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I hear dark chocolate raises seratonin levels and is a mood enhancer, so that should help fibro suffers. do you like dark chocolate?

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I'm battling an ED right now and its tough especially with FM because somedays it makes you so tired all you want is the sugar fix. I overeat and I'm starting to over come it. I make sure i have heaps of fruit , vege, nuts to binge on rather than chocolate or baking in my case. Its such a hard battle but even just a couple of days without the sugar makes me and my fibro feel heaps better so it makes the struggle to not overeat a little better, not a easy task somedays the battle with yourself is pretty hard but you'll get there. Distraction is good to. I started painting, i can't really draw but just the pocess of geting my paints out and setting everything thing up gets my through the anixousness and complusion to overeat. try find something you enjoy thats not food. hard i know. good luck

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Well, my understanding is that fibro is Lyme disease. If you go read at www.lymenet.org/FlashDisc
ussion/
MedicalQuestions
,
you can see the discussions people have about food issues too as related to Lyme. Some think there's also candida issues involved, so you may need to go on a noncandida diet.

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I personally have had great success with chocolate... but not the traditional chocolate on store shelves -- rather a healthy chocolate. It's enough to curb the cravings -- I actually crave healthier foods now and my energy has increased so much I feel like jumping for joy! There are lots of people who are having success with this cold-processed chocolate -- which preserves the antioxidant value of the cacoa bean. Check out this link -- there are lots of weblinks which explain the benefits -- which extend far beyond fibro! www.sourceofantioxidants.com

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Hi,
I had bulimia 5 years ago for 5 years. Diagnosed with FM a year ago. So when I was advised to cut out/decrease sugar for the FM etc., I freaked out. I don´t like to go to any extremes because I feel I´ll cave in and start bingeing which might lead to vomiting. So if I really crave sweets I´ll let myself have some. even though I feel better, emotionally and physically, when I skip it and eat healthier.

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I can't have sugar, red meat, greasy foods or dairy. At any health food store they have a lot of options. Have you ever tried making homemade deserts with splenda. They are really good. They do make sugar free chocolate to. For me when i am craving chocolate i drink chocolate soymilk. I really don't have a choice to eat sweets. When i do it makes me feel really horrible. I am also sensitive to caffeine instead i just drink like vitamin waters, propel drinks, Gatorade. They do make soy cheese if you are craving dairy. Well i hoped this helped.
Good luck.

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bmcgovern - As someome with Fibromyalgia (FMS) you should be avoiding artifical sweetners including Splenda and anything soy like the plague.

If you need an artifical sweetner use something made with the Stedvia plant like Truvia or Sun Crystals which can be found in the grocery store. That is a much better choice as most FMS patients have chemical sensitivities. Artifical sweetner is never recommended for anyone with FMS.

Soy has been shown to increase inflammation levels in some people. I used soy quite a bit for a couple of years. My pain level was much better once I listened to my nuritionist and got off of it. Take care.

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Fantod,
Thanks for the advice, but i can't have real sugar it makes me really sick to my stomach it makes me nauseated and same with any dairy. The soymilk actually agrees with me very well. My pain is not worse from it. I have saw the commercials for that Truvia, but isn't that real sugar?. I can't handle sugar, dairy, red meat or greasy foods.

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White sugar is the devil for my FM! I eat a handful of yogurt covered raisins, for example, and the next day I have sever sharp pains in my joints, a headache, and my teeth hurt!!!

I use organic cane sugar now. It doesn't mean a free for all but it's a fantastic substitute in coffee and baking.

I am a glutton. I LOVE to eat!!! I have the BIGGEST sweet tooth ever! It is soooo hard for me to not eat the things I love. I crave cake EVERY DAY!!! But I know it makes me feel worse so I choose carefully when I eat sweets. I have one instead of four or five. Or I have a piece of fruit. It takes time, but eventually it will become easier and easier, especially when you start to notice the sever effect white sugar has on your system.

White flour is another big no no for me, same with yeast. They are in almost EVERYTHING so it can be difficult to find products without them.

I like The Bulk Barn. You can buy all your favourite snacks in the smallest quantity possible so you can treat yourself but not have all this extra laying around that you think about constantly. Also, they have great alternative snacks too, I have substituted potato chicks for cassava chips because potatoes can apparently be a trigger for us as well.

It seems very unfair that all my favourite foods are on the do-not-eat list, but we need food to nourish our body, not make our symptoms worse. If you were taking a medication that made you feel worse, you would stop taking it or reduce the dosage, right?

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PS]]] Fibromyalgia will never get my chocolate!!! I use it as medication, for about a week every month! lol

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Hey Robin1237, click on the "associated conditions" tab at the top of the page. The first disease listen in the paragraph describing common diseases that FM is often mistaken for is Lyme Disease. It says right in there that 15%-50% of people diagnosed with Lyme disease actually have FM. Your facts are backwards! And your posts relating to them aren't helpful.

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I too have problems with comfort eating & needing that sugar fix to help with the fatigue. I definately notice an improvement in my energy levels & muscle pain & so in when I'm being more healty!

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Sugar will only make you crash harder. It's a false pick up. Plus, research has shown a staggering connection between high blood sugar levels and cancer. Also, the more sweets you eat, the higher your chance of developing diabetes.

Try eating an apple. One apple is equal to a cup of coffee in the amount of energy it gives you. Plus it's healthy. That is, if you can handle apples, they are pretty acidic.

Chocolate is kind of a double edged sword so don't cheap out, buy the pure all natural good stuff, not the stuff that's loaded with preservatives, artificial colours, and flavours. The darker the better.

I LOVE potatoes and they are a huge enemy to my Fibro so I had to give them up.

The way I see it, we have two options; 1)give up the foods that hurt us and focus on the numerous other items we can include in our diet, or 2)eat whatever we want and suffer even more for it.

There are many otherwise "healthy" foods that wreak havoc on those who suffer with Fibromyalgia. Figuring out what your triggers are will ultimately help reduce the amount of pain you feel if you can stick with it. This means less medication and lower doses. If Fibro has taught me nothing else, it has taught me that nothing worth having/doing is ever easy work.

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I have a lot of problems with food. I have cut out the sugar, dairy, red meat, gluten, caffeine, greasy foods. I do not use splenda anymore and when i am craving a sweet i do drink chocolate soy milk it does agree with me and i eat apples for a snack if i am also craving something sweet. At first it was hard cutting all these foods out. You feel like you can't have anything, but i have found what i can and can't eat and i keep a log. One thing i love is peanut butter toast i love potato bread it has no gluten. There are substitutes,but sometimes you still want the real stuff, but i have made myself not give in or else i pay for it later. Well good luck to everyone.

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