Eating & drinking with MS... - Multiple Sclerosis Message Board

mlong121 · 06-04-2006, 12:36 PM

Is there anything you have changed in what you eat & drink and can you tell a difference?

StephanieAnne · 06-04-2006, 12:48 PM

I drinik alot of water, try to eat whole grains, fruit, salads, stay away from the white foods, potatoes, white bread, pasta, ya know all the good things, and it helps with my energy level. I do stray, I'll have fast food, or pizza or chinese with MSG and I pay for it in the long run. I don't really drink soda, or juices, occasionally coffee, and green iced tea, but mostly water.

Prior to MS, It was balogna sandwiches with potate chips for lunch, bagel and cream cheese for breakfast, lots of diet soda, candy. cookies, pasta. pizza, I ate what I wanted. I wonder if what I ate contributed to MS

mlong121 · 06-04-2006, 12:56 PM

Thank you for your quick response. Yep I love soda and sweets that will be a hard thing to give up. Hopefully all my family members will have a good outcome from that junk not being in the house.

LaLady · 06-04-2006, 01:19 PM

I took the opposite stance. I decided living with MS was a big enough punishment; I will enjoy the foods I like.

I am a researcher and have never seen any conclusive information that diet will change my MS.

My Mother is a holistic medicine practitioner. I grew up with that stuff!

sunshine149 · 06-04-2006, 02:20 PM

I believe in the old adage that "you are what you eat." But, even having said that, it took 9 years of living with MS and researching deeply into nutrition, before I made the leap and changed my diet drastically. I started 3 months ago and I firmly believe that it is the only way for quality of life, in living with this disease.

It has made a tremendous difference in my energy level and I have lost close to 20 pounds (unexpected benefit). My thinking is clearer and I feel happier (and I'm sleeping better than I ever have). As good as this all sounds, it didn't happen over night. I felt really good for the first 2-3 weeks and then I seemed to revert back to some symptoms that were bothering me before I began the nutrional changes. Then I turned the corner again and some symptoms that have been giving me problems for the past 9 months have abated. I am hopeful that they will stay gone! I do not feel like it is a "cure." I've had to learn to listen very carefully to my body. A few years ago, I had stopped eating some things that noticeably made me feel terrible: pasta and potatoes. So, it wasn't a real hardship for me to start to eliminate other things.

I have also stopped eating: dairy (all dairy including yogurt), wheat, corn, peanuts (and other "legume" nuts), beans and absolutely all refined sugars (including most pre-packaged convenience products). The bulk of my diet is made up of chicken breast, fish, walnuts, almonds and other seeds, rice as well as lots of fresh fruits and veggies. Luckily there are many products out there that use rice as a base, rice cakes and crackers, so I can still have a salty snack!

I am hopeful that I continue to feel well. It's impossible to be a "purist" about these things. I have cheated once or twice. Although I did note to myself that it wasn't near'y as enjoyable as I remembered and I did feel icky afterwards.

Excercise is also very important. I try my best to walk 2 miles 3-4 times per week as well as do light weight training (5 pound weights).