Why low fat?

[rpdwifey2819]

Prior to my dx, I was following the Paleo lifesytle. When I adhered to the diet, I felt AWESOME! When I slipped up and had grains, I felt sluggish again.

Info on what the Paleo Diet is: http://www.fitbomb.com/p/why-i-eat-paleo.html

What I had planned to do was go back on GAPS to heal my leaky gut and then move back to Paleo....
Info on the GAPS:
http://www.healthhomehappy.com/2011/...d-sealing.html

What I am seeing from looking at the MS diets is that they are low in fat. This baffles me since fat is GOOD for our nerves.

So what's the science behind low fat? Just trying to get a good understanding of it all so I can make a good diet plan to benefit my health

Thanks!

[Sequoia]

Prior to my dx, I was following the Paleo lifesytle. When I adhered to the diet, I felt AWESOME! When I slipped up and had grains, I felt sluggish again.

Info on what the Paleo Diet is: http://www.fitbomb.com/p/why-i-eat-paleo.html

What I had planned to do was go back on GAPS to heal my leaky gut and then move back to Paleo....
Info on the GAPS:
http://www.healthhomehappy.com/2011/...d-sealing.html

What I am seeing from looking at the MS diets is that they are low in fat. This baffles me since fat is GOOD for our nerves.

So what's the science behind low fat? Just trying to get a good understanding of it all so I can make a good diet plan to benefit my health

Thanks!

Tara Palmer, our professional nutritionist here at MSWorld, does not advocate a low fat diet. She emphasizes the quality of the fats we consume--extra virgin olive oil, flaxseed oil, coconut oil and organic butter from free-range cows.

She also says it's vitally important to eliminate all trans fats from our diets (hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated vegetable oils).

As far as the MS diets are concerned, some are low fat and some are not; all (to my knowledge) discourage the consumption of saturated fat from feedlot-raised cattle.

[rpdwifey2819]

*phew*

I take coconut oil daily as a supplement (yes- straight off the spoon) and use EVO and REAL butter.

Transfats are not allowed in my house and haven't been for years.

I have no issue tailoring my saturated fat intake if I can't get grass fed/pastured cattle beef. We have some amazing farms here and you can buy straight from the farmer- BUT, its VERY expensive.

Thanks for your input!

[Redwings]

What I am seeing from looking at the MS diets is that they are low in fat. This baffles me since fat is GOOD for our nerves.

No, not ALL fat is good for nerves. Certain types of fat -- essential fatty acids in particular -- are good, others are very bad.

The Swank diet for MS stresses the tight control of saturated fats. The original Swank diet book contained some good research about the effects of saturated fat on small blood vessels and how that all relates to MS (not to be confused with CCSVI). One of the flaws of the book is that all of the cited research was done in the middle of the last century and that there was no current, timely research that related to MS and the new understanding of the disease in the 1990s and beyond. And the current Swank diet website contains no research citations at all (the collection of general dietary articles doesn't count).

If you can get your hands on a copy of the Swank diet book for MS, you can get some explanation of why saturated fat is bad for microvasculature in MS. There's plenty of information around about how essential fatty acids are good for autoimmune conditions in general, and even MS in particular. But the Swank book is the only place I can recall that looks specifically at why saturated fats are bad for MS.

[Mac87]

George Jelinek's 2010 book Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis also contains a good discussion of why saturated fats are bad for people with MS. In my opinion, it's one of the best books I've read on MS. Judy Graham's Managing Multiple Sclerosis Naturally also has a 2010 edition and is an excellent resource. Graham also advocates reducing saturated fat. Hope these sources help!

[Sequoia]

Here's Tara on the subject of butter from grass-fed cows:

http://www.msworld.org/forum/showpos...92&postcount=8

[rpdwifey2819]

Thanks everyone!

[nutritiontara]

Prior to my dx, I was following the Paleo lifesytle. When I adhered to the diet, I felt AWESOME! When I slipped up and had grains, I felt sluggish again.

Info on what the Paleo Diet is: http://www.fitbomb.com/p/why-i-eat-paleo.html

What I had planned to do was go back on GAPS to heal my leaky gut and then move back to Paleo....
Info on the GAPS:
http://www.healthhomehappy.com/2011/...d-sealing.html

What I am seeing from looking at the MS diets is that they are low in fat. This baffles me since fat is GOOD for our nerves.

So what's the science behind low fat? Just trying to get a good understanding of it all so I can make a good diet plan to benefit my health

Thanks!

It is baffling. Fat is not only good for our nerves, its essential for our brain, hormones, immune system and every cell in the body.
When you heat oils, when you eat sugar, when you have poor liver & gallbladder function you better be on a low-fat diet.
Those practices will make even quality fats cause damage.