General Diet for People with RLS

[robertff3401]

I routinely see posted on HealthUnlocked lists of a limited number of foods to avoid and foods to include in a diet for people suffering from RLS. Is there a general diet, such as a Mediterranean, that works best for people with moderate to severe RLS? Thanks.

[SueJohnson]

Look at the related posts to the right of your post.

[Joolsg]

As everyone has different triggers, there is no specific diet that helps RLS.It may be an idea to keep a food and drink diary to monitor if you have triggers.

Some swear by Low Fodmaps, others by Low Oxalate.

I personally spent 9 months on an organic, grass fed, paleo diet, 6 months on Low Fodmaps and 9 months on a vegan diet. For me, it made no difference.

Similarly, caffeine and coffee trigger RLS for many but someone posted about 2 years ago that it actually improved their RLS. I always hated coffee, never drank it. I was desperate for relief so started drinking it whenever my RLS kicked off. It really helped. I now drink only coffee.

So, everyone responds differently to diets.

They definitely help many people but it will be trial and error to find out if you have any triggers.

The most common triggers are sugar & highly processed foods.

[Felicity21]

My triggers are apples, pears, bananas, grapes, raisins, melon, balsamic vinegar, mayonnaise, margarine, onions, garlic, all processed food containing preservatives and/or colourings. I am careful with wine and coffee. Good luck.

[robertff3401]

Thanks Felicity21. That's quite a list of triggers. I think my major trigger is ice cream which is my favorite dessert. But I don't love ice cream more than I hate RLS, so no ice cream for me.

[Typicallygaslit in reply to robertff3401]

I have heard that ice cream is a trigger for many. Also sugar, chocolate and anything containing chicory root is a trigger for me.

[BoldMove in reply to robertff3401]

If you don't react to bananas, I've mashed very ripe bananas and mixed with dates to simulate ice cream. I eat it semi-frozen. There are many recipes online to create a vegan, homemade ice cream made from fruits and nuts.