The Fibromyalgia Cookbook
December 10, 2007 by Sandy Robinson
Filed under Books/DVDs
I just finished going through The Fibromyalgia Cookbook and found some interesting information on what foods should be avoided for Fibromyalgia patients. The author of The Fibromyalgia Cookbook, Shelley Ann Smith, suffers from Fibromyalgia. She was a pharmacy technician but she also was curious about the natural alternative treatments available such as healthy food alternatives, herbs and natural foods.
Shelley says in her book that research has shown that almost half of all Fibromyalgia patients try dietary changes and find it to be helpful. With CFS, research shows that over 70% of patients who attempt dietary changes report it to be helpful. Where the problem lies is that most of these patients attempt to make dietary changes without proper guidance and find it difficult to stick with their diet.
Shelley’s dietary guide for Fibromyalgia is pretty straightforward. This book emphasizes pure foods with no additives, the lowest levels of toxins and foods with the greatest nutritional value. Basic rules for the Fibromyalgia diet include:
- No red meat
- No green peppers
- No eggplant
- No heavy, starchy foods
- No white flour (substitute with spelt flour and rice pasta)
- A low sodium, low fat, and no processed sugar diet
- Using natural sweeteners such as honey and fruit
- Using soy butter, virgin olive oil, and flaxseed oil for salads
Other research noted in the book shows that the elimination of MSG and aspartame led to dramatic improvement in Fibromyalgia symptoms. Removal of these food additives has also shown symptom reduction in CFS.
The Fibromyalgia Cookbook recommends first starting with an elimination diet so you can find out what your food intolerances are. Here is a sample of one of the recipes in the book:
Sesame Chicken Stir-Fry
2 tablespoons hot water
3 tablespoons dry mustard
1/2 cup low-sodium soya sauce
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
4 chicken breasts, cut into cubes
Fresh ground pepper
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds
In a blender, combine the water and dry mustard, and blend well. Add the soya sauce, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, and garlic, and blend for 1 minute. Set aside.
In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken, season with pepper, and cook until the chicken is done.
Sprinkle with the lemon juice and 2 teaspoons of sesame seeds. Cook for 2 more minutes. Serve. Makes 4 servings.
Related posts:
- A New Interstitial Cystitis Diet Has Been Released Interstitial Cystitis patients everywhere can now check out the newly...
- My Journey With Gluten-Free Eating Begins Last week I started cutting gluten out of my diet...
- Using What’s In Your Kitchen to Alleviate Pain & Inflammation More and more people are trying to find more natural...
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
Hmmm… I keep seeing inflammation reduction diets that restrict red meat but not chicken but my doctor has had me eliminate both. I feel much better since I did too.
It makes so much sense too. The problem is that not only are both pro-inflammatory but the ones that are raised in captivity are fed very high omega-6/low omega-3 diets, which is extremely antagonistic to anyone with an autoimmune illness. I’ve found that by increasing my omega-3 intake, several servings of fish a week plus supplements, and cutting out all other meats, my fibromyalgia symptoms have been greatly reduced the last six months. It’s helped my migraines too.
Now, I never use vegetable oil, not for years, so the olive oil could be a factor. I use a lot of soy substitutes — milk, cheese, meat, etc. Oh, and I don’t care for green peppers.
The really odd part is that for months before the doctor gave me my list of food do’s and don’ts I had already begun eliminating meat and dairy from my diet on my own kind of naturally. Maybe I was just sensed what my body needed.