Not long after I was diagnosed with MS I began to research the different things I could implement into my life to manage MS most effectively. I realize there are a lot of different opinions about the most effective treatments, but this is my personal strategy. There are a few different areas that I pay attention to when it comes to managing my own MS and diet is one of them. I’ll touch on the others like supplements, exercise, drug treatment and support in the coming weeks. 

There are a lot of different opinions floating around about how diet can affect MS, and although I don’t claim to be an expert by any stretch of the imagination, I’ve tried to sift through information from my Naturopath, pamphlets from the MS Clinic, and articles and videos I’ve seen online to find the common threads. As I’m learning, I’m continuing to understand the importance of reducing inflammation and providing my body with proper nutrition it needs to feed my brain.

When I first began to research diet and MS the main information I was seeing was:

• Eat a diet high in protein and anti-inflammatory oils (nuts, seeds & cold water fish), and orange, yellow, and dark green vegetables.
• Avoid food allergens such as wheat, dairy, eggs, soy, citrus, tomatoes, corn, chocolate, and peanuts.
• Eliminate refined foods, alcohol, caffeine, saturated fat (animal products), and additives (aspartame). 

So, what I took from that: a ridiculously healthy diet lacking in many of foods I enjoyed. I thought I was going to starve. Not only that, but no more indulgences of warm scones, or mint chocolate bars.  

I’ve always been a fairly healthy eater, but my philosophy had always been, “everything in moderation.”  Nothing was off limits as long as I didn’t indulge regularly. I thought I was healthy so I didn’t really think twice about how food might be affecting my body. 

My naturopath encouraged me to follow a strict diet while she sent my blood away for a E95 Basic Food Panel. This test would measure how my body tolerated certain foods and determine the foods I needed to avoid. Within a few weeks I received the surprising results of my food test.

Basically, any above a number of 100 on the Food Panel should be avoided, and my numbers came back in the 1500’s for all dairy, and almost 700 for eggs. My next highest numbers were pineapple at 715, and garlic at 387. The foods I can occasionally eat, but need to avoid as much as possible are peanuts, oysters, grapefruit, grapes, kidney beans and soybeans. I had no idea my body was intolerant to these foods! 

I now call myself an “Aqua Vegan” because it’s the easiest way to explain it to people. I realize I’m not a true vegan, but it’s easier than giving people the list of things I can and can’t eat, and it’s the best label to use when searching for recipes free from dairy, eggs and most meat. Essentially I am a vegan that eats seafood. Mostly cold water fish, but occasionally things like shrimp too. I’m also allowed to eat white chicken and turkey on occasion, so I sometimes eat them, but my day to day consists of lots of vegetables, quinoa, salmon, fruit, nuts and herbal tea. At first I thought my diet was so limited, but the more I’m learning about different foods, the more I’ve realized how many options I have!

I now::

• Strictly follow a plant-based diet high in protein, anti-inflammatory oils, and colourful vegetables. 
• Restrict foods in the unsafe columns of my Food Panel Test such as dairy, eggs, pineapple, garlic, peanuts, beans, and grapes. 
• Avoid refined foods, caffeine, saturated fat, and additives like aspartame as much as possible. 
• Take in additional nutrients through juicing and smoothies.

While I don’t believe that diet alone is the only strategy for managing MS, I don’t think it hurts. Clearly the things we put into our body make a difference and I’m choosing to do everything I can to keep my body healthy and my inflammation as low as possible. 

Healthy and balanced eating hasn’t cured my MS; I’ve had relapses since I changed my diet, but if I have the choice, I’m going to do everything in my power to take care of my body the best I can. If that means I never eat another warm scone or mint chocolate bar, then that’s the price I’ll pay for the peace of mind that I’m doing everything I can to take care of my body and brain. And, to be honest, even if my diet doesn’t help my MS, I think I’m giving my body the food it really wants anyway!