MS Diet?

[JemmAus]

The Aus MS society sent me the latest book by Professor (oH BLIMEY - has professor got one f or two s's????)

Prof George Jelinek's new book, "Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis", which has a whole approcah to tackling this fun. he has MS, his mother suicided when her MS got too much for her to bear.

Anyway, the bit I am fascinated in is the diet. Cut out all saturated fats, dairy, red meat. As much fruit and veg as you like, white fish, olive oil or flasxeed oil instead of butter, vegetable oils etc, rice or almond milk instead of dairy milk. Oh no tomatos, potatoes etc from that family as they are inflammatory.

It's all backed up with heaps of scientific stuff.

Has anyone tried this diet? If so have you noticed any improvement? I am going to try it. First I am cutting out the dairy (SOB). Vegetable oils isn't an issue as I only use olive oil anyway.

Let me know your thoughts...

Jemm "(who will miss lattes)

http://www.overcomingmultiplesclerosis.org/

[sllowe]

I've done my fair share of digging for a balance diet that makes me feel good. Prior to and also when MS entered my life. Funny they use the word overcome... this is misleading, indeed.

I read about antianflammatory foods as well. Sounded good. I especially was interested in those blueberries you can send away for over the net. I didn't do it, but someday I may order them.  If even to throw into my cereal like I did when I was a kid after picking bushels full.

My thoughts are that we have to do what makes us feel better, while also knowing none of it will cure us at this very moment. Shame we have scrutinize good and not-so good info. But such is life, where cureless diseases are concerned.

I admit, I always feel better (especially my taste buds!) when i indulge in a soft vanilla ice cream cone with chocolate sprinkles! Mmmm, mmmm yummy. Those blue berries may be a good topper too!!!

(((hugs)))
shell

[willowwoman7]

My neuro recommended the "MS diet" which he said in a nutshell is as low fat as possible. He claims is as simple as that. I've been following it. I eat everything almost fat free, chicken and fish occasionally, use egg beaters instead of eggs. I've lost 47 pounds which is great!

I asked my pc about the above diet and he said this has been recommended for only about 18 months after long term study and he recommends it as well.

[lovemy6monkeys]

I'm not too up to date on the various MS diets. I have one friend who has gone completely dairy free and says she notices a difference. She said if she cheats then she will feel horrible the next day.

In august I started the South Beach Diet to try to lose weight. I already eat a good majority of the foods SB says are "good foods", 100% whole wheat bread and pasta, lots of veggies (I like veggies more than fruits). I'm not too crazy about most meats, so 90%+ lean ground beef a couple times a week, and boneless skinless chicken breast the rest of the time (I do not like seafood besides tuna salad). The Phase 1 of the diet is a detox period. You cut out all carbs, so no bread, pasta, rice, fruit, and some veggies. You eat more lean meats and veggies.

It is supposed to be for 2 weeks. The first week I did fine, though I was not hungry much by the end of the week, and I couldn't bring myself to even look at chicken LOL Soon after that, I pretty much fell apart. By about 10 days into the diet, my vertigo returned. I was exhausted. I started having vision problems and pupil dilation problems. I was twitchy. My sister asked if the diet was causing it. I'm not sure if it was or not, but I know I was in a relapse, and DH convinced me to end phase 1 a bit early and add in the healthy carbs again. It took about 2 weeks to start feeling better. The only good news is the return of the vertigo was what pushed my doctor to make the MS diagnosis and offer DMDs.

So, on one hand, it was a good outcome...but on the other hand, it is not worth it to me to do the strict diets like that. I eat healthy, I try to control my portions and my sweet tooth, but I allow some treats (like todays dinner is going to be mac & cheese, made with whole wheat pasta to be slightly healthier, because my picky eater son requested it. The rest of the week will be extra healthy dinners to balance it out)

My opinion is just like MS is different for everyone, I think the results of any diet will be different for everyone also. Good luck! I hope you have great success with it!
~Jess

[HVAC]

When MS was first mention to me in 2007 I felt pretty powerless especially since no one would call it and start treating me. I decided to get in the best health I could be in over all. I started exercising as I could. It ebbs and flows with weakness and pain.

