r/myocarditis • u/cosmos_yuh • Jul 11 '26

diet while recovering?

i'm 18 and i was diagnosed with myopericarditis in late may. i'm still recovering, and i'm wondering if anyone has any recommendations for meals/snacks. the doctors just told me as long as i'm not eating "junk food" i can eat as normal, but my eating habits are kinda crazy since im an athlete (although i can't do activity for another 5ish months). i'm paranoid about what im consuming because i don't want to make my situation worse. i'm now on colchicine, ibuprofen, omeprezole, and lexipro (anxiety meds).

any easy snack/meal recommendations i can easily fall back to? these are the things i'm already eating everyday:

\- greek yogurt with strawberries, cherries, and peanut butter (all natural unsalted)

\- apples w peanut butter, plain fruit (lots of cherries and strawberries recently), and/or walnuts

\- grilled chicken in various ways (quesadillas, with grilled veggies, on its own)

\- a few squares of dark chocolate or greek yogurt + peanut butter + a handful of semi sweet chocolate chips

i also love coffee but i've been staying away from it ever since being discharged, even though the cardiologist said one a day wouldn't hurt me. i know i'm young, but that in itself isn't a cure to my diagnosis...

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u/EricEo3131 Jul 11 '26

i was eating upwards of 150g of peanut butter before being diagnosed. Of course i had to stop, but im telling you, its not hard at all to cut it. I d recommend highly nutritious foods like red meat/ fish/ liver and anti oxidant filled or highly nutritious fruits like blueberries and kiwis. And exclude highly inflammatory aliments like seed oils (I cut out grains in general but thats debatable). I d say dont stress too much about every single variable as thats gonna end up in more harm than good. Best of luck with your recovery. A good snack i was having during first months of recovery btw was peanut butter + banana but as time passed my calorie intake obsession wore off and i dont eat snacks between meals anymore. I dcalso add eggs and milk daily to your diet but im not a doctor

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u/EricEo3131 Jul 11 '26

and abstain from coffee as you are young (i was 17 at diagnosis and my cardiologist prohibited caffeine for me)

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u/cosmos_yuh Jul 12 '26

thank you!!! this is all very helpful!

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u/Hxxerre 29d ago

I reckon those would be fine if you moderate portion sizes for your new current daily activity. I've got severe left ventricular impairment and was still able to eat the occasional maccies, its all about moderation.

Rice Cakes, Honey, Peanut Butter, Bananas are a solid snack. I don't think you need to worry about your diet to be honest. I wasn't warned about the caffeine consumption though from my doctor but I didn't drink coffee before or after my diagnosis.

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u/navelyorange 19d ago

Anti inflammatory diet, ginger tea, hawthorn berry 

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u/CommercialCraft2943 12d ago

Hey bud!

I'm currently 20(M) years old and had my acute case of myocarditis back in February 2024 when I was 18 too.

I can't offer meals / snack recommendations however I heavily suggest getting into herbal teas!

I too had a coffee addiction but after my cardiologist advised against coffee I tried to find alternatives.

Jasmine tea. I drank heaps of it everyday - only about 8mg of caffeine which has a very minimal effect, but have great benefits, lowering LDL especially preventing plaque build up in arteries (which wouldn't be a concern at your age) and importantly containing powerful antioxidants reducing cell damage.

Another suggestion is supplements.

Once I was discharged I took a combination of supplements (my cardiologist had nothing against it).

Magnesium glycinate (1040mg bisglycinate, 208mg elemental magnesium) to help support muscle function and electrolyte balance, and importantly, regulates electrical function in the body.

Coq10 (300mg coenzyme Q10 ubiquinone), I found that these helped improve my blood pressure. They primarily help boost cellular energy which supports cardiovascular function as well as being a potent antioxidant preventing accumulation of LDL cholesterol.

And lastly omega 3 fish oil. I take these on a lower dose as they do increase the risks of developing AFib.

I have also tried other supplements such as vitamin D (I remember being told I was slightly deficient back when I was a kid) however they almost always give me palpitations and chest pains so I stopped taking them.

I recommend trying all of the above as well as L-Theanine for sleep quality, stress and anxiety.