I have been reading that tomatoes are not good for fibromyalgia. I have tomatoes every day with my salad. Does anyone have any experience of that they can share of diet changes that have helped. I dont really want to take tomatoes out of my diet if possible. Also I am going glutton free as this is supposed to help with fibromyalgia and I.B.S
Diet changes : I have been reading that... - Fibromyalgia Acti...
Diet changes
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Jonn9
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57 Replies
•
Hi Jonn
I heard that about tomatoes, also anything classed as nightshade vegetables are bad for us. I personally have not cut these out but I am trying to go Gluten free and also sugar is suppose to be really bad for us and dairy.
At this rate I will be chewing on dust 🤣.
🐼💜
Jonn9• in reply to
Chewing on dust lol. Yes I am still enjoying dairy free chocolate but I know the sugar is going to have to go eventually. I am running out of things that I enjoy also
• in reply toJonn9
I am just going to eat a little of what I fancy, I barely eat as it is well apart obviously from dust but even that is boring lol.
MALC19• in reply to
Hi Panda
Can i ask you what are Nightshade vegetables?
I have been cooking and baking for many years and have never heard of this.
Keep well 😊
• in reply toMALC19
Hi Malc
Standby here goes my best Alan Titmarsh impersonation. So, nightshade vegetables are from the Solanaceae plant family personally I thought that was a hotel in Benidorm 😂 which includes tomatoes, capsicums, chilli peppers, eggplant 🍆, and potatoes 🥔 these are classed as damaging to our health because of their “toxins”.
The term nightshade may have been coined because some of these plants prefer to grow in shady areas and some flower at night.
Sweet potatoes 🍠 do not come under this category.
Oh dear I am off to take my jacket 🥔 out the oven and for a cup of tea and a digestive 🤣 my fingers are worn out now.
Panda
🐼🥰💜
MALC19• in reply to
Wow Panda
Had no idea about this.
It certainly explains why i do not have issues with sweet potato.
Love the Alan Tichmarsh bit 😂😂
Thank you for the info though.
Enjoy your jacket and cup of tea
😊😊
NeonNailsKnitting• in reply to
Hi Panda!
I’m currently in FODMAP as ordered my my IBD consultant, cos i am in the midst of an Ulcerative Colitis flare! It is difficult, but i am getting used to it. I eat a white tiger bloomer from one of the large supermarket chains. Expensive but I don’t get bloated and it’s really good.
I have struggled with tomatoes for some years now but when i’m not in flare i will occasionally indulge. (I had no idea it was bad for FM but it makes sense!)
Read up on FODMAP and if you think you should give it a go it is imperative you consult your GP as it is not healthy long term. It is usually recommended by IBS and IBD consultants. In saying that, a lot of my UC symptoms overlap my FM symptoms! 🤷🏻♀️
CB 🤗
• in reply toNeonNailsKnitting
Hi Neon
Oh my goodness a guy I work with has ulcerative colitis and I remember he was so ill before it was diagnosed and went so thin and in terrible pain he was hospitalised.
I will definitely read up on FODMAP, I am currently eating the tiniest meals as I have no appetite so forcing myself to eat. You certainly have given me food for thought pardon the pun.
Panda 🐼🥰
NeonNailsKnitting• in reply to
UC can be so debilitating. Because i’m in ‘flare’ and i have asthma, i will be shielding from tomorrow because i now fall into the ‘highest risk’ category! 😢
I’m going to for a nature walk, (or should i say ‘amble’) today. My Head Teacher told me to work from home from yesterday! I haven’t seen anyone in over a week already! Horribly isolating! I need to be surrounded by nature at some point, to ground me. 🐶🐰🐮🐦🦉🦆🐴🐌🐜🕷🕸🦌🦡🦔🐾🌳🌲🍁🍂
Regarding the FODMAP diet, i cannot stress enough that once you’ve read up on it, check with your consultant, if you have one, or GP, before you embark on it.
