Follow a low Fat diet and watch a new way of feeling with MS emerge!A Low Fat diet may be of benefit to you if you are living with Multiple Sclerosis. You will hear a lot about MS diets and such but in my case, I am sticking to a low fat diet with certain enhancements or modifications suited to my personal condition and taste. Before I continue, I must remind you to always consult with your doctor or neurologist any changes you are planning to do. You have to remember that we have a chronic illness and we cannot be too careful with our nutrition and our daily diet. Besides, since each of us (MSer’s) are unique and different at the same time, what may be working for me may not work for you, so always, always talk to your doctor before following any Multiple Sclerosis diet, low fat diet or any considerable change to your nutritional habits. I believe that a low fat diet (in our case) or any diet for that matter is for the individual not for the disease. A DIET MUST ALWAYS BE TAILOR-MADE TO SUIT YOUR SPECIFIC METABOLISM
WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH FATS? Today, we hear quite a bit of talk about Fat and about adopting a low fat diet for many good reasons. Fat can raise cholesterol levels in the blood, increasing a person's risk for heart disease. In our case as people living with Multiple Sclerosis, it would be very nice if we could just follow a particular diet to help us all feel better but that is not the case. There is no one MS Diet fits all. My personal experience has been one of cautious trial and error for the most part and I’m trying to follow a low fat diet for several years now. A while back, I started paying more attention to what I was eating normally and kind of watch the effects that certain foods were having on me. I also started to research more information about nutrition and diet to help me with my ms fatigue
HOW MUCH FAT SHOULD WE EAT? The dietary reference intake for fat in adults is 20% - 35% of total daily calories from fat. That's about 44 to 77 grams of fat a day if you eat 2,000 calories a day. Recently, health experts have started to recommend that besides adopting a low fat diet, people eliminate another type of fat called "trans fat" from their diet. This fat, formed during a process called hydrogenation, coverts a relatively healthy unsaturated liquid fat, like corn oil into a solid one. Although this process gives a food longer shelf life, it also makes the fats act like saturated fat in our bodies, and may be worse when it comes to causing heart disease. Health experts recommend removing as much Trans fat from our diet as possible.
VALUABLE TIPS OF INFORMATION ABOUT CERTAIN FOODS Here are several tips and recommendations I have found very useful when trying to follow a low fat diet with my Multiple Sclerosis: Milk Maybe you have already made the switch from whole milk to some kind of lower-fat milk. But the truth is that drinking 2% milk as part of a low fat diet isn’t that much better for us. It still contains 5g of total fat and 3g of saturated fat per one-cup serving. You should really aim for nonfat milk at best, and 1% milk at least. Additionally choose low-fat or nonfat ice creams or yogurts over full fat versions, and do the same for sour cream. Now, I love ice cream and being very realistic about it, I decided to try and reduce its consumption and so far I have not experience any negative effects. Cheese Choose low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese, cream cheese and hard cheeses. True, some hard cheeses don’t melt as well in cooking. Part-skim ricotta cheese or mozzarella are good lower-fat substitutes, though there are also fat-free versions. Try stronger cheeses such as Gruyere, Gorgonzola or Parmesan to add maximum flavor per ounce. Butter and Margarine The problem with butter is its high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol; the trouble with margarine (especially stick margarine) is its high levels of trans fats, which arise from the hydrogenation process that converts liquid vegetable oils into solid fat. Tub margarine and liquid spread contain fewer or no trans fats, and some spreads contain special ingredients that actively lower bad cholesterol. These would be better choices. Eggs Yes, they do contain high levels of dietary cholesterol, yet in other ways they pack a heavy nutritional punch, as a great source of vitamins and minerals. But you can always use egg whites or egg substitutes instead, especially if you have to watch your cholesterol. And even if you don’t, use whole eggs sparingly. Meat Fresh meat and deli meats should be as lean as possible. Watch out for sodium content in the latter. Substitute turkey or chicken hot dogs for beef ones, and try veggie burgers instead of beef patties. But you're not confined only to chicken. Pork tenderloin is now considered as lean as a skinless chicken breast. Fish Fish, preferably fresh fish rather than high-fat fish sticks--should be consumed at least twice a week. Be sure to include even the fattier variety such as salmon, since they contain high levels of heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.
