Do you ever ask yourself why food is known to damage you, but not to heal you, to make you feel better? Why do the media and doctors say that you should eat less of this and less of that? Why food x caused y condition and nothing is said about what you should eat for a healthy system? I do to. Even more after being diagnosed with an autoimmune chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. I not only choose to quit sugar, but gluten and dairy too. Let me tell you why.
Last time I wrote about this issue (find it HERE) I was on a positive wave, or more well said, going through a constant good and calm state of my life. What I failed to remember was that life is a roller coaster. I didn't pay enough attention to the fact that the Black Knights (more about them HERE) are bound to come back and trash my efforts of leading a healthy life.
I'm talking about those moments when you feel so upset or tired, that you just need an ice cream or some chocolate. Eating sweet or tasty foods helps you feel better almost instantly (or at the bottom of the can, in some cases).
But that's the real problem. Our brains have been wired from an early age to know that we can find comfort in eating. What nobody told us was how to better manage what and how we feel. How to identify and balance the emotional roller coaster life has prepared for us, and do that without food.
For me, choosing not to eat gluten, dairy and sugar came as a no brainer once I did my research. And when I say research, I mean spending hours upon hours finding out how casein and gluten can mimic other proteins in the body and how sudden insulin spikes put the body into deep stress (and get you fat in the process). I have the notes to prove it! :))
I still have the same principles and ideas, only that now I am more aware of how moments of angst, fear or anger can make my hormones and neurotransmitters fluctuate, and thus somehow make me crave the foods that I know very well can make me feel bad.
On a rational level, it's all good, and I stick to the plan about 80% of the time. The other 20% is dependent on how I'm feeling. That's why I now focus mostly on balancing my emotional state, as it is the root of all evil. Kidding, just the root of cravings (which are equally as bad :)) ).
All this "I'm changing my diet!" is in fact a process, with its ups and downs. But nobody really talks about failure. About cravings, about how it's all connected to the way we feel, not only by logic and willpower. The stricter the diet, the most prone to failure it is. Especially if you go through hard moments in life.
Here's where self-compassion comes in. I used to get upset with myself for eating some gluten or having some dairy, or for eating chocolate at certain times of the month. The trick is to allow yourself to indulge for a bit (if you're feeling really crappy there's no use in making things even worse) and then return to your usual eating habits. The problem begins when you continue on a downward spiral and eat mindlessly, going over your own decisions.
At the end of the day, we are all free to make our own choices, but just make sure they align with the rest of our lifestyle.
The following months we'll go deeper into what it takes to become stronger: body, mind and spirit. To become the architect of your wished lifestyle. To become #strongerthanMS.
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Today’s article is centered on a topic that has been part of my MS management strategy since the month of being diagnosed. It’s the first thing that came to mind: how can I take care of my body in order to minimize the possible effects this condition might have on me at some point.
It might seem like common sense to eat well, get your body moving and having a good night’s sleep, but in dealing with MS, they become crucial, as your body is attacking itself and needs all the help that it can receive in order to have a chance to fight back.
MS is primarily or at its early stages an inflammatory disease. To me it makes a lot of sense to do your best to reduce that inflammatory state. All these three elements are potent inflammation fighters, if used right and on a regular basis.
FOOD
Our bodies constantly renew cells, giving us new tissues, organs and a whole new body in just a few years. This is why what we eat it crucial to our health. Imagine your body as a dirty glass, the dirt in it being all the junk and processed foods we have, all the toxins and damage done by intestinal inflammatory processes throughout our lives. And now imagine opening the faucet and letting fresh water pour over the glass. What happens? At first, nothing much, the water fills the cup and then overflows. But if you let it on, the dirt will finally clean away, it will melt and let the glass cleaner. Not entirely clean, there will be harder bits remaining (scars), but you’ll end up with a clearer vessel.
Eating healthy foods and as little processed or cooked as possible will get you similar results. Stick to it, make it part of your identity. Train to battle MS.
EXERCISE
Exercise is another must-do when your body faces getting weaker. Long story short: MS aims to get us totally paralized. There! I’ve said it! It gives me chills everytime I think or say it, but it is a fear I understood I must face from this year onwards. It has been at the back of my mind for a while now. But you know what they say about your “enemies”: keep them closer than your “friends”. And this year I will do just that: face my fears, say them out loud.
