Food causing RLS?

[Ozzy2021]

Has anyone found a direct link to food and increased rls? I was on pramipexole for about 8 months and suffered with augmentation after about 6 and then had a dreadful time getting off the tablets! I'm finally clear and have noticed my rls has been so much better. A few nights ago I had a bad night again and the only thing different was that I had eaten Tomatoes, something that I used to eat all the time but haven't recently. I'm going to try again to see if I get the same reaction. Just curious if anyone else has had the same? I know alcohol aggravates mine which is why I don't drink but never really thought of food. Thanks

[Madlegs1]

Yes-- foods and drinks are important triggers. Keeping a food diary is extremely important.

[Joolsg]

Many people have reported food triggers. Some find sugar makes their RLS worse, others carbs. Many follow exclusion diets like low FODMAPS or keto. If you've found a trigger it's easy enough to eliminate it from your diet. Tomatoes are part of the Nightshade family so you may find other nightshades like potatoes, peppers and aubergine are culprits.

[Eryl in reply to Joolsg]

Yes carbs. Sugar is the ultra refined carbohydrate. Other refined carbs are white flour which has the added broblem of gluten which speeds up its absorption by the body.

[Munroist]

Tomatoes are said to be high in glutamate which can be a trigger although it doesn’t seem like a strong connection to me. However I avoid raw tomatoes and tomato juice in the evenings just in case and also things like walnuts which are high in glutamate.

[Gmc54]

Tomatoes are part of the nightshade family. As are potatoes, red peppers, and some others veg. Try cutting them out and see if there is a difference. There are several websites to help with this. Anythings worth a try.

[Reb0013]

I checked my FODMAP app and tomatoes are acceptable in terms of easy to digest - and when tomatoes are cooked, both the acidity and the oxalates are lowered as opposed to fresh tomatoes. Because oxalates can interfere with iron absorption I do eat tomatoes but infrequently. Can't say that I've been able to identify tomatoes as a culprit for me... but, everyone responds differently. Some say caffeine helps... for me one-two cups/day was a major player adding to my symptoms. Keep a journal - I have found mine invaluable for tracking and identifying - even "proving" to my husband I can't have that extra glass of wine, LOL.