Overcoming ms...diet?

Views and experiences? New to all this …not yet diagnosed but looking into oms. I think i will be able to up the good foods and reduce/ cut out the bad …but…i am a food lover and dont think i will ve able to cut out meat and pasta…or the occasional drink/ chocolate. Will there be any benefits to following this but not strictly?? Stupid ms seems to have taken all i enjoy :frowning:

Hello worried… please do not live up to your name. MS is not taking anything from you; you are merely having to adapt to a new set of rules.

I adhere to the dietary advice given on ‘overcoming ms’; essentially the Swank diet. i cannot definitively claim it has done anything for my situation and the disease i have, but whilst sounding anecdotal, i do enjoy a far greater quality of baseline health; ie. more energy, fewer cold and ailments, cholesterol levels of no concern, lower blood pressure etc…

Being a food lover, (and i hope this means an indulgence of quality and not just quantity) you will find that some things are verbotten: i miss dairy and was just getting to grips with the world of stinky cheese; and i used to love a nice slab of cow on my plate.

But with the need for adaptation, i have switched to goat’s cheese and venison / elk / kangaroo and ostrich. I still eat pasta, but not the cheese filled ravioli etc. I still enjoy the booze unabated. Didn’t smoke. Limit myself to very few pieces of 70% choc. no more cheesecake. no more ice cream. but frozen yoghurt are good these days, and a fruit smoothie (given the right ingredients and quantities) can be awesome.

I was told early on that MS is the perfect excuse to treat yourself to only the best of things; and that is very much inclusive of foods and drinks (and rest and relaxation) and so treat yourself like royalty! Your health demands it!

Good luck and buon appetito!

What other cheeses are ok? What about lean lamb or chicken for meat? And what type of yoghurt??

Pretty much none of them. If it at all related to a cow, then you will be surprised how much saturated fat exists within it.

I mentioned goat’s cheese, but to be precise, i have only found one (spreadable) that is low enough in saturated fats, that the permissible portion is worth it.

What about lean lamb or chicken for meat?

i never eat lamb. always seemed too fatty and i wasn’t a fan.

Poultry is fine, but not wings or drumsticks; white flesh only.

All fish are good to go.

And what type of yoghurt??

i don’t know. you will need to get used to reading labels.

Dear Worried

Some people follow a special diet. Not all. Personally I feel I have a reasonably healthy diet anyway but it’s not a “special MS diet”… It’s jut how I like to eat. e.g. I don’t eat meat anyway but I eat cheese - I don’t drink alcohol hardly at all but I eat chocolate - I don’t smoke but am very slightly addicted to crisps… Everything in moderation does you good as they say.

Don’t feel like MS - even if you get a positive diagnosis in due course - needs to take over your life completely. You can still be you. There are things you’ll have to adapt to for sure, particularly if and when you get ongoing disability or symptoms and/or need to start taking DMTs. But take your time before you go crazy giving up things that make you happy. The illness doesn’t need to define or replace who you are. You’re still you, and don’t be afraid to express that by continuing to enjoy what you enjoy. Adaptations will come slowly as you need or want them.

Good luck!

Angela x

4 Likes

Hello,

Most supermarkets and delicatessens will sell a non-dairy cheese either in a hard form or a spread. It is usually made from coconut, so you will need to watch out for the level of saturated fat you will be eating. It is quite oily and is probably an acquired taste but worth a try.

As for yoghurts, try the Alpro range as they are all soya based. There are many flavours and I eat a lot of these, mainly on my breakfast.

Like Paolo, I follow the Swank diet. I feel a lot better for it and I enjoy the variety it offers. I have been following it for about six months now, but I had been a vegetarian since the 1970s, which means I can offer no advice about meats.

Best wishes

Alun

1 Like

I wish there were a multiple ‘like’ button. Those are such important points that Angela is making.

Alison

1 Like

My old ms consultant when I asked about diet said"you can fill your life with chasing dietary cures and in my experience they do just that fill your life, eat a healthy diet and get on with life you have MS and diet won’t make it go away" that was nearly thirty years ago. My PPMS has carried on gradually getting worse and I have and still do eat what I like. SWANK diets were not for me. Don

3 Likes

If theres a dairy or gluten free alternative, I take it. If theres not, I eat that whole tub of ice cream…i want to enjoy my life.

I exercise on resistance and cardio regularly and keep stress to an absolute minimum (its mostly in your attitude imo).

Also keep high levels of antioxidant foods in my diet.

Its possible to achieve a very low gluten/dairy diet without too many changes, I am relapse free for three years this monday :slight_smile:

I would also second what Don says.

Woohoo my first post. I’ve been following the oms diet for ~6 months. I pretty much stick strictly to it but I don’t find it a huge burden, I was already pretty much veggie anyway. If anything, the addition of fish/seafood to my diet has made eating out/easy meals easier so the transition hasn’t been sooo bad for me.

I still drink alcohol on occasion (think the oms book even says it’s good in moderation but I personally think there’s some bias in the stats on that one) and oms isn’t gluten free so pasta is fine. I eat no chocolate, I don’t eat any meat (I’m considering eating game but I probably won’t) but the diet does allow lean meat - it’s a personal choice for me too. No dairy, I also avoid coconut and limit how many nuts I eat. I’m not so strict to the degree that if I order soup and the bread is buttered then I won’t eat it but if I remember then I will request for it not to be buttered.

I exercise quite a bit as I’ve always been a keen mountain biker (it’s getting more difficult but I’ve recently bought an ebike which is awesome) and I do 40-60 mins of stretching most days too.

I don’t know if the diet is going to help but the literature (and I’ve read quite a bit to check if stuff claimed in the book stands up) seems good to me, I’m no neurologist/biologist though. From my point of view if it /could/ help then I’ll do it BUT if I found it a massive imposition on my life and/or it made me miserable then I wouldn’t do it. I love cooking and sometimes enjoy the challenge of making meals that fit the diet. I’m also lucky in that my girlfriend will cook if I’m having a can’t be arsed day and is really supportive too so cooks adhering to the diet. There’s also an OMS recipe book that can be useful for ideas.

The diet isn’t for everyone, but the book is free so you have a read and see if it’s for you?

I absolutely do still take DMT (tecfidera).

There’s also a bit more info here too: Dr Swank healthy eating diet. - Everyday living - MS Society UK | Forum

​Sorry, I seem to have gone on a bit of a ramble here…

1 Like