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The Fibromyalgia Cookbook: More Than 120 Easy and Delicious Recipes
Roughly 6 to 8 million people in the United States alone are afflicted with fibromyalgia. A widespread muscular-skeletal syndrome, fibromyalgia touches people of all ages, male and female, as an unrelieved aching and burning pain, often accompanied by fatigue, that leaves its victims feeling exhausted.
Fibromyalgia inflicts terrible wounds that leave no scars, and it is very difficult to treat. While drugs and pain suppressants are available, healthy food alternatives, including herbs and other natural foods, also help in combating the pain and exhaustion associated with the syndrome.
The Fibromyalgia Cookbook is designed to help those who suffer from this affliction to find relief from their discomfort. An introduction by Dr. Alison Bested explains the nature of fibromyalgia and the role of diet in finding relief from its symptoms.The rules are few and Focusing on natural foods and herbs, the authors emphasize pure foods with no additives, the lowest levels of toxins, and the greatest amount of nutritional value. The Fibromyalgia Cookbook contains a glossary which explains the strengths and dangers of specific foods, and 124 delicious recipes, divided
Fibromyalgia inflicts terrible wounds that leave no scars, and it is very difficult to treat. While drugs and pain suppressants are available, healthy food alternatives, including herbs and other natural foods, also help in combating the pain and exhaustion associated with the syndrome.
The Fibromyalgia Cookbook is designed to help those who suffer from this affliction to find relief from their discomfort. An introduction by Dr. Alison Bested explains the nature of fibromyalgia and the role of diet in finding relief from its symptoms.The rules are few and Focusing on natural foods and herbs, the authors emphasize pure foods with no additives, the lowest levels of toxins, and the greatest amount of nutritional value. The Fibromyalgia Cookbook contains a glossary which explains the strengths and dangers of specific foods, and 124 delicious recipes, divided
155 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 15, 2008
I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia in 1996. Since that time, I had tried a variety of things to reduce the intensity of my symptoms and the number of flare ups that I experience. Then, about three years ago, I began noticing how food could either exasperate my health issues or make me feel better, particularly my moods and energy levels.
Over time, mostly through trial and error, I have created a nutritional plan that seems to support my needs, increase the number of good days I have, and is easy enough to follow without feeling like I'm on a diet. In some ways, it's like learning to cook again so I'm always on the look out for interesting recipes that I can adapt as needed. Generally, this tends to mean making two dinners, one for myself and another for my family.
Then, I came upon The Fibromyalgia Cookbook. I was pleasantly surprised. All the things that I had to learn the hard way (no red meat, no refined flour, no refined sugar, and plenty of fresh raw vegetables) were set out in black and white before me. What's more, the recipes were simple to make (even when I'm having a bad day) and tasty enough so that my family actually enjoyed quite a few of the meals and salads.
Over time, mostly through trial and error, I have created a nutritional plan that seems to support my needs, increase the number of good days I have, and is easy enough to follow without feeling like I'm on a diet. In some ways, it's like learning to cook again so I'm always on the look out for interesting recipes that I can adapt as needed. Generally, this tends to mean making two dinners, one for myself and another for my family.
Then, I came upon The Fibromyalgia Cookbook. I was pleasantly surprised. All the things that I had to learn the hard way (no red meat, no refined flour, no refined sugar, and plenty of fresh raw vegetables) were set out in black and white before me. What's more, the recipes were simple to make (even when I'm having a bad day) and tasty enough so that my family actually enjoyed quite a few of the meals and salads.
March 24, 2025
This cookbook starts out with a fairly extensive introduction explaining what fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome are, followed by some specific history and advice. Then there are several groups of recipes, including veggies, fish, fruits, and grains, among others.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the beginning is informational and poses some useful ideas. On the other hand, more than a little of the info is not scientifically backed, just based on anecdotal evidence, and the author occasionally contradicts these findings. I still gleaned some useful information from the history and diagnostic section, and I'll perhaps try out a few of the diet plans, but I don't have a lot of confidence in this author as a knowledgeable source.
