Hi. I've been on this forum for a while, hope this post may help someone who is curious about how diet can help with PMR. I've was diagnosed back in Nov 22, put on 15mg Pred. Now I'm down at 7mg. The last six months have been pretty brutal - several flare ups, mobility severely compromised at times, a couple pf A&E visits, pretty bad pain in both my shoulders and hips. Mental health pretty bad during this time as I couldn't believe this was happening to me and felt as if I was going to have to live with this for the rest of my life.
Started seeing an acupuncturist a few months' back. Made an immediate improvement to my symptoms. She encouraged me to go on a strict anti-inflammatory diet. I've done this now for two weeks. After the first five days on this diet, I woke up with literally no pain or stiffness, it's almost as if I'm back to normal. I plan to continue tapering off by an mg each month, but so far, so good.
If anyone is curious, I can give a list of what I eat (and don't)! Hope this is useful.
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SarahDHx
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I'm not 100% sure what you mean by an anti-inflammatory diet, but my experience is that my health has improved greatly since I adopted a plant-based (vegan) diet in November 2021, which I believe contains a high proportion of anti-inflammatory foods and not too many of the inflammatory kind. I also virtually eliminated added sugar. The most obvious result was that I lost 2.5 stone in the first six months without even trying, and I haven't regained any of it. I had been diagnosed in 2017 and my pains were under control, but I still felt generally ill. When I changed my diet, I lost this constant feeling of unwellness (what the doctors call "malaise") I have mentioned my plant-based diet on the forum before, but I'm always a bit reluctant to really promote it, because in a very important way it runs counter to the advice that's usually given here i.e. to cut carbs drastically while taking Pred. Inevitably a plant-based diet includes a high proportion of carbs from pulses, lentils and grains. Without these foods it would be hard to take in sufficient calories as a vegan.
Hi there. So very simple, no alcohol, no sugar, no carbs. Most vegetables but not aubergine or tomatoes or chard/spinach. Feta cheese is ok apparently. Bulgur wheat is really good instead of a carb. No processed food or anything with numbers in it! Dark chocolate in moderation. Oats are very good. I honestly cannot quite believe the transformation. A few weeks back I was struggling to get dressed each morning. Now I feel almost back to normal. Hope this helps.
Hi there. So very simple, no alcohol, no sugar, no carbs. Most vegetables but not aubergine or tomatoes or chard/spinach. Feta cheese is ok apparently. Eggs are good. Fish or chicken if you eat meat. Bulgur wheat is really good instead of a carb. No processed food or anything with numbers in it! Dark chocolate in moderation. Oats are very good. I honestly cannot quite believe the transformation. A few weeks back I was struggling to get dressed each morning. Now I feel almost back to normal. Hope this helps.
Could you please let me have a copy of your diet would be most appreiciated sry for the spelling i have dysparia and brain goes on strike sometimes.x 😅
Hi Sarah, I would be interested! When I was first diagnosed (July 2020), in addition to taking Pred I strictly followed the anti-inflammatory diet (from a book called Anti-Inflammation Diet for Dummies). My thinking was that the Pred would get it under control but that when I stopped taking it, diet would take care of it. Well here I am, 3 years on, still on 5.5 mg Pred. I was religious about the diet for ages and lost weight as a side effect but I gradually lost heart and stopped doing it. I'd like to do it again but I as I still have PMR I do not have the initial incentive and the willpower sadly!
Thanks, SarahDH, I realise there is some dispute about how helpful anti-inflammatory diets can be in our circumstances but would certainly be interested in trying one. So, yes please!😀
hi there, I have adopted an anti inflammatory regimen as well. Primarily this involves avoiding inflammatory food, such as all junk food, pasta, white rice, white bread, so called red meats, processed meats and alcohol.
