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Whole30/AIP MS


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Hi All,

 

I have recently (March) been diagnosed with MS after a first period of symptoms (numbness in both legs and hands). I received a 3-day monster dose of IV steroids, and the symptoms have slowly disappeared.

 

I have started a mix of Paleo / AIP / Terry Wahls  by half May (still eating nuts and nightshades, coffee, a glass of wine in the weekend, and the occasional honey in salad dressing), but have been whole30 AIP for the past 2 weeks. I feel very good in general :)

 

End of July I have been on holiday for a week and during that week I have eaten quite a few things that are not on whole30 and not on any Paleo list (rice, bread, cheese, beer, beans, some ice cream).. I did not feel any different during that week or after, but that does not mean that nothing is aggrevating my immune system to further attack my nerves.

 

I sincerely believe that gluten and dairy are not beneficial for anybody but how can you figure anything out about the other foods if they are aggregating my immune system while you do not directly feel the consequences?

 

Thanks for any tips on reintroducing foods without symptoms.

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I am sorry you are having to deal with this. I've read Terry Wahls' book and am impressed with the results she has generated. 

 

Your experiments with "reintroductions" thus far have not been meaningful because you have not followed anyone's plan strictly. Eating off-plan foods or indulging occasionally or on weekends does not allow your body to heal adequately to judge your body's response when you increase how much you are eating off plan. Lots of people reason that eating better than they have before is close enough to strictly following a plan to make judgments, but our bodies do not work like that. Every bit of inflammatory, gut disrupting food pushes the reset button and full healing is delayed. 

 

And the consequences of reintroducing off-plan foods can be so subtle and slow to surface that you can easily conclude you are not suffering a negative response. It would be nice if everyone who was sensitive got a belly ache every time they went off plan, but symptoms can be as subtle as having trouble sleeping 2 nights after eating something.

 

When you are dealing with an autoimmune disorder, your safe bet would be to just assume that off plan foods are a problem and you should be prepared for consequences if you eat them. They may be worth eating every once in a while, but that would be maybe once per quarter, not once per week. 

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Hi Tom,

 

thanks for your answer.

 

For me, the MS diagnosis came as a surprise directly after my first (known) symptoms, and other than 'knowing' I suffer from it, it doesn't give me any physical complaints at the moment. It weighs me down more from an emotional / psychological point of view, not knowing what the disease will bring in the future, how it will develop, and nothing 'officially proven' to heal/manage its course.

 

I know my 'reintroduction' was maybe not the best way, had just at least hoped for some noticeable response.. Even though I am feeling good, sometimes it can be a bit demotivating / scary not having any 'proof' of this lifestyle working.. 

 

I'll reintroduce food in a more sensible way after completing the whole30 in a few weeks to see if I can make more sense out of it..

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  • 3 months later...

I was diagnosed with MS four years ago and was put on so many meds. I was up to 61 pills a week and one injection. I was swallowing more pills than food! All had horrible side effects like fatigue, weight gain, depression and dizziness. The disease modifying injections can cause severe depression in many and that was what happened to me. I went off all meds a year ago and I feel so much better. That was my own choice and I would never make a medical suggestion to anyone. To each his own. I have learned to read my body and I can tell you that symptom management is very much linked to food management. Lots of the MS diets are very close to the Whole30 in regards to foods to avoid. The biggest obstacle for me is battling MS fatigue and how it relates to my energy to prepare healthy meals. I'm getting ready to start my first round of the Whole30 plan and I'm thankful for all the tips and inspiration on this forum. I think that big batch cooking on the weekend will save me during the work week so I am less likely to make poor decisions like take out because I'm exhausted. The hardest part for the newly diagnosed it to get to the point of realization that you are not your disease. It takes time, but it's something to look forward to and I wish you all the best!

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  • 2 months later...

I was 'officially' diagnosed with MS 3 years ago, but as I had been experiencing the symptoms for a long time...and kept getting the "well we think its MS but can't really tell yet," that the diagnose wasn't a big deal with me... I knew I had something auto immune and it was almost a relief to have a name to put to it. I elected not to go with the meds after a few rounds where the side effects were worse than my MS ones. Many fellow MS Warriors of mine, have done the Whole 30 program, then gone on to either the Paleo or the Wahl plan -which I thought was just the paleo- but all had great success after the initial difficulties and felt with varying degrees better. So I am committed. A little better is enough for me at this point.

With the Whole 30 week 1 exhaustion and fatigue are my challenges. I find it is hard to distinguish between my MS usual tiredness and exhaustion or is it the whole 30 results working. Simply having the energy to think about preparing a meal, let alone preparing the meal is my biggest challenge and I am thankful my husband is doing this with me. We are taking turns at the planning and preparing meals. I am kinda using him as a guide to how I feel, but he is experiencing things a little differently than I. Is there anything special I need to do to accommodate my MS that I need to know? 

After my week 1 struggles with food prep and meal planning...I get that is SOOOOOO important and am dedicating today and tomorrow to just food prep. Grocery store runs are a challenge as the Healthy Living Market and Trader Joe's is 2 hours away...so its an all day affair. 

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For those who struggle with food prep, look into bulk cooking and also effort-reducing pre-prepped veggies.

 

I can get cubed pumpkin, precooked beetroot and other things at my local supermarket.

Work out things that are worth spending the extra money on (more prep is always more expensive) and what isn't.

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I do take advantage of precooked and prepped items as much as possible. I wasn't able to do as much cooking as I wanted to yesterday, so I will have to throw some cooking on my list today...Simply ran out of energy. I find I can make it through the cooking part most times but the clean up and putting away wipe me out. I just can't stand that long. Has anyone tried those gel mats in the kitchen? Do they really work?

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You might be better off with some supportive shoes or shoe inserts rather than a mat.

 

It doesn't work in every kitchen, but if you can sit down anywhere for any food prep, that can help reduce the standing pressures.

 

Sometimes I do some weird food prep while sitting on the couch watching tv, like chopping up spring onions with scissors or peeling carrots with a scraper.

Not appropriate for knife work though (unsafe posture for any slips or slides).

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