I gradually started changing my diet. Very gradually. Now I do not like processed food.  I go to the farmers market and get meat locally or buy organic. I only shop the perimeter of a super market.

I eat lots of fruits and vegetables. I started my own gardens. I have gradually lost inches from my waist. I still have about 15 pounds to lose.

My goal is to be as healthy over all so I do not have extra health problems and to reduce my weight as I lose more of my mobility.

I have had all kinds of blood work done. I do not take supplements and have high vitamin levels. My blood pressure, cholesterol, and glucose are good. My vitamin D is 70.

I am not sure if it is helping with MS but it has helped my over all health and my depression is way down and I am not taking an anti depressant. I am not even using my asthma medicines as much.

I have a strong incentive with having to spend $15,000 out of pocket for medical this year alone. I simply can't afford the cost of extra illness or food with empty calories.

Alex

[JemmAus]

As I said, it's not claimed to be a 'cure" of any description, just part of an overall healthy way of living with your MS. And the whole thing is backed up with stacks of scientific evidence.

As I said, the diet is part of a whole thing:

medication
exercise
meditation
diet

[supermum_ms]

I'm compelled to comment on the 'diet cure all' phenomenon, i put it that way because if you look you'll find a diet for just about anything. One of the problems with this is that if there is any truth to the diet, it looses legitimacy through all the hype and pure bullderdash claims!

I was unfortunately thought as a nutter by dr's when i kept on saying my son was food and chemical sensitive, specifically colours, flavours, preservatives and dairy, this was before the science backed up these 'nutty parental claims.' My son was a no brainer, put something he was allergic to in his mouth and watch what happened, it only took a minute before his body reacted.

The main problem was the out landish claims of Autism being cured by diet, that wasn't a belief of mine but just because he had a dx of ASD and i'm saying he needed a special diet was enough for the deaf ears reaction, the fact that he was actually allergic to the things i claimed were harder to get acknowledged because of all the diet cure hype.

I think a 'healthy' diet has it's place with or with out an illness, though i dont believe diet will cure ANY underlying disease, it will help you feel better byond just the placebo effect but not take the disease away or alter its course. Specific diets are not for the faint hearted, you need full dedication and belief to alter a life time of eating habbits, most people do not keep them up because they are difficult and they are ususally very restrictive, that restriction is often overwhelming!

If anyone is thinking of changing their life style then 'good on them' but keep it real, use legitimate scientifically proven methods and dont go hanging your hat on a 'cure' because there just isn't one, YET!

Cheers.......JJ

[JemmAus]

Cheers for that! Yeah I figure even if it doesn't alter the MS course, it's actually good for you (as long as your get enough calcium and protein from foods other than dairy / red meat) so I think it's worth a shot..

[JemmAus]

Yeah, the book references Swank repeatedly. The implication seems to be saturated fats are the Evil Doers.  He says unless you are gluten sensitive, there is no reason to NOT ahe gluten products.

the diet is only one aspect of the "overcoming" bit. he recommends one of the DMDs, steroids for acute attacks, exercise, meditation, diet and supplements as a complete package, not just diet alone. I am just muddling through the diet aspect of it as a start....

My sister took the book from me because I was feeling overwhelmed, and she is going to summarise it for me. I am having a Week of Denial.

But once my head has decided to go forward again, i will happily have a look for all these diets Quix..

Jemm In Down Under Denial Land.

[jujuminx]

Jemm-
  I have been on a "diet" like this for about 2 1/2 months (since I first realzied that I probably had MS).  I have always had some dairy issues so kept them to a minimum in my diet but now I don't have even a bit of it.  No gluten, red meat or soy as well.  

  At first I wasn't very hungry (I think I was a bit depressed and scared to death that I really had MS) so it wasn't difficult to stick to it. By the time I got my appetite back, my taste buds had changed and I really enjoyed the food I was eating.  

  You learn to improvise. Now when I got to starbucks I get herbal tea.  I use almond milk with brown rice cereal (but don't have this too often). Fruits, veggies and fish are my main staples along with olive oil and I drink lots of water.

  I cannot say if it has helped b/c my typical flare/relapes have pretty much followed the same course whether or not I have been on this diet or not.  This past flare/relapse was the worst and has virtually gone away but I cannot say if that's due to the normal course or helped b/c of this diet. All I know is that I am not changing a thing for now.

  For some reason my body does like this diet as I feel great, sleep well and have a ton of energy.  So I do recommend it as some said earlier, it certainly doesn't hurt you health to follow this eating plan.

  Good luck!  Julie

[Quixotic1]

That diet is very similar to the Swank diet from Dr. Swank here is Portland.

I was noticing that one diet eliminates gluten and claims to improve MS, while most of the others encourage all whole grains and claim to reverse or improve MS.  It would be interesting to dredge up all the big diets and print their recommendations here so we would have it for comparison.

They all encourage eating whole foods and eliminating or lowering red meat and dairy.  I think that the reason for the red meat and dairy is that both of these foods contain small amounts of natural trans-fat.  Gluten is another topic.  One group seems to imply that MS is really a gluten sensitivity, while others just note that many people feel better eliminating gluten.  And Gluten Sensitivity (Celiac Disease) is certainly an MS mimic.

I would like to see all the diets compared.  Jemm, you game to ferret them out?

On a darker side, donating books so that they will be given out by the MS Society is a somewhat fraudulent way of marketing.  Overcome implies a cure.  Unless the Society puts their stamp of approval on the diet as a way to "overcome" MS.  If they send it out as a version of a healthy diet, but without evidence that this will cure MS, then it is a sleazy move, in my opinion.

But, people often ask us about the diets.

Quix

[Lulu54]

I have a taste for iced chai tea latte but don't dare indulge myself too much.  I gave up the coffee after my heart attack and have had fewer than 10 cups in over 30 months.  It is such a rare event that I drink coffee I can almost tell you exactly when! :-)

GG is so right about the sensible diet  and that fits into just eating healthier for all the right reasons. ... one of these days I should try giving up the dairy, but for now my habit is the ice cream.

[Guitar_grrrl]

I've tried variations on this theme, and I've had no difference in symptoms.  I follow Michael Polan's advise: Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.  By food, he's talking the real deal - fruit, veg, a little meat (make sure it's raised right, and not on a factory farm) or wild fish.  The thing that I cut out (and I do feel better for it from a digestive standpoint) is dairy products.  My tum feels good, and DH is grateful ;-))

[JemmAus]

The Aus MS Society was given several hundred copies and these were on offer to MSers, and my MS nurse recommended it. I am not sure if the society is endorsing it or not........

Luckily I like tea lately. since this latest major relapse which started in February, I have had major taste chages in food, one of which is tea. I always hated it prior. I think I am turning into a Brit.

My coffee machine will get all dusty...

[Lulu54]

Jemm, who is going through latte withdrawal, was this book sent to you by the MS society of Australia or was it received through Professor George Jelinik's group?  

There a big difference, because there are a lot of folks out there claiming a diet can cure/control MS.  Many many scientific studies have been done studying the diet claim, and not a one of them has held up to thorough inspection.  the Swank diet is another good example.  

the Dean Ornisch diet for heart disease does hold up under study, for being able to reverse artherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) but it is so rigid, and involves a major commitment to total life style changes.  It has not been shown to work on MS though.

If you go to amazon and put in overcoming multiple sclerosis you will return a whole bunch of book titles that all claim to control or cure MS.  

I would be remiss if I didn't also point out that many people have gone long periods of time without a relapse - that's the mysterious part of this relapsing/remitting disease.  Perhaps this is why the professor has gone 11 years without a problem?

There are people that swear by these diets and I have to say that I don't think they do any harm.   In fact, if you follow these diets your general overall health should improve because you will most probably lose weight, reduce your cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and remove the refined foods from your system.

As with any diet or major change in routine, be sure to discuss this with your doctor.  There may be unknown to us reasons why it is not advisable in your case.

Good luck with the latte detox!  ;-)

Lulu