It is not easy but even a reduction in inflammatory food cannot harm you, it’s only helping you fight inflammation! Drastically reducing alcohol intake is also key, as well as watching out for ultra processed stuff such as cereals, gravy’s, microwave ready made food and other poisonous stuff that is ultra processed.
So, to me, it’s less about anti inflammatory food intake and more about avoiding inflammatory food as much as possible. Load up on vegetables, pulses, fruit, seafood… It’s all about finding that healthy compromise that is sustainable over time!
I think you need to raise a new post - with a list of your "foods" - it will probably have to be in original post as you cannot link word documents on the forum... unless you have it in a suitable format that can be linked.
Good diet is important in my opinion! I believe this is harder to accomplish if one is cooking for family. Many delicious recipes are not healthy but are what your family loves. Also, the person responsible for meal preparation may not have the time to prepare what is healthy for someone with PMR. Most food that can be prepared quickly is not healthy. I'm talking about the vast array of processed foods one sees at the grocery store. Quick, yes! Nutritionists advise that the shopper should visit the periphery of the store, where one can select from the many fresh vegetables, salads, fruits, etc. (The major part of the store is full of processed, quick to prepare, foods.)
If one only cooks for self, it is much easier to buy and prepare foods that promote health, foods that are not inflammatory. Preparation does take time but the results are worth it. (One doesn't need to be vegan, in my opinion.)
Good points “Darkred” I am 80 yrs old and cook daily for husband and diabetic son. IDEALLY all three of us require different diets. I try my best to provide for us all but PMR being as it is, energy is often lacking. Please don’t suggest encouraging the men to cook, don’t think I would enjoy the results unfortunately. X
Unlucky indeed, I dream of having someone cook for me, it’s my pet hate . Being the eldest of a large family I had plenty to do as a child too. Grrrrr. X
Well I was youngest, but by quite a lot of years so was at home when others had fled the nest..so I did learn..
Late hubby was well taught [self mainly I think], son is probably better - daughter wasn't very interested when she was at at home, but has turned into a very good all-round cook and baker - and grandchildren on both sides have been well schooled [3 boys, 1 girl].. oh and SIL!
So am spoilt when I go to either - pity daughter is so far away in New Zealand... but I do have to cook for myself sometimes 😊🤣
Have to say that I have never, really changed what we eat due to PMR, guess i've been one of the lucky ones, and, yes I do the cooking and in fact most things around the house. Used to cooking different meals though as a number of our children have a "selective" diet!! The older ones that is the GC's all eat anything.
Thank you for sharing your diet. It is always interesting to hear what others find works for them. I really do believe that dietary intake can have a significant impact on this horrible illness. Added sugar is poison for me and I am extremely reactive to it. Alcohol much less so, in moderation. I came to the conclusion for me that it is best to avoid anything that makes blood sugar spike (which alcohol can do) and found some benefits in a low GI diet, mainly because I followed this last year when I was told that I was prediabetic (before I went on pred) and I noticed a decrease in pain and stiffness then. It took me years to get a diagnosis and was only diagnosed Nov 22. I went back on the low GI diet when I started pred as I don't want diabetes aswell. I do not eat most grains as I am wheat/gluten intolerant, keep saturated fats to a minimum, limit carbs, no added sugar, no processed foods, no seed oils (only olive oil), avoid alcohol most of the time, especially avoid salty fried snacks like crisps etc. eat plenty of oily fish and supplement with Vit D. A couple of weeks on Vit D made a huge difference to my PMR tiredness. Most of my carbs come from beans and pulses or nuts in limited amounts, too much and they upset my tummy. Walnuts are supposed to be good. tbh, I find the strictness of an anti inflamm diet difficult at times, so I have gone for a middle ground that I can sustain. If I lapse on the sugar or the crisps, tortilla chips type of snacks, I do suffer for it. I'm disappointed that I haven't lost any weight, but on a positive, 5 months on pred, and I didn't put any on.
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Update on low carb diet
Newcastle diet.
Methotrexate added to Pred now