I too, am struggling to eat, (which is ordinarily not an issue) so i’m dropping weight at the moment. That’s ok cos now i’m finally shifting the steroid weight that i gained 7 years ago during my last flare! 😅
Let me know how you get on
CB 🤗🥰
• in reply toNeonNailsKnitting
Hi Neon
Oh my that's terrible, I hope you enjoy your ramble today I finish work today so I can have a real good look into the FODMAP, there is absolutely nothing to tempt me to eat but I know that I must, please stay safe, and I will let you know how I get on xx
I don't really eat tomatoes all that often so can't comment on that, but I do find that refined sugar products and caffeine do have a massive impact on my mood and symptoms. However, as I'm addicted to both it's a nightmare trying to wean myself off them, but I continue to try ☺️. Years ago when I did Slimming World I found that doing the SP part of it (half protein and half speed foods, which are basically most vegetables) helped massively and gave me energy. So I guess cutting out/down on carbs will help.
Yes I only need one coffee and it sets of my I.b.s. but I can just get away with cocunut milk decaf latte with no sugar. But even that sometimes i feel my stomach going. I used to have ordinary latte and the caffeine knocked me crazy with the pregabalin and also went for my stomach
Have you tried Lactofree milk? That has helped me a lot when at home. I think Costa still offer Lactofree milk as an option but that's the only place I'm aware of.
Hi John.
I have and IBD and my consultant put me on FODMAP after first being on a ‘low residue’ diet. PLEASE ask your doctor if any of these would be suitable for you, as it does calm down symptoms.
I cannot stress enough that you MUST consult with your GP or consultant if you have a bowel condition and are thinking of changing your diet. The internet can give differing advice and this can have a negative impact on your health. I am not a medical professional and do not want to cause harm. Call your GP and ask
I hope this helps.
CB 🤗
Like Panda I often feel a dust-diet is looming up ahead, but really I then always find lots of alternatives. My main reason for diets are loads of intolerances & now hyperlipidemia, resulting in something similar to BoL: protein & veg (plus unsaturated fats like nuts & legumes and complex rather than simple carbs). I tried gluten-free and low carb too, but nothing helped the fibro. I *have successfully cut tomatoes down to 1 a day at most, (or 2-3 small ones) tho for a completely different reason: an inflamed anus. So I guess that is better for my hyperacidity & IBS too. From what I've read they are healthy, but their histamine, acidity & Solanine (nightshade-alkaloid) *can cause a lot of problems. It's suggested cutting them out for 3-4 weeks to see the difference. I saw the difference immediately on the first day.
I didn't know tomatoes contained histamine, thank you for that info.
Hi there Jonn, I know many people have their own thoughts and ideas on fibro and diet. Many people have made a lot of money from books about fibro diets foods.
I am 64 and have had fibro for about 35 years and have yet to find a diet to help fibro as a stand alone illness.
What I have found is almost everyone whether they are sick or not will always finds certain foods they can not tolerate. But common sense tells us sugar is not good for us. Dairy is my intolerance food. It doesn't mean I can't eat any it just means I have a limit and if I stay within that limit I'm fine.
Take sugar for example. Just by not eating anything with sugar in how many food stuffs you would stop eating at one fell swoop. Cake, biscuits, bread, chocolate to name but a few. Would it help us feel better I'm absolutely sure it would. Could it cure fibro I'm still out on that one
My personal opinion on the tomatoes is if you enjoy them and they don't have an adverse effect on you why stop eating them? I have a green house and believe me I've eaten tons of Tom's over the last few months with no adverse effects. I also eat mushrooms and peppers in small amounts again with no adverse effects.
I eat butter on my toast in a morning then dare to eat it again on something later in the day I have problems. So I guess it's a case of watching what we eat and listening to our bodies 
Momo
PS I see that you have left your post unlocked to this community only. You may not be aware you can lock a post so only members on this forum can read what you post. If you wish to lock your posts and need help pls just ask
Hi Mo Mo, I couldn’t agree more with what you have said.
Everyone has intolerance to some foods, or food groups,but like yourself, removing them from your diet doesn’t always make much difference to their Fibro symptoms.
