Feel so much better when I eat right

[ffjosh]

Thought I would share what makes me feel great and maybe others can follow if they want.

I have been playing with my diet the last couple weeks and this is what makes me feel good.

I have found out if I eat too many carbs I feel like crap, Beer really does it to me. Wheat and other good for you carbs do as well. No spagatti for me.

Diet
30-50 grams of carbs from veggies and minimal grains.
lots of protein, lots of good fats (try to do 50/50 split)

My day
morning
Vitamin D
B complex
C
Calcium
Multi
Folic acid
2 fish oils

3 eggs with cheese and ham or turkey.

Lunch - normally
chicken (sometimes ham but i try to stay away from red meat)
blue berries

snack cottage cheese or peanut butter

Afternoon
Copax shot
Vit B 12 (energy boost)
Vit D
Vit C (in winter)
2 fish oil
protein shake

Workout - lift weights

Protein shake
Dinner - depends but lots of veggies and protein packed foods.

If im hungry before I go to bed I will eat some cottage cheese or drink a caesin protein shake.

Not saying this will make you feel great but it sure does me and I thought it would give other people ideas to make there own diet.

Also lifting weights makes me feel really good. If im feeling down I excersise and normally feel better.

[Sequoia]

Good idea for a thread, ffjosh!

I'll be interested to hear other people's responses...I suspect we have a pretty wide range among us, with some things in common.

Breakfast:

Bowl of miso soup with leftover brown rice and cooked vegetables.

Lunch:

Leftovers again...brown rice and cooked vegetables, freshly steamed kale or other greens, small serving sprouted tofu, tempeh or other legume.

Dinner:

Brown rice or other non-gluten grain, stew or soup containing a variety of vegetables and a small amount of tofu etc. Freshly steamed greens. Small serving lightly cooked fruit.

Snacks: Nuts/seeds or a small ball of brown rice wrapped in sushi nori with a small piece of umeboshi plum in the center.

I try to keep the acid/alkaline balance of my diet in mind, staying slightly on the alkaline side of the ledger. I eat predominantly vegetables and grains, a little more of the former than the latter, for a total of 80% of my daily intake. Other items fit into the remaining 20%.

And that's what makes me feel best.

[Sequoia]

Going forward, I suggest we not critique each other's diets on this thread.

Let's just share our own eating patterns in the interest of learning about how each of us lives with MS.

[NYJenn]

I am curious about Dr. Wahl and her experience of going from wheelchair to biking in just 6 months. Hmmmm...

Diet may help some people. Personally, I stuggle just to work up the energy to feed myself something somewhat nutritious. I have to eat pasta and bread. I am Italian and could not live without.

[Sequoia]

There are three threads about Dr. Wahls here on the first page. You can just scroll down and find them, if you want to read more.

[jenphilly]

I kept a log of what I ate to see what foods bothered me...

Regardless of what bloodwork shows, gluten is a major problem for me. My doctor has tested me every way he can think of for celiac and sprue, but everything comes back normal. Yet everytime I have even a single cookie, my legs are totally in spasm by the next morning.

I thankfully deal well with most other foods and have found some great options for gluten free items to substitute for pasta and breads (Chebe products are a god send and I can even make my own pizza that tastes like pizza!!!).

I don't drink alcohol much, never have, but when I do, it kicks my butt in a big way the next day also.

Jen

[NYJenn]

Interesting. I've never thought to watch for a correlation between my diet and symptoms.

My symptoms do not seem to come and go. It's a steady accumulation. I think my diet is pretty good. Not great, but better than most. Very little alcohol.

I guess the way to find out is to start eliminating food groups to see if they have any effect. Is that what you did?

[Sequoia]

Interesting. I've never thought to watch for a correlation between my diet and symptoms.

My symptoms do not seem to come and go. It's a steady accumulation. I think my diet is pretty good. Not great, but better than most. Very little alcohol.

I guess the way to find out is to start eliminating food groups to see if they have any effect. Is that what you did?

There are a lot of threads on this forum about the effects of dietary change on MS. You might want to do a little browsing.

[GandalfRA]

Morning-Hemp protein, walnut milk, banana, bluberries, organic vanilla and ice.

Mid morning-Papaya and pineapple.

Lunch. Organic chicken or turkey, big salad. Everything wrong free dressing.

Afternoon. Apple.

Evening. Larabar cherry flavor organic bar.

Afterwork. Almonds, walnuts.

