Fibromyalgia and Ice Cream
Fibromyalgia flares are the worst part of the disease. One day you are functioning at your normal levels, and then the next day you’re down and out with all the pain and fatigue of a full-blown flare-up. While it may not be possible to completely prevent flares, you will have to avoid certain things that can definitely trigger them. Like most health conditions, diet plays a major role. Eating a healthy diet can indirectly help to reduce fibromyalgia symptom flare-ups.
Ice cream is a sweetened frozen food typically eaten as a dessert or snack. It is usually made from dairy products, like milk and cream, and often combined with fruits or other ingredients and flavors. It is usually sweetened with sugar or sugar substitutes. Normally, colorings and flavorings are added in addition to stabilizers. Phrases such as “frozen custard”, “frozen yogurt”, “sorbet”, “gelato” and others are used to distinguish different varieties and styles.
Therefore, following are some ingredients related to ice cream that you should avoid or keep in consideration when you are dealing with fibromyalgia.
Aspartame
You know you are supposed to avoid sugar, but you will be fine if you get sugar-free, right? Perhaps not. In a cruel twist of irony, artificial sweeteners are also bad for your health if you have FM. Aspartame, better known by the brand names NutraSweet and Equal, seems to cause more pain symptoms in many individuals. It is normally found in “diet foods,” and is used as a calorie-free sweetener. It can be found in drinks and foods such as yogurts, sodas, sugar-free ice cream, jams and jellies and more. Since there is little definite proof about the downside of aspartame, try cutting it out for a couple weeks and see if your symptoms improve.
Try this: If you simply cannot go without artificial sweeteners, the sucralose-based Splenda might be a better choice. Use a natural sweetener like honey, to sweeten your ice cream, and you can also add some chopped up fruit. This way you are in control of what kind of sweetener you use and how much you consume. Read in Detail on Aspartame and fibro disorder Here
Sugar
Who among us doesn’t love a sweet treat? Even babies show preferences for sugar shortly after birth. When you deal with the frequent misery of fibromyalgia, it is understandable why you might want to indulge in the simple pleasure of a bowl of ice cream. However, sugar raises insulin levels, which has been linked to more pain.
Therefore, sugar is not good for your health. It feeds disease-promoting bacteria that lives in your gut, which can lead to more health problems. Not only that, eating sugar can pack on the pounds, putting more strain on your body. Finally, while sugar may initially give you a quick energy boost, it can leave you feeling even more fatigued once the energy rush wears off. Click Here to Read on Suggar Addiction and Fibromyalgia, How to ease Symptoms
Try this: Sugar-free ice cream with Splenda or should add sweet fruits like a strawberry, banana and mango. As you cut sugar out of your diet, your taste buds change, and natural fruits will taste even sweeter and more satisfying.
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Dairy
Even people who don’t have FM may have problems with food having lactose and be troubled with bloating and gas after eating ice cream or consuming other dairy products. To see if you have some kind of dairy intolerance, try cutting dairy out of your diet for some time. If you feel better, and experience bloating and gas when you try dairy again, that is a good indicator that you might have a sensitivity to dairy products.
Try this: Analogues made from dairy alternatives, such as goat’s or sheep’s milk, or milk substitutes (e.g., soy milk or tofu), are available for those who are lactose intolerant, allergic to dairy protein, or vegan. So it is easier to cut something out when you have something to replace it.
Fibro patients have to be more careful than most people about the quality of what they eat. It is eventually a blessing because everyone should be eating a healthy diet. However, the food/pain cycle is undeniable for fibro patients. If you keep your diet clean, you should eventually be able to tell which foods cause you the most pain.
MSG and sodium nitrite.
These materials are used as flavor enhancers and preservatives in many handled foods, for instance preserved meats and sauces. They are full of salt as well, which can worsen pain or inflammation in some FM patients. To reduce the effect of nitrites and MSG on your FM, avoid prepackaged foods as much as possible and emphasize on whole foods like brown rice, fish, and lentils.
Gluten.
Celiac sickness, which is a prejudice to the gluten found in rye, barley, and wheat products, is a situation that might overlay with FM in few people. There is no reason to eradicate gluten from your diet if not your doctor analyses you with gluten intolerance, however if you would like to attempt doing so, remove old-fashioned grains, breads, and pastas. You can substitute gluten-free replacements, for instance those prepared with corn or rice. Note that many marinades, sauces, and even candies may comprise gluten.
To see whether a few or all of these foods disturb your FM symptoms, consider removing them one by one and keeping a journal to note any development. If you find yourself cutting them all out, consider working with a nutritionist to improve a fine healthy diet that will not cause your fibro to flare.
Why is ice cream like poison for People with Fibro???
A discussion thread was open on ProHealth’s forum on ice cream topic so that people share their opinion on it. Lots of them relates it to flare up things because of milk, dairy and chemicals inside. Few of them also shared the ice cream alternative for FMers. Here is what they shared
1. I sure do miss ice cream myself and in a very weak moment last summer had a sundae which put in bed for 2 months. It is the ultimate worst trigger in the world for me. I do enjoy a bowl of Rice Dream every now and then. It’s just as good a ice cream in my opinion and contains no dairy.
2. Sugar is like poison to us FMers. Also, dairy can also be a problem. Try frozen yogurt next time.
3. Most ice creams if you break them down chemically are very near the chemical equivilent that PAINT is. Doesn’t that sound appetizing? Eating paint…hmmmm. Right, the fewer the ingredients the purer the food. I heard somewhere that in the old days, sugar was such a rare delicacy that is was regarded as a drug. There’s something more to that but brain fog is keeping it from coming up.
4. I have the same reaction from eating ice cream…the pain lasts for weeks! Cottage cheese and yogurt seem to be culprits, too. But ice cream is the worst! Perhaps in the processing of ice cream, the protein and other ingredients are ground up so finely that they are able to enter the bloodstream more readily. That is my theory. And someone mentioned that ice cream resembles paint chemically. No wonder processed stuff is called junk food. I try not to eat any of it, but it is everywhere and hard to resist. Some people thrive on junk food and some of us suffer. Go figure.
5. If you must eat ice cream, then read the lable on the Breyer’s ‘all natural’, then go read the other brands. You will wonder why in this world they have to put all those chemicals in ice cream or any other foods. If you want a Banana Split, make your own with all natural preserves, syrup, and Breyers ice cream. Just be sure to wash the banana before you take the peel off.
6. My theory is that it’s a carrageenan/MSG/glutamic acid problem. Carrageenan is a thickener used in many foods, including yogurt and cottage cheese. Some people who react to MSG will react to carrageenan. If you can find these products without carrageenan or vegetable gums, give them a try. If you don’t have a flare, then it’s probably not a milk issue. Also, if you avoid milk and are using soy or rice milk instead, check the label. Many of these contain carrageenan also. I knew that ice cream caused horrendous flares. I started paying attention to what I ate before the flare started. After a great deal of label reading, I was able to narrow the occurrence of the flares to eating certain foods. From there I started checking for common ingredients in those foods, which lead me to carrageenan. I deliberately ran a trial on myself, which painfully confirmed carrageenan as the culprit.
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References:
- Sugar addicts and Fibromyalgia- How to Ease symptoms via Fibromyalgia Resources
- Aspartame and Fibromyalgia Disorder via Fibromyalgia Resources
- Food to Avoid via Pain Resources
- Fibromyalgia Diet- What to eat and what not to eat by MG Rana,MD via Fibromyalgia Resources
- Effect of Milk on fibromyalgia Patients via Fibromyalgia Resources
- How Gluten issues are connected with fibromyalgia via Fibromyalgia Resources
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