The MS Recovery Diet by Ann Sawyer and Judi Bachrach

Happy Independence Day! May our independence also include greater independence from compromises due to MS through the diet.

Here is an egg substitute I came across instead of using only the EnerG product, Egg Replacer. Use 1 tablespoon ground flaxseed meal to 3 tablespoons water. Let stand 1 minute. Add as you would an egg or the egg substitute. It works!

I was invited to our friends' annual 4th pot luck picnic and knowing my limitations, they put me in charge of a grain salad. I chose to make tabouli since I have an overabundance of fresh mint growing outside my back door. You can use any tabouli recipe you find substituting quinoa for the couscous or you can use kasha (buckwheat) as well. I like the quinoa better as it is a lighter flavor for summer foods.
Additions I like to use besides olive oil, (I use the least amount possible for moisture only), lemon or lime juice, garlic, mint, and parsley are
diced:
cucumber (traditional)
tomatoes "
artichoke hearts
olives
avocados
red pepper
fennel
scallions/or red onions

For dessert my hostess informed me that they are having strawberry shortcake. I would make a rice flour biscuit for myself but i am being extra careful these days to avoid sweets and unnecessary grains. I asked if they could set aside some strawberries just plain for me or if I could bring some other fruit as well- I was told they were using strawberries sweetened with a little agave nectar and would that be OK? I relented for a little sweetener for the holiday- and yes, they have discovered agave for themselves through me. They prefer it and the husband is somewhat diabetic so it works ...

See if you can find other substitutes that are acceptable for any holiday gathering you attend- chicken dogs instead of beef ones, ground turkey or chicken burgers instead of beef, bring a baked potato/sweet potato or your own rice pasta salad, potato salad and so on for a filling starch and just fruit for dessert. Bring your own drink if you have to- that way you can have a good time and enjoy the days after a party as well. Independence from our MS symptoms is worth it.

I didn’t think I needed a reminder but apparently I did! Due to having a very full life while completing a big project (something I am still marvel at doing just 3 years after beginning the diet) I had about a week or two when I was out of my normal routines of eating. I began to eat more spelt products than usual because it was easy when I was on the go. As we have often said before, spelt flour recipes are in our book because spelt is low in gluten although still contains gluten. For folks who have little or no negative response to gluten, it is a good substitute for wheat in baking and baked goods.

But for me, increased spelt flour consumption (in pasta, wraps, sourdough bread) was not so good. I reacted very negatively to an early spring heat wave, including renewed weakness in my left leg, loss of balance, fatigue, inflammation in muscles of my lumbar region- an all too familiar memory of symptoms that I have not experienced for many months. Just three days later of eating no gluten and I am already feeling fine once again.

Knowing that I am in control of my own symptoms is fantastic. I am actually grateful for this reminder. So I pass it along to you.

A quick note to readers- in our emails, folks often are dismayed at an initial increase of symptoms when first beginning the diet. That is not uncommon and is not likely to last. We cannot know for sure what causes it but changing a lifestyle is stressful for any-body at first. We encourage you to have patience and hang in for a few more months to see if positive signs also begin to slowly accrue.

Also, for vegetarians- the question arose as to whether or not eating nuts, seeds, and avocados for protein could substitutes for legumes. The problem with those substitutes is that you’d have to eat a great many of them to get your protein needs met and to initiate healing. And those choices are all quite high in saturated fats, unlike the lean animal proteins we advise. Some people have eliminated their MS symptoms simply by eliminating all unnecessary saturated fats from their diets. (see Ann's latest blog) We cannot separate out one element of a given food from another.

So moderate and rotate! And enjoy the abundance and variety of fresh produce more readily available in the coming seasons.

Stress
S eparation from our higher nature
T rying to insist life be different
R ejecting change
E ffectively frozen
S truggling against, not allowing in
S uffering, without hope

There have been a lot of stress related stories coming from those of you on the diet recently. The economy is hard on us all, relationships are suffering, family dynamics rearrange, and unexpected crises erupt. Inevitably, our health immediately reflects the stress that ensues. Many of you are having to adjust to major life changes which is not easy for anyone, even without MS. What to do?

Remember that this too, shall pass; an old saying that is still true. Somewhere inside of you there resides a strength of character and wisdom to survive your current calamities. Crises have a way of summoning you to be your very best; to turn an apparent disaster into a gift. Try to reconnect to that higher nature with whatever tools and support you can find.

Life cannot be beaten into submitting to our will and when we insist that it does, we remain frozen against the inevitable changes that occur throughout the course of our lives. When we cannot accept the new reality, we add to our suffering by insisting that this should not be happening to us. Our options shut down and we lose our capacity to innovate or work with our lives in new creative ways. When we lose hope, we lose the rising sap to grow new leaves. As we have suggested before, stick to your diet as best you can, rest and recuperate, and trust that when this wave of stress passes, you will resume your physical recovery in tandem with your investment in hope.

I just got off the phone with a woman from Cleveland who is pretty compromised with MS. She has been on the strict version of the diet (proteins and vegetables only)for a year and wanted to thank us for the book and to say how much she has already improved on her stronger side. She gets to a gym 2 times a week and says that her trainer also notices her new found strength. She thanked me as well for mentioning how important resting and napping was to the healing process. It has helped her to keep positive about her needing to close her eyes and considers it the time when a lot of healing takes place. (see Ann's last blog) This woman is an inspiration to me and ended by saying that if anyone in the Cleveland area needed a supportive phone call to keep on keeping on with the diet, she was available for the job. She owns her own business apparently and so is no victim of this illness. Should anyone know anyone who will take her up on her offer, email us at the contact address and we will be delighted to hook you up. We all need support on some days, and we all need to encourage the positive power of healing that the body wants for itself. The diet is a practical application of the invisible aspects of healing- getting the right support when we need it is another.

Depending on where you are located, astronomical spring means a change in the weather patterns- warmer, colder, or more or less rain. But wherever we are it means a shift in the amount of light we receive. Vitamin D is very important for all of us to heal and to stay healthy. (Ashton Embry at ms-direct.org has done a great deal of research on this aspect of MS.) If you cannot tolerate absorbing any of the sun’s rays by getting out of doors for even short periods of time, than you may want to consider getting a simple blood test to evaluate whether or not you will need to take a supplement. Of course, eating fish is another good way to add vitamin D to your diet as dairy products are to be avoided. Ann and I are always inclined to recommend foods as the most natural means that our body has to metabolize the nutrients we need. Taking fish oil caps is an easy method to obtain large amounts of vitamin D as well as all of the Omega 3’s. Drink in your sunshine in moderate amounts and eat your vitamin D whenever you can. Combined with balanced exercise and rest, sunshine can help to alleviate stress and depression, something we may all encounter in varying degrees during these challenging times.