I really try to stay away from gluten. It does make me feel swelling and more tired. Good luck :)

Yes it can. Additives, preservatives and nitrates seem to affect pain levels in people with Fibromyalgia. Artificial sweeteners are another source of increased pain levels. Some people find gluten an issue. Take care.

And then there are others of us who can't link our symptoms to any particular diet or substance.

Have you discussed your nutritional needs with a professional? It takes some focus and determination to get proper nutrition on a limited diet, but it can be done.

I would definitely talk to your Doctor and see a Nutritionist if you are on an all Vegan program. I hope you enjoy! :)

I've tried everything known to science to find out of diet could help me. Nothing helped me, outside of giving up caffeine. Hated giving it up, cause it was the best way to get myself a little extra energy. Can't do it anymore, or I can't sleep AT ALL. Good
Luck with your efforts.

Yes, it can. I have found great relief following an anti-candida diet along with anti-fungals. I am gluten, sugar, dairy, yeast, and nitrate-free. I do not consume artificial sweeteners or MSG. I follow the diet in the book: The Fungus Link. It has helped me a great deal.

I've heard that going gluten free can help with fibro. I'm gluten free because of GI issues I get from it, but that started before I had fibro symptoms so I can't say whether it helps. For me, keeping the amount of processed food and added sugar (sugar from fruit doesn't bother me) I eat to a minimum seems to help, as does not drinking a lot of alcohol.

I am asking my Dr. to refer me for a food sensitivities test. I just found out that our blood lab does them.

In My experience, food makes a big difference in how I feel and always has.

I don't know why this is so, but I have always definitely responded to different foods, either positively or negatively.

My children and several of their friends are health and fitness enthusiasts. They all keep to an individual diet that makes them have more stamina or feeling of well being and say that overindulging in anything that they normally don't eat, makes them feel badly.

So, I don't think that diet/food choices affecting how a person feels is something just for people like us with some sort of illness: I think diet affects a vast amount of people..

Having said that, in my opinion, if eating a Vegetarian diet makes you feel better than I say go for it. You may be one of the people who do not respond well or digest well meat products. You could be one of those people who crave the nutrients in green or red or yellow or etc etc vegetables and feel badly if you don't have enough of them.

I think that you should stick with whatever works for you. We are all individual, with individual physical needs and if you find something that works for you, I say grab onto it and don't let go : )

Cue the broken record of Leo: Healthy diet helps all health issues, since it helps baseline health.

I have avoided processed foods 90 percent of the time in 90 percent of my lifetime, simply b/c I grew up eating what we grew on the farm,... and any food whose label reads like a chem lab experiment is to be avoided IMO.

Okay, needle off the broken record of Leo.

I'm sure it was "Fibromyalgia for Dummies" I just read this in, but it said that when it comes to diet some people have found going gluten free to be helpful, but not to cut anything out of your diet too quickly as to not shock our sensitive systems. Everything with us should be done gradually. The Dr. of Traditional Chinese Medicine had a whole different approach to diet. She said I was "cold and damp" and I needed to eat hot foods all the time. She also told me that cutting out all wheat products would be a shock to my system and she really didn't seem to believe in the Gluten free theory. There are all sorts of different approaches. Whatever makes you feel better. I think we can all agree that whole foods, plenty of fruits and veggies are healthy for everyone.

I cannot imagine giving up bread and the grains. I LOVE bread. I have decided to lay off the red meat. I love veggies anyway but I am going to up the intake. I am ready to make a drastic change, and we shall see how it goes.

Wean gently even off red meat. My hubby gave hismelf ayear to go off red meat, then a year to go off white meat.

And he doesn't even have FM!

I am very glad my mother raised me more along the lines of a Seventh Day Adventist diet. I never had pork or other meats so I don't have to deal with multiple meats. Just beef. Thank you for all your input. I am excited for the change. I am not going for the chicken or fish for a while. I find that if you limit too much you are more apt to have a slide. Little at a time :)

I say whatever works for you its great personally I can't really do vegetables or fruits I pretty much exclusively on it high protein diet of fish,eggs,chicken,beans and nuts. I technically follow the fodmaps diet pretty closely I somehow arrived there before actually researching about when my doctor mentioned it. it's basically a diet reduce inflammation although in my case some of the things are actually still on the diet agrrivate my system and some of those things that I technically shouldn't eat are totally and I've safely eatten after an elimination diet.