Fibromyalgia and Low Thyroid Living It Plan

Many people have overcome their symptoms due to Fibromyalgia just by changing their lifestyle and diet. I know that everyone is different. So, this is the plan I follow to maintain good health due to my Fibromyalgia and Low Thyroid problem.

I will add along with changes in nutrition I encourage stretching, exercising like walking or yoga and drinking your body weight in ounces of water every day. For example, if you weigh 200 lbs. you should drink 200 oz. of water a day.

Instead of focusing on what you can’t eat, I am focusing on what you can eat. However, I will mention foods I have eliminated completely and foods that I only eat rarely.

Foods eliminated entirely:
1. All Chocolates except dark chocolate on occasion
2. All carbonated beverages except for bubbly flavored spring waters and seltzer water
3. Alcohol, all my medicines say stay away from alcohol
4. High fat dairy foods
5. White sugar and white flour
6. Fried foods
7. Preservatives and salt
8. Red meat that is salt cured, cured bacon, smoked, or nitrate cured
9. Artificial sweeteners, especially Nutrasweet and saccharine, Splenda I use on occasion.

Foods eatened only occasionally as all have been proven to trigger more muscle pain:
1. Caffeinated beverages, limited to 6 oz. a day
2. Citric foods such as grapefruit, kumquat, lemon, lime, orange, tangerine
3. Foods in the nightshade family, such as tomatoes, potatoes, eggplant, green or red bell peppers, banana peppers, chili peppers, sweet peppers, cayenne, paprika, pimento, Tabasco
4. Red meat, limited to once a week
5. Low fat cow milk products - They give me bloating, flatulence, and abdominal pain (cow’s milk products include chocolate, cocoa, Ovaltine, guar gum, margarine, cream substitutes with whey, lactose or casein, ghee, whey, creamy salad dressings and sauces, mashed potatoes, some cola drinks, most bakery products, cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt, butter, many breadings)
6. Brown and white wheat flour products
7. Soy products (soybean products include hot dogs, mayonnaise, miso, processed foods, tamari or teriyaki sauce, tofu, tempeh, textured vegetable protein- TVP, most vegetarian meat substitutes, soy milk, coffee substitutes, bakery products or salad dressings containing soy oil, many commercially prepared meats, many canned soups, margarine and butter substitutes, Crisco, and Wesson oil)
8. Corn
9. Foods containing yeast

Note: to see if you are one that should avoid the above foods, keep a diary and document how you feel for at least four days after you have eatened one of these foods. If you find you have more pain, then avoid.

Now to the foods I eat. Since I am constantly watching my weight I eat with this ratio in mind: 30% carbohydrates; 30% fat; 40% protein
* I prepare most everything from scratch.
* Spices and herbs are my best friend
* I eat a piece of raw fruit for breakfast.
* I have a green leafy salad for lunch.
* Raw foods are full of antioxidants and photochemical that help boost the immune system.
* Omega 3 fish oil contains anti-inflammatory properties.
* Note regarding baked goods: If a baked good doesn’t include whole wheat flour, I won't buy it. Enriched unbleached wheat flour, does not contain the whole grain and lacks the fiber and protein that the whole grain does. Better yet - buy wheat free. Stick with oat and rice flour products.
* Any product I buy must have more protein and fiber than sugars, fats, and salt. If it doesn’t, I don’t buy it.
* If there are ingredients in the list that I can’t pronounce, then I don’t buy it.

**When baking I use whole wheat pastry flour or spelt flour. Substitute wheat germ, wheat bran, or oat bran (has been proven to reduce cholesterol) for a portion of the flour; add nuts to increase the protein; substitute milk and eggs for a portion of the fat; substitute dried fruit and/or dark chocolate chunks for some of the sugar. If I use sugar, I stick with the more natural sugars such as honey, brown sugar, and molasses -- all help curb the strong taste of the whole wheat flour; as well as, containing nutritional value or other healthy elements. Also whole wheat flour must be cooked longer so I bake my recipes to a dark brown, instead of golden brown. Note: Better yet the best combination for baking is a 50-50 mixture of Oat flour with Rice flour

**For beverages, I drink tea or coffee. Tea and coffee have both been proven to contain antioxidants. Stick with the decaf brands.

* The bulk of my plan consists of the following:

Alfalfa sprouts
Cinnamon
Flavoring Extracts
Garlic - Potassium, Selenium, Sulphur
Ginger - at least 1-2 grams daily
Herbal Tea, caffeine free
Horseradish
Lettuce - Chlorine, Silicon
Mint
Mustard
Nutmeg
Onion, cooked only - Chlorine, Potassium, Selenium, Sulphur, Zinc
Parsley
Spinach - Almost perfect food - Folic Acid (B Complex), Vit A Vit B1, Vit B2, Vit B3, Vit B6, Vit E, Chlorine, Fluorine, Iodine, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, Silicon, Sodium, Zinc

Dairy
Rice Milk without additives
Limited, but on occasion Swiss cheese and cream cheese

Fat
Extra Virgin Olive oil , Canola oil, Butter 1 t counts as one serving Note on butter: It has all sorts of good nutrition in it, and no chemical additives. I have found that you use less butter for flavoring than any of the butter substitutes - most of which have trans fats.

