PMR Diet: Foods to eat and avoid

I was wondering if we could connect with a dietician or nutritionist to get specifics for diet plans. Some of the general information is just too general and hard to apply.

@elizabethjoan I too have wanted to talk with a dietician. I discovered that in the end it is all up to me and the choices I make every time I decide to put something in my mouth. About 15 years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. This motivated me to begin to eat only organic foods at home, By doing this it caused me to become acutely aware of when and what I was eating out. I cut out fast foods and processed foods. Organic diets cut out processed foods at home. Within a few months I felt better.
Once I was diagnosed with PMR I began to make additional adjustments to my diet. I eliminated refined wheat flour first. This cut most pastas and all white breads out of my diet. I learned to substitute things like veggies for pasta and whole grains for breads. Lastly I took on refined sugar.
I set realistic goals. Made myself accountable by keeping a food log and reread and reread the diet books I was following. I took it on just like I was going to school and having a final at the end. I would go back and read my food logs and could see the eating trend changing. I did not make an A every day. By the end I was a solid B+ and was able to polish it off and graduate with an A as a result.
You can do it, select creditable diet books and do not second guess yourself or let others steer you off course. There are as many different choices as there are clouds in the sky. Any good, creditable diet will work if you stay focused.

Thanks for this. I am a researcher at heart and so I know I can do what you have been doing. I have already started but thought it would be simpler if we could access an ‘expert’. The generalizations do not help. When the literature says to avoid crackers…what does that mean??? There are so many types of crackers on the market, made from so many ingredients. Anyway I am starting a food log and will g et into the research now. Thanks.

@elizabethjoan I believe anyone can do what I did. I'm not that special. I have talked with a dietitian and the truth is they are prepared to talk to certain medical problems and diet, like obesity, diabetes, RA but not PMR. I did research to find a creditable author that spoke to anti-inflammatory and satisfying hunger (ie - appropriate snacking). Then do not be drawn away or sidelined, stick to the program you developed for yourself. This is key, it is so very easy to hear or read something and think - "that sounds like a good idea". Resist, that's all I can say. Give your plan the time it needs to work before rethinking your solution. If you keep changing routes the goal becomes obscured and unobtainable.

@elizabethjoan Here is website from the National Institute of Health that is about basic nutrition for aging (why it is the aging category I do not understand) that you could possibly use as a beginning guide to help change eating patterns.
https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/how-much-should-i-eat-quantity-and-quality

There is one anti-inflamatory that has been proven to be safe and I have seen it work in dogs and horses. That is MSM. It does down regulate at least one of the cytokines that is implicated in PMR- IL6. So it is worth a try. Myself, I use the same one I give my horses, but they make it for people, too and of course it is more expensive. I think it is one of the reasons that my inflamatory markers ane in the normal range

I've been putting on so much weight with the Prednisone after almost three years. It's time I took my diet seriously and try to get back on track. What are the do's and don'ts with specific foods . I can't find this on any of the discussions.

Hi @ncgal, You will notice that we moved your post to the following discussion on the same topic so that you could meet others who have shared their thoughts and suggestions on PMR diets and foods to eat or avoid.

-- PMR Diet: Foods to eat and avoid:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/diet-and-pmr/
The following article might give you a jump start:
-- Polymyalgia rheumatica diet: Foods to eat and avoid: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321683

Thanks, John. Exactly what I was looking for. Not sure about the fatty fish, but the rest seems doable. Appreciate it.

What has really helped me the past couple of years to keep my weight down is lowering the amount of carbs I eat and using intermittent fasting. There is another discussion on the topic that you might want to take a look at it. Nothing to do with PMR but it did get me on a healthier tract.

-- Low-carb healthy fat living. Intermittent fasting. What’s your why?
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/low-carb-healthy-fat-living-intermittent-fasting-whats-your-why/