Dinner. Gluten free spaghetty (gluten free) with shrimp or chiken/turkey with big salad.

Sometimes I have a Larabar brownie flavor bar watching a movie late at night.

I don't eat any legumes, dairy, soy, gluten and eat less than 20 grams of saturated fat per day.

I feel great (for having MS ), trow away the cane, recover my balance and lost 42 pounds in 6 months (I do not care much about this part).

I do not dare go back to my old diet, I had 2 "attacks" or "relapses" in 10 months. I loved dairy, cured ham,ribeye, pizza, primerib, rum, cigarrettes, pasta,etc. I was in good shape because I trained like a maniac in the gym but I can see now how unhealthy I was eating.

[nutritiontara]

Ffjosh: "feel so much better when I eat right"

Just thought it needed repeating

[diomed]

Hi all.
Diet is one of my biggest concerns. I know it is important.
I have been eating more fruit, veggies and chicken.
Gluten free stuff tastes awful..I'm sorry but I would rather not eat if that is what I need to do.
We are on a very limited budget as well, and "healthy/specialty" foods are too expensive.
Even fresh produce adds up.

It's depressing for me since I am the one with special needs in my family.
I just don't know what to do. I want to feel better but I literally cannot afford to(my family needs to eat too).

[Sequoia]

Hi all.
Diet is one of my biggest concerns. I know it is important.
I have been eating more fruit, veggies and chicken.
Gluten free stuff tastes awful..I'm sorry but I would rather not eat if that is what I need to do.
We are on a very limited budget as well, and "healthy/specialty" foods are too expensive.
Even fresh produce adds up.

It's great that you're eating more fruit, veggies and chicken!

When you say that gluten free stuff tastes awful, I assume you're talking about packaged food such as bread, crackers, cookies and so on. It isn't necessary to eat any of those things; you can prepare simple, tasty, gluten-free meals at home without using any "healthy/specialty" foods.

As for fresh produce, it's ideal, but especially in the winter it can be expensive. Frozen vegetables/fruits are a good alternative that's usually cheaper, especially if you stock up when it's on sale.

[diomed]

Thanks for the reply...I have never tried the gluten free cookies, etc..lol. I have only tried the pasta...Blech. Honestly, I don't have time or the energy to try to cook/bake from gluten free flour, etc. So, I will stick to what I am doing and add more veggies. I have always bought frozen...So no change there. Fresh fruit is actually more expensive than frozen vegetables. Frozen fruit is cheap but only good in smoothies. I might have to incorporate that and use it as a possible desert.
I do have a question about sweeteners though. What are no-no's? Is sucralose OK? I don't use aspartame(don't like the taste). I do have a bunch of organic honey made from a local farmer but haven't used any yet. Sugar, although more natural, I don't use.
I think the worst thing about changing my eating habits is having to not eat what everybody else is eating...Grrrrr...

[Tinkerbell65]

HI Diomed- I am by no means an expert so please take my comments under advisement When I was diagnosed in May, I pretty much went gluten free right away. When I switched neurologists (my new one heads up the ms clinic here) she told me that gluten free was good, but that I also needed to give up artificial sweetener and high fructose corn syrup. She even advised against stevia and agave saying that since they are still processed there's still something that might be bad for us. I think pure honey is fine- and yummy.I sometimes feel the same way you do about not being able to eat what everyone else does (insert violins here), but try to focus on the fact that many of these things are really what everyone should be doing. Sorry for the long post- I tend to yammer. Hope some of this helps!

[diomed]

HI Diomed- I am by no means an expert so please take my comments under advisement When I was diagnosed in May, I pretty much went gluten free right away. When I switched neurologists (my new one heads up the ms clinic here) she told me that gluten free was good, but that I also needed to give up artificial sweetener and high fructose corn syrup. She even advised against stevia and agave saying that since they are still processed there's still something that might be bad for us. I think pure honey is fine- and yummy.I sometimes feel the same way you do about not being able to eat what everyone else does (insert violins here), but try to focus on the fact that many of these things are really what everyone should be doing. Sorry for the long post- I tend to yammer. Hope some of this helps!

lol. I tend to yammer too.
Thanks for the tips. So, sugar in my coffee then? I am so used to splenda. Bummer. If no sugar, then honey? Does honey taste Ok in coffee. I have never tried it. I cannot drink coffee without some sweetener in it. Damn. I can't give up my 2 cups in the morning. I know it doesn't help with the bladder but I do keep it in check.
Thanks for you quick replies.