Inside Fibromyalgia by Mark J. Pellegrino, M.D.

I purchased a book recommended by my chiropractor. It’s called, “Inside Fibromyalgia” by Mark J. Pellegrino, M.D.

Dr. Pellegrino is a fibromyalgia survivor and has been helping others through education, diet, supplements and medicine to cope with their flare-ups.

Dr. Pellegrino’s Fibromyalgia diet has been very helpful to me. Personally, I have a lot of food intolerances. The most common foods: sugar, wheat, dairy products, citrus fruits, eggs and chocolate products are usually the ones that create problems.

Dr. Pellegrino combined some of the features of different diets, Dr. Adkin’s Diet and The Mayo Clinic Diet, to come up with the HIPLOC diet designed for individuals with Fibromyalgia. It is a high protein and low carbohydrate approach in promoting steady weight loss, improving energy, reducing appetite naturally, and consistently improving overall fibromyalgia symptoms.

Here are a few of the foods you should avoid:

1. Sugars (dessert, candy, cookies, most fruits, sugared drinks, yogurt and potato chips)

2. Breads and starches (bagels, muffins, pancakes, waffles, noodles, pizza, breaded meats and pasta )

3. Certain vegetables (potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, popcorn, cole slaw, peas, navy beans, black beans, kidney beans and rice)

Foods that are okay:

1. Meats (steak, hamburger, chicken, fish, lunch meat if it doesn’t contain sugars)

2. Most red and green vegetables

3. Dairy products, cheese, cream, butter, skim milk

4. Any salad dressing, mayonnaise, or olive oil. Salad garnishes which include nuts, olives, bacon, grated cheese, mushrooms, and allowed vegetables

5. Certain fruits such as avocado, raspberries and strawberries

6. Artificial sweeteners and beverages with no sugar

For more information on Dr. Pellegrino’s book visit www.barnesandnoble.com.