Need good MS diet book

[ndm0795j]

Just wondering if Tara has an MS diet book I can buy? Really want to start eating in a way to help my body with MS symptoms. Also any suggestions would be appreciated.

[Montcaret]

Go to pinterest and look up foods for MS, there is a cute chart there that I have been following...AS WELL as reading about diets in the different general ms books.

[misslux]

IMHO, there is no "best" MS diet and they all differ, but a common thread in all is to cut out processed foods and eat more whole foods. It's a good baseline to get started with.

[MSer102]

Apparently Tara is no longer at MS World and I don't remember her recommending any diet book.

It looks like the 3 most applicable diets are found in Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis - both the book and the website (overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org), the Swank Diet - book and website (swankmsdiet.org) - and the Best Bet Diet for Multiple Sclerosis (website direct-MS.org and web search for international diet groups).

All 3 of those put the emphasis on MS. But we're more than MS and I think we should pay attention to how diet affects our overall health including things like heart disease and cancer which are responsible for the most deaths in the developed world. MS itself not so much and most people with MS will die from something besides MS.

For overall health there are diets recommended by Dr. Daniel Amen - who is focused on overall brain and body health - and Dr. Joel Furhman - who is focused on micronutrients and overall health for a lifetime. Both doctors have several shows on PBS and several books available to buy or get from the library.

What all of the diets seem to have in common is that they are primarily plant based with some low fat animal sources for protein. NO processed foods which supply calories with little nutrition. No foods that are pro-inflammatory. So in that sense it doesn't seem to matter if you follow an MS diet (the 3 MS diets are all a little different in what they allow) or a general plant based diet based on maximum nutrition for calories eaten and minimum calories from simple carbohydrates and pro-inflammatory foods.

Dr. Fuhrman emphasizes GOMBS - greens, onions, mushrooms, beans & berries, seeds & nuts. I don't remember the MS diets focusing on the nutritional value of individual foods. The Swank Diet originated with an emphasis on minimizing saturated fat - not so much on maximizing nutrition.

So I think there are 2 different ways to look at a diet plan - an MS diet that's easy to identify with or a general nutrition plan that recognizes that we are more than MS. But I think in the end they're all a lot alike.

[Scope Dope]

I think that if you focus on a meal plan that has a lot of green leafy veggies with plenty of fruits, nuts, and seeds with minimum meats and dairy you will be fine. As for seafoods, cold water fish; put salmon or halibut types with shrimp on the menu.

My food research concludes with B vitamins as a foundation for MS or other neurological issues.

Scope,
Dx PPMS since 5/2010

[ndm0795j]

Thanks to all of you for your suggestions. You gave me good advice and sources to research.

[BigA]

I HIGHLY recommend the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis book. It is based on 30 years of research by Dr. Roy Swank, which is the original MS diet. I do believe there is a difference. The book is also an excellent education about the different aspects of the illness and how to best live with it in a positive way. It's not your usual "Fatigued? Try to do fewer things" kind of book. Get it from your library or on Amazon.