So then the recipes. Like most cookbooks, this one has a few recipes that I have to wonder if anyone has ever eaten them, as it just doesn't sound good. But that may be a matter of personal taste. On the other hand, there are a few that I'm enthusiastic to try, and the few that I have sampled have been satisfactory. But then there are some recipes that are along the lines of "sauté the celery. Add pepper. Serve." And I wonder why anyone even bothered to write that down. The recipes are easy in the sense that they don't use rare ingredients or complex cooking styles. But they also assume that the reader has a fairly well-developed understanding of cookbook lingo and can make good estimates of when something is "well done;" if you don't know exactly what "sauté" means, for example, this cookbook will be hard to understand. This is totally fine for folks who are experienced and don't want a lot of tedious explanation cluttering up the instructions, but it's an interesting choice for an "easy" cookbook.
Overall, if you're trying to figure out how most people in the field think of fibromyalgia or if you're looking for some fresh ideas on how to cook veggies, I'd give this cookbook a try. But don't expect it to cure you.
I have mixed feelings about this book. On the one hand, the beginning is informational and poses some useful ideas. On the other hand, more than a little of the info is not scientifically backed, just based on anecdotal evidence, and the author occasionally contradicts these findings. I still gleaned some useful information from the history and diagnostic section, and I'll perhaps try out a few of the diet plans, but I don't have a lot of confidence in this author as a knowledgeable source.
So then the recipes. Like most cookbooks, this one has a few recipes that I have to wonder if anyone has ever eaten them, as it just doesn't sound good. But that may be a matter of personal taste. On the other hand, there are a few that I'm enthusiastic to try, and the few that I have sampled have been satisfactory. But then there are some recipes that are along the lines of "sauté the celery. Add pepper. Serve." And I wonder why anyone even bothered to write that down. The recipes are easy in the sense that they don't use rare ingredients or complex cooking styles. But they also assume that the reader has a fairly well-developed understanding of cookbook lingo and can make good estimates of when something is "well done;" if you don't know exactly what "sauté" means, for example, this cookbook will be hard to understand. This is totally fine for folks who are experienced and don't want a lot of tedious explanation cluttering up the instructions, but it's an interesting choice for an "easy" cookbook.
Overall, if you're trying to figure out how most people in the field think of fibromyalgia or if you're looking for some fresh ideas on how to cook veggies, I'd give this cookbook a try. But don't expect it to cure you.
September 24, 2018
A small and slender soft-cover book printed on non-glossy paper. There are no illustrations or photos: this cookbook is all business! After a two page introduction in which she succinctly sets out the tenets of her cooking philosophy, and a short, two-page glossary, there are “more than 120 easy & delicious recipes”.
The first recipe I tried was Garlic Chicken Breasts. The glaze for them was made with chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and garlic, and they were delicious.
So I tried again: this time with Baked Chicken [Thighs] in Yogurt Sauce
This dish was better than delicious. The chicken was moist and tender, and the sauce cheesy and creamy.
It was easy to make and needed just a few ingredients, all of which I had on hand.
I can’t speak to how using strictly these recipes would affect fibromyalgia but, based on the two I’ve tried, I’m more than willing to incorporate them into my diet. If nothing else, this book seems to be full of easy recipes for yummy dishes. (If only it would lay flat!)
The first recipe I tried was Garlic Chicken Breasts. The glaze for them was made with chicken broth, balsamic vinegar, and garlic, and they were delicious.
So I tried again: this time with Baked Chicken [Thighs] in Yogurt Sauce
This dish was better than delicious. The chicken was moist and tender, and the sauce cheesy and creamy.
It was easy to make and needed just a few ingredients, all of which I had on hand.
I can’t speak to how using strictly these recipes would affect fibromyalgia but, based on the two I’ve tried, I’m more than willing to incorporate them into my diet. If nothing else, this book seems to be full of easy recipes for yummy dishes. (If only it would lay flat!)
January 28, 2019
It's hard to review a cookbook without trying the recipes, but I will do my best. I tried this book because I am planning to do an elimination/challenge diet to help with my fibromyalgia symptoms. There is some good advice on that at the beginning of the book, but unfortunately for me most of the recipes contain some of the ingredients I'm going to be removing. That's no fault of the book, of course. The reason I didn't rate it higher is because it's not super useful to me personally, and because I prefer cookbooks with pictures. I'm sure it could still be very useful to some people.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews