Diet and supplements

I have been reading a lot about "diet and supplements" for ms.

I know diet is very important for everyone but does anyone on here have any success stories to share?

I know I don't always follow a healthy diet...

[RoyceNewton]

Define a healthy diet Sister. What do you expect to achieve. Heart healthy is possibly the best. Supplement with things that you do not get enough of. Vitamin D for sunlight, CoQ10 for satin assistance, Vitamin C is good and I am a big an of Turmeric Circumin. Start off there, and slowly build up your knowledge base. Go to a health foode store and ask questions.

[Hidden in reply to RoyceNewton]

Smile. I know there are a lot of examples of healthy diets. Just reading where people claim that with diet you can change or reverse ms. It sounds like mostly vegan except salmon. And a lot of different supplements. Giving up coffee! No dairy, gluten-free, no red meat, no chicken, no beans....sounds pretty drastic. I have tried to be fairly healthy with diet. Will see what the neurologist says and go from there. Thanks.

[RoyceNewton in reply to Hidden]

load of rubbish Sister, no diet stops or reverses ms, just taking your money and making life miserable, no coffee impossib le

[Hidden in reply to RoyceNewton]

Gotta have my coffee!!!!

[Frances_B]

This is the best article ever written about "MS Diets". There is no confirmed proof that any diet will work to "heal", or "overcome" your MS, and some can be downright bad for your health with excluding whole food groups based on unsubstantiated claims.

foodmatters365.com/multiple...

Many of these so-called "MS diets" can be expensive to follow, and there can be a risk of mental health issues in people who are vulnerable to overdoing it - there is a newly recognised problem called "orthorexia", which is an obsession with "healthy eating".

self.com/story/orthorexia-w...

I've noticed that many of the followers of "MS Diets" are quite obsessive about what they eat and easily fit into the orthorexia description. They also do a lot of "victim blaming" - making statements such as "the XYZ diet didn't work for you because you did't follow it 150%".

A lot of the "MS diets" do promote one really good thing and that is to stay away from junk food and eat fresh vegies and fruit. Many people claim to feel better on one of the "MS Diets" but this is generally due to them finally reducing the amount of crap they shove down their gullets and actually eating some real food - like vegetables! You do not need to exclude foods such as grains, or gluten, or dairy, or any other substances on the basis of unsubstantiated claims it will help your MS - there is no proof whatsoever that removing these foods from your diet will help MS, and doing so is really only necessary if you have a medically proven allergy or sensitivity - one confirmed by a legitimate medical practitioner and not some "alternative practitioner" or naturopath. It is also best to stay away from unproven diagnoses such as "candidiasis" - which some charlatans want to claim is the cause of many disease. Becoming a vegan or a paleo diet follower is equally unproven to help MS.

The Mediterranean types of diets are widely shown to be the best for overall health, and you do not need to fork out lots of money on learning about them, or signing up to some program for any "special MS Diet" which will just try to empty your bank account by selling you expensive supplements to address all sorts of deficiencies you supposedly have. Just be sensible in your research, and realise that there are all sorts of vested interests masquerading as people who just want to "heal" or "overcome" your MS.

And I completely disagree with Royce's advice to "Go to a health foode store and ask questions" - they also have a highly vested interest in trying to reduce your bank balance, and you are likely to walk out their door with a big bag of expensive goodies which you will basically piddle down the toilet.. There are some supplements which are acknowledged as having benefits for some people with MS, but the only universal one is Vitamin D3.

[Hidden in reply to Frances_B]

Oh thank you so much for all your insight with this. The more I read the more I agree with you on this. After reading their claims, they wanna sell you a book or cookbook.

[Goldilockssearching in reply to Hidden]

If you eat better you’re going to feel better. It’s not really a secret 😂

I’m with Frances_B !

[RoyceNewton in reply to Frances_B]

You have a point about health food stores, I had knowledge going in so I was fgorewarned, you maybe not so much, I am sorry., you have a gtood point mate.

[Frances_B in reply to RoyceNewton]

Royce - after way too many hours researching unbelievable amounts of MS "stuff" relating to diets and supplements and vitamins etc etc etc I have plenty of knowledge, which is why I don't go anywhere near "health food stores" - they are generally only healthy for the store owner's bank balance

Nobody owns a "health food store" for any altruistic reasons - they are businesses and the owners require a profit and don't really care about customers' health - they just want to sell them expensive supplements to pee down the toilet but they flog their products "nicely" and with enough apparent concern for customers' well-being that they encourage repeat business and hence maintenance of profit margins and EOFY bottom lines. And there's plenty of healthy food in ordinary every-day supermarkets - it's called vegies and fruit.......

[RoyceNewton in reply to Frances_B]

You will jnot get any argument from me, I much prefer fruit vege wild caught meant and pasture raised non GMo pesticide free meat

[Sassysmom]

I think we're all in the same boat to a degree. My family doctor really pushes a "plant based " lifestyle. I'm good with that. Cows eat plants so that's plant based right? Same with chickens and pork. But seriously, everything in moderation and go for less meats and more fruits and veggies. I make a huge pot of vegetable soup with 1/2# of ground beef in it. Same with chili. And for ham and beans I use about 3 ounces of ham to a huge pot.

I'm also diabetic and have chronic kidney disease. So limiting salt, meats and carbs is the goal. The reality is that no added salt is acceptable. I buy low salt and never add salt. I've had to add cottage cheese and yogurt due to low phosphorus which means bone loss. So I am getting more carbs than I want.

Hang in there. Don't jump to this or that fad diet. If your insurance covers it getting a referral to a licensed dietitian is helpful. If not there are a lot of reputable sites that can help you determine what types of food you can eat and to make recipe makeovers. Don't set yourself up to fail by choosing a very restrictive diet but start by eliminating small things that aren't good for you like pastries and carbs like chips and candy. Set yourself goals you can meet.

[Hidden in reply to Sassysmom]

Ice cream and coffee?!

[kdali]

I tried a lot of those diets and supplements! I have settled on keto/carnivore and some magnesium when I need it. I hope you find something that helps you!

[4fishylady]

I'm with Frances B on this one. A Mediterranean type diet is best as it is also heart healthy. I have been eating that way for many years and at 76 have been doing very well. I keep trying to lose a little weight, but I am not terribly overweight, just need to add in more exercise. My supplements are fish oil 1,000 3 x's day, turmeric, magnesium, V-D3, CoQ10, V-C 2,000 per day, leutine, probiotics, mannose-D, alpha lipoic acid, and 2 oz. wine. I had to stop the multi-vitamin due to too high a level of V-B6, which can cause nerve damage. The wine is for an inherited cholesterol issue which was not made better with Lipitor, (which I have stopped). I prefer muscadine wine, but my Neuro said that any type of alcohol will work, just use a small amount.

[Jan4you]

I remember asking my neuro is she knew of any good diet to follow, she didnt, huh?

REMEMBER INFLAMMATION is the culprit for any disease. Inflammation on the brain leads to cog fog, symptoms worse, like systemic inflammation pressing on our nerves.

plant based reduces inflammation and healthier than taking anti-inflammatory drugs for such chronic condition. Tears up your stomach and affects your immune systm.

Follow Dr Gundry on youtube. HE literally studies food and cultures that don't get sick like us in USA.

Cows, chickens, even fruits are given chemicals to plump them up, including in the grains they eat. Even if eggs say, "cage free' its a marketing gimmick. Has to be pasteurized eggs for animal products we put in our systems. Food industry has become too toxic for our immune system.

So i tried it and started to lose weight, no cravings, even ate a salad for breakfast, what? lOL

AND my sleep and SYMPTOMS improved or went away.

Remember, meds can help AND hurt our systems, liver and kidney as they try to metabolize daily meds which can in itself make our systems slugglish. Eventually all meds reach their potentiality, and may even stop working.

Dr Gundry has a great cookbook and most helpful tips. He's a former pediatric transplant surgery who is now an expert with our immune system and foods.

[IFwczs]

There is such a thing as the anti-inflammatory diet: no sugar, gluten or dairy. Eating gluten is just really stupid, after everything we have learned about it.

[Frances_B in reply to IFwczs]

Yes there are some diets and foods which will help reduce inflammation but they are not necessarily those loved by many "alternative" practitioners and naturopaths, and I agree that the vast majority of us eat way too much sugar. However, a major problem is that what has supposedly been "learned" about gluten is not properly substantiated by sound scientific evidence, and much of what is promulgated about avoiding gluten is from practitioners who also believe in other unsubstantiated "conditions" (like "candidiasis") as a cause for many health problems. Double blinded tests/trials done with people who haven't actually been formally tested for gluten sensitivity/allergies but are totally convinced that they have a gluten problem has shown that gluten is not the problem people want to believe it is. (It's far more likely to be a FODMAPS issue.)

Even a lot of the so-called evidence for avoiding diary comes from very dubious and unsound "research" which is in some instances well over than 40 years old and is just plain silly - like ancient claims that MS is more common in geographic locations where people consume more dairy - but no consideration of the role of Vit D or that more dairy is produced in cooler climates, or any other factors. Unfortunately, folk like McDougall insist on using this crap "research" as supposed substantiation for their insistence that people should avoid dairy products, they also claim it contributes to people developing Type 1 diabetes. FFS.

[IFwczs in reply to Frances_B]

Some highly respected Integrative Medicine MDs recommended to me the anti-inflammatory diet, which includes no sugar, dairy or gluten, among others. From what I have read and these recommendations, I know better than eat it. Not sure what proof and evidence you are looking for, but that's good enough for me.

[Midgey_Midge06]

I have read Wahls Protocol and really like her take on things. She is on facebook i believe as well. She doesnt “claim” anything. She just tells u her view and ya its mostly getting rid of junk food. Sugary processed food is bad. Veggies and fruits better. Esp if u can grow them ur self.

[TexasLawman]

I take Vit B12, D3, and Tumeric. I’m on a see good diet. In moderation, I see it, I eat it. White proteins, dark green vegetables, and dark red fruits. And chocolate pie! Can’t forget the pie.