MY MSed UP DIET
Treating any chronic illness/disease is a delicate process. It is crucial to treat the whole person. The entire form-fit-function of who the individual is and will continue to be is at stake. What we eat, how we think, when we exercise, how treatments work or don’t, what homeopathic treatments can be offered... All are necessary to assess and treat the PERSON with the disease, not JUST the disease.
A Neurologist provides the drug therapy suggestion and guidance. A Therapist helps navigate the mental health and wellness aspects. A Physical Therapist helps with the mobility challenges, recovery and recouping motor skills. A Personal Trainer guides us through how to build muscle and endurance. All of these people are critical to the journey we take once we are diagnosed with an illness/disease.
The largest gap I have seen in treating the ‘whole person’ with the disease is the advisement, adjustment, and maintenance of a strict diet. Not a diet for weight loss or toning. A diet focused on how to keep the body ready to fight, win, and move forward every day as we battle our disease. Not one single doctor ever suggested I see an MS focused Dietitian to support my body, it’s functionality, and symptom management through a modification of my diet.
How strange is it that the thing I do most often [EAT] isn’t being reviewed in-depth to coordinate with my drug, physical, mental, and mobility based treatments?
Why are there medical diagnosis being delivered to patients without a dietitian’s appointment referral along with it? Why would the medical industry fail to provide patients with all of the tools for total success along with their pharmaceutical drugs?
**Spoiler Alert**There is a whole conspiracy theory about the idea that if doctors focused on a patients foods/diets more, less people would get sick… so then less drugs / doctors would be needed, and people would self-heal without medical intervention… and therefore big pharma / doctors would make less money…. Healthcare vs. Wealth is tricky… It’s a vicious cycle of questions without answers.
I had my MS diagnosis without a dietitian recommended, but made the decision to seek out my own dietary protocol for my own MS journey. The fact is that many diseases can be prevented or the symptoms can be reduced simply by adapting our diets to what our body does or does NOT need in order to function at its best.
I encourage people with any kind of medical concerns, illnesses or diseases to meet with a registered dietitian and/or leverage online tools and resources to establish their own personal diet protocol. We are unique. 1 out of 7.8 billion people. Our diet, diseases, needs, and goals are not cookie-cutter, they are extraordinarily complex. Some diseases thrive on fats and proteins. Others have adverse effects to gluten and sugar. It is about allowing your body’s chemistry and the disease functional processes to be aligned with your diet in order for your body & mind to operate at their best.
My MSed Up Diet:
I went vegan 2 years before I was diagnosed with MS. I became a vegan to help reduce some of my more acute medical issues that I was frustrated by and it worked. I maintained the vegan lifestyle to support my body and myself fully. When I was diagnosed with MS, I asked if I was missing something in my diet and if my vegan diet may be a contributing factor to my disease… I was told by my team of doctors, “being vegan is likely a contributing factor for why you aren’t showing more obvious symptoms of your disease”.
Ever since my diagnosis, I have been leveraging my care team and medical journals to help formulate my personal MS Protocol Diet. A custom list of Yes/No/Maybe foods for me to use as a guideline for my dietary needs. The foods I can indulge in, those I may never have again, and the ones that are good in moderation.
No, I am not deprived of life’s joys and wonders as a result. No, I don’t want a bite of your pizza… okay yes I want a bite of your pizza. Yes, I miss ice cream. No I will not likely ever go back to eating meat or dairy. I consider my vegan plant-based diet to be a choice I make that is rooted in facts and is substantiated by my own health, and wellness. It worth it and is at the core of why my disease is well managed both physically and mentally.
I am not demanding that anyone change their diets to vegan or cut out their beloved foods. I am just encouraging the question of what if you could never have that beloved favorite amazing food item again… would it kill you? Would you move on without a second thought? What if I told you that removing that one food from your diet would mean you’d never have that discomfort and agony again… worth it yet?
Here is my diet protocol: Not limiting. Empowering. Not sad. Inspiring. Not hungry or starving. Enriched and full. Not impossible. Complete and whole.
YES: Plant-based wellness with whole foods and rich flavors
All Fruits & Vegetables
Lentils, Quinoa, Brown Rice, Oats
Seeds (Flax, Chia, etc)
Soy & Legumes
Spices (Garlic, Turmeric, Ginger, etc)
Tea / Decaf Coffee
LIMIT: Reducing saturate / high fat products and avoiding processed foods
Peanuts and Tree Nuts
Nut Butters
Caffeine, Added Sugar and Sodium
Vegetable Oils
“Meat / Dairy Free” Substitutes
Avocado’s and Date’s
Processed / Frozen Foods
NO: Removal of any animal-based bi-products, gluten and fast foods
Processed Fast Food
Sugar Alternatives
Wheat / Gluten
Poultry, Fish, Meat
Eggs & Dairy
Alcohol
Coconut Oil
Yes, I know it is complicated. I understand it is frustrating to people who don’t understand. I realize it isn’t easy.
I wasn’t promised simple. This isn’t a magic one-time-only pill. I was offered the opportunity to find comfort, reduced flare-ups and symptoms, improved quality of life, and achieve measurable improvements on my personal health and wellness beyond my MS. That is enough for me.
Not easy. Worth it.
Charlotte Raejole