June 30, 2013

selection of Japanese foods and sushi Living in the shadow of an RRMS diagnosis, I feel as if there is little within my control.

But, I can control what I eat and drink.

Coffee – no more than 3 a day. I’ve been gluten free for 8 years which I do credit for the length between relapses.

Now I am low-sat fat. This means no fat milk in my coffee. All fat trimmed from lean cuts of meat. No chocolate, or chips. No more peanut butter on hot toast.

But, I couldn’t be happier. There is enough evidence out there to suggest that even if diet isn’t a cure, it does no harm and may be effective management.

So today, I bought 20 kilos of carrots, 3 kilos oranges, 2 bunches each of celery and beetroot. With left over oranges, mandarins and apples, juiced up 5 liters of juice to have each morning with my fish oil, vitamin d, iron, cranberry and glucomsomine.

Breakfast isn’t my thing, but juice and coffee is. I did my weekly grocery shop. We have lean pork and veal mince for a bolanaise sauce with some shredded spinach and mushrooms. Lean topside steak to have in a stir fry with roasted capsicums and other veggies. A chicken to have in a curry chicken soup with rice.

And each morning I throw into my handbag an apple, mandarin, and banana.

Not purely Swank, Jelinek, or Wahl. But something I can live with, today. School seems divided on meat or no meat. I have chosen lean meat, with fish once or twice a week. School is also divided on nuts. I have a dish of nuts and dried cranberries on my desk at work. Better than chips or chocolate. And for days when lunch is not an option, they keep me going.

We are all on different journeys. I don’t know how different mine would have been if I hadn’t gone gluten free, or if I didn’t have chips and chocolate as my go to foods with anything else that was fried and gluten free. Would I have had my last relapse?

It has been 6 months. I am pushing for another six months. I will share with you my good, the bad and the naughty so you can judge. By the way, wine is now my go to food!