It’s the same thing as when my mother and I took our first airplane flight together. It was a first for the both of us, but she was more scared than I was. I don’t know exactly why, but heights don’t scare me. Not being in control does. So, she was so anxious about turbulences and getting safe to our destination and although I tried to calm her down, she had her fears. So I decided to say her (our) fear out loud: “What is the worst thing that could happen? The airplane falls down and we die. That’s it! Can we prevent it? Can we do something about it? Then why bother? Worrying is of no help. Just enjoy the ride!”. She looked surprised and a bit shocked, but in the end she agreed with me.
Likewise, what is the worse that can happen with MS? You can become paralyzed, have major pain or die. Can you prevent it? Can you control it? Can you do something about it? No, but you can make the ride the best it can possibly be. The ride is your life and you can help yourself by moving your body. Do whatever you can do.
We all have different capabilities and MS affects us in different ways. There are MSers who do thriathlons and others who are bed bound. There are people who are afraid to get heated up or to get out of the house. There are people who have pain and decide that they can’t push through.
But YES, YOU CAN! YES, YOU CAN! “Use it or lose it” one expression used to say. I’m not mean, I’m not forcing you do do anything that you can’t or don’t feel comfortable doing. It’s just that I saw it to be possible. I see examples of people that do it. Of course that at the same time there are people who can’t. There are all kinds of situations. There are all kinds of snowflakes. #NoTwoTheSame, as Shift.ms says.
Our bodies are made for movement. As long as you can crawl, do that. Get better ar crawling. There is no shame in wanting to survive. There is no shame in wanting to live and get better. People make it so hard by having big egos, by being so influenced by what other people say about them, about being judged.
It might sound unbelievable to you, it might seem like I’m B.S.ing you, but little by little, I come to understand that there is no ego, there is nothing to be ashamed about. It is all in our minds. We humans are independent beings, and when we face losing that, we get scared, we refuse to accept it. But at the end of the day, who are you to feel that way? There are thousands of people going through the same battle everyday. Some push through. Be one of those people. Constantly. Make it a life quest: "Be on top of all my struggles!"
Be dignified enough to push through the struggle. It’s the hardest thing you might need to do, but it’s why God allows you to live. To make a difference, to be humble and to be more open to what others are going through. We are so selfish and think that our lives are the most impacted ever.
Open your eyes and see how many are in the same or even worse situations. Stop complaining and start acting and doing something to fight back. Get on that eliptical and peddal for as long as your body alows you, stretch your upper body half while sitting in the wheelchair, smile if you are bedbound.
You are a wonderful human being. Don’t feel sorrow. We all face the same end. There’s no need to make the road there even harder than it is. Cry, hit something, yell, journal, confess to a priest, pray, get it out of your system.
And then smile. It calms your soul.
REST
Sleep is the key element that binds the first two together. We eat, we move, but the body needs to rest and recuperate after all this effort. It needs to regenerate the organs, to recharge your energy supplies and to tend to the body.
We sleep in 1 and a half stages. It has been recommended to sleep at least 5 stages like this, meaning a minimum of 8 hours a night in order for sleep to be efficient.
Of course, when you have MS and fatigue as a symptom, no amount of sleep can make you feel rested, I agree. But you must go with the flow. Do your best in managing your daily activities and hacking the life out of your tasks, as to help the body recharge. I’ve writter about this here. I will also come back with even more details about sleep and how well it correlates to what you eat and how you move.
INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION
Nobody said that you can cure MS by doing these three things. That would be just junk talk, delusional and counterproductive. When MS hits you, cause it will, it’s best to be prepared and a little more stronger than you were yesterday. You’ll get through it with possible less damage, you’ll raise up the chances of recovering faster after a relapse.
These three are not miracle cures, are not whishful thinking, but ways through which you can take care of yourself, in which you can help your body cope with life with MS.
It’s like healing the wounded. It’s fighting back. It’s not giving up, accept your faith and drown yourself in anger and frustration. Be assertive! Take control of your life as well as you can.
Why give in? Why be a victim? Choose to live!
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Until next time, make the SMart Choices for your lifestyle.
This Thursday I talk about how my MS has been acting in December and share some health and lifestyle tips with you guys. MS being a possible progressive illness, I believe it’s important to have at least a monthly assessment of your condition, so that you are up to date with what’s going on with your life. Let’s get to it!
MS STATUS
Compared to November, I had little to no symptoms. Just some tingling in my arms and “sand” in my right eye. Most of the weirdness this month was due to hormonal issues caused by the delay of the menstrual cycle. The reason of why that happened it’s still unclear to me, as it was the first time to do so in more than a year.