I’ve known people remove whole food groups out of their diet in the hope that it will lessen their symptoms, and they’ve ended up with Vitamin and Mineral deficiency and still have pain.
There are people who swear that by removing certain things from their diet have helped them, and I’m sure they’re right, but a lot of others find no difference. Just my opinion.
Everything in moderation.
Take Care.
GP. 😊😊
Hi GP yes I think when some take their diet to the extreme by removing whole groups of foods they forget they may also be removing a great deal of vitamins that our bodies need to maintain good health. Totally agree with that GP.
I'm more in favour of a little bit of everything is OK unless certain foods cause intolerance or allergies. IMO the problems come when we over indulge and become overweight and don't take some kind of exercise each day. It could be a 30 min walk. But for me managing not just fibro but health as an whole is more than just what we put in our mouths I'm afraid 🤗🤗
My lipidologist hat to put the brakes on considering the amount of things I shouldn't eat because of severe cardiovascular issues added to my intolerances. Even she said keep it balanced. And the other day, feeling ill due to working again I ate quite a bit of chocolate and cheese, both not allowed, but felt better in mind & body after...
Very dark chocolate ie 85% + cacao is very low in sugar and has healthy antioxidants, if you can’t forego a chocolate’treat’
Thanks dizzy. Yes i agree its about limits. I need to tell myself that with my dairy free chocolate lol. Someone told me but i forgot... can you tell me how do I lock my posts ??
Hi Jonn, this link will show you how to lock your post. If you need further help pls just ask
I have Colitis as well as many other medical issues.
When i was diagnosed with Colitis tomatoes were the first food products they told me to stop eating. I used to love them and after having to cut them out, you will be amazed how many foods and restaurants have tomatoes in them and a lot of restaurants have their foods pre-marinaded.
Nobody explained what was so bad with them though.
Have a look at the Fodmap diet though it may help.
I too have tomatoes every day.I never diet and would only cut things out of it if they disagreed with me.If medical evidence says you are gluten intolerance etc that's ok to take drastic measures but eating sensibly and exercising when can is best I think
They are part of the nightshade family. Including red peppers courgettes etc.
They increase inflammatory. I no longer have any of them x
Yes I had to give up tomatoes (which I love ) and caffeine bc I developed Bladder Pain Syndrome which apparently is common with fibro patients. It made an immediate difference, I'd normally eat them everyday in some form or another. I think saying "everybody" has food intolerances might be a bit of a sweeping statement though, not sure there is any evidence for that. I do have a lot of issues with people going on very restrictive diets when our lives are already so hard. I have chronic migraines as well and people I talked to were always giving up things like chocolate and cheese, citrus etc except now we know that a lot of migraines start 2 days before the pain, so what you ate the hour before your migraine is not really relevant, and they also discovered that the prodrome stage of a migraine itself can make you crave things like chocolate etc. So migraineurs had linked these events but in the wrong way.
That's interesting.
I too love tomatoes but found a drastic improvement when I really cut back I think its something to do with the acid they produce Its really frustrating when some fruits and veg are on the NO list Try modération-- if you can Jonn good luck
I am going to give it a go when this batch of tomatoes run out. Thanks for the reply
You are more than welcome Good luck 🍅
No money to be made from Keto diet but it has got rid of my brain fog, a huge amount of my tiredness and practically all my pain...apart from an injury I have, but that's to be expected. I have cut out wheat, pulses, sugar and soy. I eat a very varied diet and have taught myself to make bread, cakes etc using different ingredients. Weight loss came as a bonus and probably helped take the strain off my joints...but I am no longer swollen, puffy and creaky. Getting rid of plantar pain was a great help though, I found getting out of bed in the mornings so painful and difficult.
I have heard that nightshade foods are bad for fibro. I guess it's worth trying anything; it seems to work for some people. I'm inclined to believe that if you grew organic tomatoes in your own garden/greenhouse you'd be fine. I think it's pesticides and other god knows what that farmers spray on our food that probably causes problems. I really have no idea!
