diet

Food plays a large part in our lives, giving daily pleasure, helping us celebrate special events, share time with our family and friends and so on. But what about our health? Rarely a day passes without a new diet or a food-related health message or scare hitting the press. An internet search on diet and MS will yield a huge amount of information, much of it conflicting. So how do you separate the grain from the chaf, and decide what is relevant for you?

Tip: Plan menus and shopping lists so you will have appropriate ingredients and meal ideas at your fingertips. Get family and friends on your side. Explain that by offering encouragement, they are doing something positive to help control your M.S. (information supplied by the Multiple Sclerosis Research Centre).

Quick Reference to Good and Bad Foods

Foods to eat

Polyunsaturated fats and oils

Oily fish and white fish

Lean red meat, poultry, game and offal

Quorn, Soya and Tofu

Pulses – peas, beans, lentils, baked beans etc

Salad, fruit and veg (fresh or frozen)

Dairy and Low Fat Dairy

Skimmed/semi-skimmed milk

Eggs (up to 3/4 per week)

Wholemeal and Wholegrain foods

Bread sticks, crispbreads, tea cakes, crumpets

Plain biscuits and muesli bars (in moderation)

Nuts – hazelnuts, chestnuts, almonds, walnuts

Seeds – Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame seeds

Sugars in moderation

Decaffeinated drinks, herbal teas, soft drinks, water

Alcohol in moderation

Foods to avoid

Fried foods

Saturated fats and oils

Blended or hydrogenated fats and oils

Fried fish

Fish tinned in unspecified oil

Fatty meat, poultry skin

Processed meat

Stir fry vegetables with saturated oils

Chips cooked in saturated oils

‘Gold Top’ milk

Full cream (‘Silver Top’)

Greek Yoghurt, thick and creamy yoghurt

Whole milk products

Excess hard cheese, including vegetarian

Grains – Muesli with coconut

Cakes and biscuits, slimming biscuits or bars

Nuts – Brazils, coconut, cashews, peanuts, peanut butter

Excess teas, cocoa and coffee