Now, I’ve been injecting Copaxone for almost a year, and on the prospect they mention that glatiramer may cause disturbances of this kind. But I don’t really know if that’s the case here. Will inquire with a specialist when I redo my blood work for this year. Did any of you guys happen to have that while on Copaxone? Let me know in the comments below.
BODY
On a physical level, since December is always a busy, almost hectic time of year, my sleep had to take one for the team and get a little chaotic. I usually sleep 7-8 hours a night, wake up at 7 am and do my morning routine. This month I went to sleep late, woke up at 8 - 9 am-ish, and the inner clock got confused.
How can you tell if that’s happening to you? Simple! You wake up not feeling rested, you’re groggy and tend to be moody, irritable and have a hard time concentrating on your tasks (and I don’t even say how worse your fatigue can be if you add this to it!). Last month I wrote here about fatigue. Hope it helps!
My advice is to try to stick to your routine and schedule, don’t compromise, don’t say that it’s just this time, because with all the things that can stop you from getting a good night’s rest, not sticking to schedule is the easy part. What if you get to bed at say… 11pm and your brain can’t stop rambling (even after you’ve meditated?)? Then what?
So, as I’ve been there, I encourage you to train into sticking to certain bed and wake hours. Set up alarms on your mobile, turn off any screens at least an hour before bed, go get a warm shower when your bedtime alarm goes off. Then try to get as comfy as you can, close your eyes and stand still (adjust as needed and according to your own MS issues).
MIND
Mental clarity is also important to have. Make time to unplugg and get some rest. This was the case for me this December, as I took 3 weeks off from work and just focused on recharging my energy supplies, preparing for the holidays and spending quality time with friends and family.
There’s no reason to force it, especially when you are living with MS. Of course, everyone is different, but try to relax after a hard day, or limit your actions only to the essential tasks that need to be done, get help, plan. Reflect on your year, wins and losses, blessings and missfortunes. Realign with your vision and your purpose. Quiet the mind. Journal. Meditate.
EMOTIONS
On an emotional level, try to find balance between positive and negative feelings. Every emotion is a wave that provokes a certain reaction throughout your body. Aknowledge it and let it go. Stop. Breathe. Be calm: it saves you from burnouts. Don’t blame or backlash at others for your bad mood (like I did! Sorry!). Analyze the reason why you feel the way you do, talk to someone about it or write it down, record your voice, whatever helps and it’s available to your condition.
Last but not least, we all are the result of our daily choices. We can always change things for the better. Just ACT! Moderation and self discipline are key to being successful. One day at a time, we can rebuild our life the way we dreamed it.
This was all for this week’s #HealthyThursday! Thanks for being here!
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Hi there! So nice to write another #HealthyThursday article for you. This time we deal with food choices when faced with health problems. Do you ever ask yourself why food is known to damage you, but not to heal you, to make you feel better? Why do the media and doctors say that you should eat less of this and less of that? Why food x caused y condition and nothing i said about what you should eat for a healthy system? I do to. Even more after being diagnosed with an autoimmune chronic illness like multiple sclerosis. I not only choose to quit sugar, but gluten and dairy too. Let me tell you why.
HOW EATING CAN IN FACT STARVE YOU
If you’re reading this it’s most likely you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune condition. You could also dropped by just wanting to learn more about the question in the title. Either way, this article is for you. We all want to be healthy and enjoy our meals in the process.
Disease starts small. Very small. Cells are the first ones to get it. Your lifestyle and diet are powerful factors that can make you well or make you sick. But you know this by now. I am sure you had at least one stomach problem or sluggishness from food you ate, sometime during your lifetime. So you can relate to what food can do to you if eaten mindlessly.
There is quite a big difference between being full and being nourished. Our body needs fuel to function the right way. What you eat has great impact on how you feel physically and emotionally. Your internal biochemistry needs to function correctly in order for your body to thrive. Too much inflammation and starved cells are a direct result of your lifestyle choices.
WHO ARE SUGAR, GLUTEN & CASEIN?
Sugar is in fact a group of short-chain, soluble carbohydrates that have a sweet taste. Like most carbs, it can be simple (glucose, fructose) or a bit more complex (sucrose, lactose). You get your daily amount from fruit and other food you eat, and from table sugar and dairy. In fact, you are consuming just empty calories and your body starves on the inside. Sugar also encourages bad bacteria and yeasts to grow in your gut. It can oxidize proteins, making them unrecognizable for your immune system. In individuals that are genetically predisposed, it can lead to attacks from T cells, as they treat the protein as a foreign invader.
Myelin, the tissue attacked in multiple sclerosis is made out of protein.
