Fibromyalgia Diet

Food Combining In Treatment Of Fibromyalgia

Are you worried about your Fibromyalgia diet?

Have you ever heard of food combining to treat Fibromyalgia?

Lesley Martin is a qualified Nutritionist and Kinesiologist, who is experienced in treating Fibromyalgia. She has kindly given Sleepydust her permission to republish her Fibromyalgia food combining regime.

In the case study below, you will read about one of Lesley's clients, who she calls 'Beryl'.

According to Beryl (who had suffered with severe Fibromyalgia), the biggest improvement she has experienced is the reduction in overall discomfort. She also reports that she now sleeps more deeply, has less brain fog, and has more energy. And she also says she has lost weight!

Not bad!

So what is the Fibromyalgia diet food combining treatment all about then? Let's find out...

Fibromyalgia Diet Case Study :: Mrs B M

By Lesley Martin, Nutritionist & Kinesiologist

Mrs M (who we can call Beryl) came to see me several years ago with severe fibromyalgia. She had very little mobility and was in terrible pain all over her body, and as if these symptoms were not enough she was suffering with extreme fatigue.

Since then a combination of kinesiology techniques, dietary exclusion and nutrition supplementation has improved the quality of Beryl's health enormously.

In the early days I tested her for food sensitivities and we applied some dietary changes to optimize the nutrition she was getting from foods. Nutritional deficiencies were identified and programme of supplementation was implemented. This also included very large doses of MSM to reduce the pain.

Over the course of the last two years we have cleared many parasitic, fungal and viral pathogens, and done quite a lot to get rid of latent toxins that had built up over the years.

Over time, Beryl's general health has improved to the extent that she now does a lot of work for the church, running and writing the Parish magazine, acting as treasurer and generally doing quite a lot in the community and with her family.

I felt we had reached a plateau last year. Beryl still had pain in her hands and wanted to lose some weight. I suggested she try some acupuncture. This proved just too painful for Beryl to tolerate, so I reconsidered the options.

Two months ago I advised Beryl to try a food combining eating plan. This has been shown to help some people with weight loss and with some inflammatory conditions. I also advised using Arnica gel to massage into her hands and wrists. Beryl already avoids dairy and wheat.

This week I have seen Beryl for her review. In the last two months, she has lost 8lbs in weight, has gained energy and looks years younger! The pain in her hands has eased considerably and her increased mobility and general 'sprightliness' is noticeable. As you can imagine, Beryl is thrilled. She has also found she is a lot less hungry than before.

What Is Food Combining All About?

The essence of food combining is not mixing certain types of foods in the same meal. Usually only fruits are eaten before 12.00 noon, and after that, carbohydrates and proteins are kept to separate meals.

This would mean keeping fish, meats, cheese and eggs with neutral foods such as vegetables and salads - no starch with them. Starchy carbohydrates such as potatoes, pasta, rice and grains would also only be eaten with neutral foods, and not combined with proteins.

When I was ill with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) I followed a food combining plan myself for some years. I found that eating this way, I did not feel as tired after eating, as digesting the food seemed to use up a lot less energy.

There are many books on the subject, but for starters, this might help...

Food combining Principles

Food combining is a way of eating foods so that they do not "fight" against each other.

For the purposes of food combining, most foods belong to one of three groups; proteins, neutral foods and starchy foods. Fruits are treated separately.

Starch foods and protein foods can be combined with neutral foods but not with each other. This enables more efficient digestion, and has had a significant effect in many cases of arthritis.

The following combining recommendations may be helpful:

• Combine any protein foods with leafy, neutral or low-starch vegetables
• Combine starchy foods with leafy or low-starch vegetables
• Have milk alone or try it and see if it works for you with grain foods like breakfast cereals
• Experiment to see if cheese works well with either fruit or vegetables, or try it with grains or egg dishes
• Papaya and pineapple contain abundant enzymes that help digestion, so they may combine well with any of the food groups especially proteins
• Try and see how nuts, seeds and unrefined oils combine with any of the foods groups
• Depending on your digestive system, fruits may or may not be combined with seeds and nuts, grains or milk products

Do not combine in the same meal heavy or lighter proteins with starchy foods, such as beef with bread or potatoes. You can try being less strict and try a combination of a grain like brown rice with light proteins, or bread with eggs.

Do not combine lighter protein foods with milk or milk products or have a dairy desert right after these proteins.

Do not combine raw fruit or fruit juices with slightly starchy vegetables or with any non-fruit meal. Lemon juice is an exception, otherwise best to keep to a separate meal or allow at least half an hour before eating fruit after a non-fruit meal.

Do not have sweets with protein foods or immediately after a protein meal. Sweets include fruit, honey, maple syrup, and refined sugar. Pineapple and papaya are exceptions.

To view Lesley's Fibromyalgia Food Combining chart, click here!

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Written by Lesley Martin, Copyright 2005. All Rights Reserved.

Lesley suffered from ME for 5 years. She recovered gradually using complementary medicine and self-help and now works as a qualified Nutritionist and Kinesiologist in the Buckinghamshire area (UK). She has treated many ME/CFS and Fibromyalgia sufferers over the years. You can visit Lesley's web site here!

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