grass fed bison and had some yesterday. I don’t crave or love meat, but I need to find what works for me. I also KNOW that I am carbohydrate intolerant! I have tried going grain free so many times I’ve lost count, and I only end up binging on all the things that make me sick! I can’t seem to get past the cravings! Anyway, just wanted to reply to your comment:) Thanks for your input!
Thanks for sharing your food journey Chantal. So much trial and error to find what works! And it is hard to know what to believe. One source says soy is good, the next says soy is bad. I think we really need to trust our intuition. Good luck if you do try to eliminate gluten. In general you will know pretty quickly if you will benefit from a gf diet.
Excellent post! I had no idea our journeys to health were so parallel. Ayurveda, physical therapy and yoga are slowly changing my body and mind for the better. If your readers are in or near La Jolla, and need an MD who specializes in Ayurveda, I highly recommend Dr. Kulreet Chaudhary.
Thanks Jasmine! And thank you for the doctor recommendation. I really enjoyed researching Ayurveda for a recent class project. It makes so much sense! It is great to hear you are slowly improving. I would love to chat more with you about it, and hopefully I will get the chance to meet with Dr. Chaudhary. I will also share your recommendation with my local group.
Great post and very thoughtful! I am a dietitian who was diagnosed with (probable) Sjogren’s Syndrome, fibromyalgia, and chronic fatigue syndrome after the birth of my children. There are no easy answers to any of these conditions, and no one solution. Nutrition therapy has played a big role in my recovery (eliminating food sensitivities, going gluten free, and using certain supplements), but so have stress reduction techniques, hot water therapy, and getting enough sleep. Thank you for encouraging your readers to include food/nutrition as ONE of the factors in improving their health.
Stress reduction is so critical. You have just given me food for a new blog post! 🙂 It is good to hear from others who are benefiting from improved nutrition. Yes, it is just one factor, but it is such an important factor.
This post was really thought provoking for me.
First off, I agree that fibromyalgia is fundamentally a neurological disorder. Reading this made me realize that I have been skeptical about the fibro diets because most people seem to lose site of this. And I completely identify with the idea of eating for control and for joy because I’ve lost the ability to enjoy so many other things I used to love.
So the bottom line is that, whether the diets are a miracle cure or not is irrelevant. Even if the only reason the diets work is because celiac’s is a comorbid condition caused by fm, that doesn’t mean I can ignore the gluten allergy. The depression, and irritable bowel, and the migraines are comorbidities, but that doesn’t mean I ignore them.
If it’s healthy and it makes me feel better, do it.
Such a thoughtful and honest response Jenna. It is not always easy to recognize how we compound our illness with our behaviors. I applaud you for being able to do so. This post was very therapeutic to write, and by stating “this is what I have done to contribute to my illness,” I am so much less likely to return to that behavior. Thanks for sharing your response, and best of luck to you!