(Even if You Have Fibromyalgia or Chronic Fatigue)
Originally Written: November 26, 2020
If you’re looking to make changes to your diet and are feeling overwhelmed, here are five strategies I have used successfully to revamp our family’s lifestyle. Learn more about how small dietary tweaks can lead to huge health benefits – even when living with chronic illnesses like fibromyalgia and CFS.
Through my research on inflammation, I discovered that a lot of the pain from fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ME/CFS could be reduced through diet changes. It’s a lot of work to shop for different foods, find new recipes, and revamp your whole diet at once. And I was just WAY too tired!!!
That wasn’t the only hurdle. Not only did I have to adjust, to new flavours and new foods, so did my husband and three kids.
Here are five strategies I successfully used to revamp our family diet.
1) Only remove ONE item at a time. Just one. That is it!! It doesn’t matter if you choose coffee, sugar, gluten or dairy… ALL of these are often problematic for inflammation or pain. So pick just one… because it is very hard to go gluten free and dairy free if you are having coffee jitters or sugar cravings at the same time! The chance that you will stay the course increases with just one food as well.
2) Remove that food for at least 21 days before selecting a second one. Your brain needs 21 days to form a new habit. If you are not ready to remove another food after 21 days, give yourself another cycle of practice with the previous one. It takes 3 cycles of 21 days to make those habits stick. You do not need to make all the changes in one season. (That’s just dumb! 🤪)
3) Before removing food, take the time to find options!! If you are going to drink green or herbal tea instead of coffee, add that tea into your diet BEFORE you make the full switch. If you are going gluten free, purchase gluten free options and find a bunch that you LOVE prior to making that switch.
4) Let your family know in advance and enlist their support. Changes go much easier if you have people around you that are on board to encourage and support you.
5) Talk to a friend who has gone down this journey. They will be your best helper!! They will have jumped the same hurdles, had the same struggles and they can listen and guide you when things get rough.
Above all, be KIND to yourself. It’s a journey and you will reach your goal one step at a time.
If you are looking for support and encouragement, join my Facebook Group.
If you want to eat healthier but are not sure where to go, I recommend the Jumpstart Program.