Best diet for ActiveMSers

[Sourayon Chanda]

Hi guys,
I am new to this group, and look forward to the interaction!! Could we talk a little bit about the dietary restrictions for a person with MS, and what type of food works best to control?

[Suebee]

Hi. I'm new too. I've adopted supplementing omega acids. I've used primrose oil, no burp fish oil, and currently use flax seed oil. I take b12 and d. But a particular diet has been harder for me to adopt. I want science supported concepts and reasonable to adhere to. Any suggestions?

[havingfun]

Hello, I'm new here too. I have been playing with what diet makes me feel better for a long time. For my family, boils down to the diet they recommend for many diseases, whole grains, lots of fruits and veggies, healthy fats, and not as much animal protein as the typical American eats. Personally, meat disagrees with me so I am a vegetarian. I eat lots of eggs and occasional fish. For 4 people we can't fit all the fruits and veggies in the frig when we do our once a week grocery shopping and it is nearly gone by the end of the week. My favorite grains are steel cut oats and brown rice both of which can be cooked up ahead of time and heated up in the microwave. We also eat brown rice pasta. We love beans. We add lots of olive oil to almost everything to make it taste good. My family eats whole grain bread but I find it makes me achy if I eat too much so avoid it. Dairy has dire consequences so I don't eat any at home. Sugar & anything with simple carbs makes me achy within minutes. That said, when I go out to eat I enjoy within reason. Pizza is sometimes worth the after effects. The diet that makes my husband and daughter feel their best is slightly different than mine.

[LisiK]

I just finished reading The Wahls Protocol by Dr. Terry Wahls. I thought is was a very interesting read and I think she presents a lot of good information about dietary choices, exercise, stress, etc. I also like that she presents three separate eating plans as many people would be unable/unwilling to comply with the most strict eating plan.
My opinion is to eat lots of fresh vegetables and fruits, lean protein, healthy fats, and some whole grains. Basically remove processed foods and sugar/sugar substitutes from your diet. I find that fast food (ie burgers and fries) and take-out type Chinese food especially worsen my fatigue and increase my symptoms.

[keb70]

low sat fat/vegan-ish works best for me

Hi! I've been diagnosed since 1992 and have been eating a vegan (occasionally vegetarian - ovo and goat lacto) diet since 1996. It had a VERY dramatic positive effect when I first started, and I believe it has helped me maintain pretty well all of these years, with about 1-2 manageable flareups/year.

I'm still mobile and generally "OK" - having just crossed over into SP mode about a year ago (yuk). Finding Dr. Jelinek's book this year really confirmed to me that the diet I've been eating all along has been such a big help. I've added the tweaks/mods he suggests, and am feeling reasonably good.

I recommend following this diet/reading this book to everyone who will listen....

Best wishes!

[RonRuns]

Hi Sourayon,

I've been vegetarian for more than 22 years, much before MS and before becoming a runner and triathlete (I've been diagnosed two years ago).

We all want to find anything that help with MS including diet. Be wary because nutrition is something that a lot will say have the perfect solution, usually it's not.

My main advice is go with a diet that is good for anyone. Avoid fad diets, diets that say will solve all your issues, etc. Eat whole foods, avoid processed, stay at the perimeter when going to the supermarket and only go in the isles to get food that has few ingredients (some say max. 5 ingredients on the box or bottle).

Do you have insurance and does your insurance cover for a nutritionist. If so, go see a certified nutritionist or registered dietician. They are trained to learn the science of things and avoid the fad diets.

Good luck.

. Ronald

[hscott72]

I'd like to re-iterate what Ronald said. I've been borderline vegetarian and minimal dairy my whole adult life and still developed MS (and have been an extremely active outdoorsy person). I take diet and excercise very seriously as helping maintain my resilience but dietary changes are extremely unlikely to halt the disease itself.

[Vanessa]

It's been a few years since this thread has been active, but I wonder if you've made any changes to your diet. I've been vegetarian for about 22 years (only one year into my official diagnosis), and have adopted a gluten free diet since diagnosis. I was never a huge drinker, so quitting alcohol was an easy thing for me. Never drank soda and have cut caffeine from the diet as well. As far as supplements go, I added a multi to my diet, as well as: burpless fish oil, turmeric, b12, probiotics, and vitamin D. Trying to do as much as I can in addition to my DMT. Making turmeric capsules, by the way, makes them way more affordable than buying.

[viriditasJay]

Diet

I’ve had MS for 47 years. The first 25 I didn’t know. I’ve worked and played hard. The Drs think the heavy work took a physical toll, but was probably good for the MS ironically. They wouldn’t have thought it years ago. My diet has been pretty good. One mistake was solid white tuna for many years. Didn’t know about the heavy metals. Dr Wyals diet is good. In the diary in the back though she says she was doing 700 grams of kale a day if I remember correctly. I could never eat that much. Just good food, real, no pesticides. Don’t like to preach, but pesticides are neurotoxins and could be the cause of the uptick in neurological illness.

[MarkD625]

New to the forums...diet is a big thing

Hi everyone...I have been active my entire life and enjoyed the benefits of working out and running and cycling. Then came an injury at work and MS on top of that injury. I have struggled to keep weight off and also struggled to find the motivation to and energy to stay on top of everything.

Recently I began meal prepping on Sundays so I have good, balanced meals throughout the week and don't have to eat out for lunch everyday. I have started reading Medical Medium which highlights some different ideology but I have found the food and diet recommendations helpful.

I start with a protein shake...protein powder like Quest and Vega plant-based protein powders are my choice. Add kale, nonfat greek yogurt (plain), raspberries, blueberries, a banana, flax seed and spirulina powder...I find myself having plenty of energy for the day and often make it through noon before I feel hungry. I bring almonds, dried coconut and celery for a snack in between. I boil chicken breasts in olive oil and season to taste. I have switched to brown or wild rice and steam veggies on the rice cooker (has a steamer basket that sits on top). Add a baked sweet potato with a dash of cinnamon and lunch is set. I am by no means a nutritionist and one may even scoff at this diet but it has been working and has me down two pounds in four months and dropped my triglycerides too...not too bad for just a diet change.