FROM MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE Again, I would like to remind you that I am not a doctor and you should always consult your doctor before implementing any changes that could impact your condition. You must keep in mind that no two persons are exactly alike. Your life is in your own hands. If you want to control and improve your condition it is logical that you should work out what diet your body can tolerate. One of the most well known diets I have ran into is the Paleolithic diet and the Best Bet diet. These are fine diets and could be of great benefit to whoever try them but I am inclined to finding your personal nutritional plan or, if I may, personal custom made diet. I believe you can get started on a healthy low fat diet by starting a gluten free diet, eliminating dairy products as well as white flour, animal fat and processed sugar. If you’re serious about starting a low fat diet then emphasize on fresh or freshly cooked fruits and vegetables, white meat skinless poultry, and seafood.
YOU MUST CUT OUT GLUTEN RIGIDLY As part of your low fat diet for your MS, cutting out gluten means that you should avoid all use of:
All of which contain gluten, and this includes foods made from or containing these grains or the gluten from them, such as Weetabix, Shredded Wheat, Wheat Germ Flakes, Froment, All-Bran, white and brown bread, cakes, puddings, biscuits, porridge, rye and wheat crispbreads, all kinds of pasta, semolina, Bisto, etc. Eat nothing that has even a pinch of flour in it. In this respect your low fat diet must be as strict as that of someone suffering from coeliac disease. I would advise this to everyone I know today. More and more doctors are telling us this nowadays. It is possible that honey and fructose (fruit sugar) maybe less damaging to your system. This is a perfect example of having a personal dieting style or having a low fat diet tailored to my needs and wants. I have been reducing (but not completely eliminated) all dairy products throughout the years and slowly seeing any changes in my MS by doing so. Since I haven’t cut off completely all dairy from my diet (only drastically reduce it) I cannot really say what, if any, impact this has caused on my disease progression. Personally, I believe following a low fat diet along with specific modifications in eating habits, are contributing to my feeling the way I currently do, which is great! AVOID ALL HIGHLY-SATURATED FATS Your low fat diet should avoid including any of the following foods:
Instead try to eat free-range animals (venison, rabbit, poultry) in preference to domestic animals and always remove the fat from your meat.
A MORE DRASTIC APPROACH Some people believe that you should eliminate all foods that contain proteins which have the potential to cause autoimmune reactions. These foods are:
Along these lines, you should also consider eliminating any food that causes an allergic reaction as determined by a body reaction or a blood test. First you should discuss this with your doctor and talk about the benefits you might expect. Please know that these foods can cause increased intestinal permeability (a leaky gut) and increased immune reactions. Also, eliminate candy, soft drinks and foods with high sugar content. These foods alter the gut flora which in turn can cause a leaky gut and problematic immune reactions. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOODS TO REDUCE CONSUMPTION As part of a low fat diet for your Multiple Sclerosis you should try and avoid eating:
RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FOODS TO INCREASE CONSUMPTION
I have taken the following information from the DIRECT-MS website which I have found of great value while researching this topic. Direc MS was formed in 1998 by families affected by MS and based on their experiences they have come up with the following list: Take a variety of supplements to bolster immune regulation, to increase anti-oxidant capacity and to avoid deficiencies. The recommended supplements are listed below. A daily regimen of supplements is an important part of the nutritional strategies for MS. The basic recommendations below are completely safe and have the potential to be of significant benefit.
BASIC SUPPLEMENTS - ESSENTIALS
This is best gotten from pills not associated with any vitamin A. This is best gotten from fish oil such as salmon oil (.3 grams EPA + DHA per 1 gram capsule). 1-2 tablespoons of cod liver oil is also an option but ensure that vitamin A content does not exceed 5000 IU. The addition of 1 tablespoon of flax oil can be of value because it contains alpha linolenic acid, a precursor to EPA and DHA.
BASIC SUPPLEMENTS - VITAMINS
BASIC SUPPLEMENTS - MINERALS
BASIC SUPPLEMENTS - ANTIOXIDANTS
If you wish to read more about Roger McDougall's recovery and how changing his diet really made a difference in his life please click here to read Roger McDougall's Story About Me | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Contact Me New! CommentsHave your say about what you just read! Leave me a comment in the box below. |