Fruits
Apple - 1 medium counts as one serving - Vit E, Chromium, Manganese,Silicon
Apricots, peeled - 7 counts as one serving - Bioflavinoids, Vit A, Manganese
Blueberries - 1/2 c counts as one serving
Papaya - 1 counts as one serving - Bioflavinoids, Vit A, Vit C, Potassium
Pear - 1 medium counts as one serving
Plum - 1 medium counts as one serving (good source of fiber, iron and the antioxidant beta-carotene)


Protein
Bluefish, Haddock, Herring, Lake Trout, White fish - 1 oz. Counts as one serving
Mackerel, Salmon, Sardines Tuna, not in oil - (great source of omega-3 fatty acids and niacin) 1 oz. Counts as one serving
Almonds, not smoked - a high fat protein
Brazil nuts - a high fat protein
Cashews - a high fat protein

Starch
Kidney Beans/Chickpeas - 1/3 cup counts as one serving (low-fat, high in soluble fiber and low on the glycemic index)
Brown Rice - 1/3 cup counts as one serving
Oatmeal - 1/3 cup counts as one serving (low on glycemic index and an instant boost of fiber)
Barley (combats constipation, good source of iron and other minerals)
Flax Seed - 3 T counts as one serving
Walnuts - 3 T counts as one serving - (good source of good fats) Biotin (B Complex), Vit E, Copper
Whole grain pasta - ½ cup counts as one serving
Noodles w/o eggs - ½ cup counts as one serving
Sweet potatoes or yams - 3 oz. Counts as one serving
Winter Squash - 3 oz. Counts as one serving - Vit A, Iron, Potassium
Starch-hg Rice Cakes - 2 counts as one serving - hg stand for high glycemic

Vegetable
Broccoli - 1 c raw or ½ c cooked counts as one serving - another almost perfect food - Vit A, Vit B2, Vit B3, Vit C, Vit E, Calcium, Magnesium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Potassium, Selenium
Cauliflower - 1 c raw or ½ c cooked counts as one serving - Vit C, Copper, Fluorine, Magnesium
Cabbage - 1 c counts as one serving - Folic Acid (B Complex), Vit B6, Vit C, Fluorine, Iodine, Selenium
Carrots - 1 c raw or ½ c cooked counts as one serving - Vit A, Chlorine, Manganese
Celery - 1 c raw or ½ c cooked counts as one serving - Chlorine, Manganese, Silicon, Sodium
Green beans - 1 c raw or ½ c cooked counts as one serving
Pumpkin - ½ c cooked counts as one serving
Summer Squash - 1 c raw or ½ c cooked counts as one serving
Zucchini - 1 c raw or ½ c cooked counts as one serving
Vegetable-hg Beets - 1 c raw or ½ c cooked counts as one high glycemic vegetable serving -Folic Acid (B Complex), Chlorine, Fluorine, Magnesium, Silicon

Some store bought foods that I have found that seem to be fibro friendly for me:
Cheerios
Life cereal
Chex rice cereal
Vanilla wafers
Chips Ahoy cookies
Saltines
Ritz crackers
Animal crackers
Graham crackers, not more than once a week
Doritos
Breads that contain 15 or 12 grains with whole wheat flour
Dark Chocolate Hershey Kisses
Chow mein noodles
Clear gelatin
Arby's Chicken Salad Wrap
Arizona Southern Sweet Tea

I have studied food combining for years. The following are my findings:
Raw fruit is considered a predigested food in its own right. It contains its own digestive enzymes and passes thru to the intestines more quickly than most other foods. The best time to eat fruit is in the morning on an empty stomach.

Melons are the most easily digested of all foods and are best eaten alone or mixed only with other melons.

Complex carbohydrates, concentrated animal proteins and refined oils do not combine well with fruits because these foods take a longer time to digest and slow down the passage of the fruit causing it fermentation.

Lemons and papayas combine well with all plant foods which means they can be used as ingredients in dressings, soups, sauces and any other recipes. Lemons easily replace all types of vinegar.

Apples, unlike most other fruits, combine well with vegetables when they are all in juice form.

Nuts and seeds do not combine well with starchy foods or refined oils.

High water content vegetables combine well with just about everything except fruits.

All meats, fish, dairy or eggs combine well only with high water content vegetables and especially leafy greens.

When adjusting to a new way of eating, make small gradual changes and focus on the foods you enjoy. Eating well may help reduce the fatigue and maximize energy. Incorporate variety, balance and moderation. Improve your health by reevaluating your overall eating habits and try making your diet more nutritious.