Nightshades are not good for anyone, not just fibro, but I love aubergines, and the list also includes potatoes, a British staple. Commercially produced vegetables often have poison sprayed on them to keep them free from insects etc, so it depends what you're sensitive to. It might be the sprays or it might be the nightshade poison. I would say wash your vegetables and don't overdo the nightshades. I'm still convinced that a little bit of what you fancy does you good.
I agree with you. I've looked at elimination diets before and they aren't a sensible way to maintain health unless you have an allergy e.g anaphylaxis from nuts etc...
An elimination diet is normally one undertaken to find out what foods a person is sensitive or allergic to. When you find out for certain that you are sensitive to a particular food or chemical, then you can eliminate that food for good - not eliminate everything that it could possibly be.
You can have a blood test done which is more reliable. It's called a RAST test and tests for common allergens e.g cats, dogs, grasses, trees, nuts, dairy etc.
It's certainly quicker and probably more easy to access these days. My experience of all this in the 1980s.
I had my test done in 2009, it took 2 weeks to get the results then. It might be quicker now.
Even that's quicker than ploughing through an elimination diet.
IBS seems to be a common illness that accompanies fibromyalgia as many people I know suffer from both. As do I.
I cannot tolerate bread, and have to be careful with rice and pasta. I try to eat a clean diet so salad fruit and vegetables. I would love an IBS or fibromyalgia diet that conquers our symptoms totally!
Jonn9• in reply to
I suffered with eating bread first years. I used to take sandwiches to work on brown bread and it flared up all the time. Taking bread out my diet has had a massive effect on my I.b.s flare ups. I still have I.b.s but it is night and day since I stopped eating bread
I couldn't possibly stop having tomatoes! I can't take peppers, chillies or Aubergines, and they are all in the same family as toms.
the way to find out if you are intolerant of tomatoes, is to stop eating them for 3 months and see if there are any changes to your pain levels or brain fog etc. giving up gluten and observing the difference is good, also sugar and dairy are the most common causes of increased symptoms, for me the most effective were wheat and sugar, huge difference in general pain levels and along with taking L-Glutamine every day, helped immensely with IBS.
I'm not cutting anything out, and I'm sure as hell not quitting my Ben & Jerry's. I eat plenty of salads with tomatoes and all the right foods but until I'm told to stop the ice cream, cheesecake, chockie brownies etc. by a professional, personally, I'll keep doing the only thing that brightens a very small part of my day 😁🍦🍨🍪🍰🍫
I have found that Ben and Jerrys ice cream is the only one i can eat with colitis and IBS as well.....they must be doing something right that stops us fibro/ME/IBS sufferers having to cut it from our diets.
Think you could may be ok with their ice cream !yummy! 🙄
Only way to find out for yourself is to see how it affects you.
Good health to you
Stay well 😊
Hi John.
I was told by my rheumatologist, who diagnosed me, that if i want to eat tomatoes and peppers, that i should cook them first. They produce a chemical, i believe, which causes pain to the joints.
I would keep a food diary and cut them out for a couple of weeks or so and see if you notice a difference. Then reintroduce them and see if that flares up your FM.
Hope that helps.
CB 🤗
Thanks neon. Yes I am going to have a go at it. But I keep forgetting and buying tomatoes lol. I will update the group when I have any results
I've just been reading these posts again, as I've forgotten what these posts were about!!!😁. I do have food allergies - dairy, cod and nuts. I have had such severe bloating for around 3 months that I saw my GP (it was difficult to get an appointment believe me). I've had blood tests done and still awaiting results. I have been aware that beef gives me belly ache and I have stopped eating beef for about 3 weeks now. I'm trying to give up other meat - my youngest daughter calls me a part-time vegetarian, lol. I have lost 2 lbs and my reflux is the best it has been for years. Bloating has reduced so much it feels miraculous. This might not be a result for everyone but I just wanted to share some good news, and hope this info could help someone else. My son's girlfriend has coeliac disease and she can't tolerate beef. I know that many fibro sufferers find a gluten free diet helps them, I'm wondering if beef has a link to gluten intolerance or it's just a coincidence. I hope this helps someone.
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