Gluten is a protein found in grains, mostly in wheat and also in barley and rye. Gluten makes dough elastic, helping it rise and keep its shape. It can cause a lot of issues, ranging from simple bowel problems (ex: bloating, foggy mind, fatigue, rhinitis, etc) and wheat allergies to coeliac disease (intolerance to gluten).
Casein is another type of protein, but it is found in dairy, mostly in human and mammalian milk. It is one of the main triggers of food allergies. Casein can influence the release of histamine in the body, thus leading to inflammation in the bowels and influencing the immune system.
Lactose, the sugar found in milk, is also a major allergy source and deserves a sidekick role in this post. In certain predisposed individuals it can cause lactose intolerance, meaning that milk and other dairy products can’t be digested properly, causing gut problems.
THE ADDICTIVE THREE
Gluten, casein and sugar are very similar to the opioids, meaning they cause addiction. You surely know the effect a cheese pizza, a strawberry milk smoothie or chocolate have on you. The chemical process is simple. When you eat foods like these, your brain releases dopamine to signal the body it just had a pleasurable meal. It also rises your body glucose levels, making you feel good.
Over time, this effect is less and less powerful, thus you increase the amount of dairy, sugar or gluten you eat, in order to feel the same sensations. Your brain becomes addicted to that high. Another damaging effect is that you end up eating to much calories and less and less nutrients.
Because you have been eating them all your life, or most of it, you are not aware of any sensitivities that you might have or not. You do not associate many of your symptoms with food sensitivity to one of these elements.
The body has grown accustomed to the food you have been eating and to the damage it has been causing. You are used to the way you feel, and thus you keep consuming them. For only 30 days, do a test and give up dairy, gluten or sugar and then do a test meal and see how you feel. If you notice any reaction, be careful with it or eliminate it from your diet alltogether.
These three (four if we count lactose) are part of the factors that may increase the strong immune response. You also need to take into account many other issues like the amount of toxins in the body, hormone levels, infections, amount of omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish, chia seeds, flax seeds, etc), food intolerances, etc.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE & MY EXPERIENCE
When dealing with an autoimmune illness, your goal is to dampen the immune cells reaction so they are less likely to attack oxidized protein in the body and cause symptoms or a possible relapse. The solution is quite simple, and has been given by many others before me. Good examples are Sarah Wilson, founder of the I Quit Sugar platform, Dr. Terry Wahls, creator of the Wahls Protocol, Melissa Hartwig and Dallas Hartwig from the Whole30 Program. They all state that a healthy, nutritious and allergen-free diet is key.
Being such a curious person, I tried their advice on myself and found out they were all right. I also remembered the time I was on the Dukan diet and wasn’t eating any cereals and sugar. Gluten was making me feel bloated and sluggish, sugar made my insulin levels spike up and making me gain weight. Dairy was the last of them, as it never caused me major issues. But a test meal after 30 days off it made me realize that it does more harm than good.
It all led up to making up my mind to quitting sugar, gluten and dairy altogether and replacing them with healthier alternatives (more about these on future #HealthyThursdays). I gave them up and I advise you to do the same. The choice is yours.
I know social influence (ex: meals with friends, commercials, lunch brakes, chocolate :)) ) can have a powerful impact on your choices, but take time to think about the long-term effects and then make a decision. See if and how each food influences you mentally and physically.
Give them up one at a time and most of all… take your time. Don’t rush it or it will become a chore and you will most definitely give up. It’s OK, we are all used to eating bread, chocolate, and cheesecakes. I know how hard it can be. I’m here for you if you have questions or need help.
I encourage you to do your own research and adapt it according to your own lifestyle. Be as comfortable as you can with the decisions you make for yourself.
If you follow this blog you know that I can’t recommend enough a healthy lifestyle, with all that it offers: whole foods, home-cooked meals, a diet as free as possible of allergens, sugars and toxins, regular exercising routine and basically taking care of any health issues like infections, hormonal imbalances or stress.
It’s all about the choices you make. The smart choices that through daily practice become habits for living a healthy life. Even with an autoimmune disease.
This was all for this week’s #HealthyThursday! Thank you for reading and if you would like to receive my next articles right into your mail
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Hello you! I am so happy that we get to meet again through this article. Today I thought about talking about why exercise and a healthy diet are crucial to general wellbeing and how they helped me become stronger in fighting multiple sclerosis. Let’s get into it!
MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS AND STAYING HEALTHY
Exercising and multiple sclerosis have been thought to be uncompatible for a long time. But recent experiences of people living with the condition proved that moderate exercise can in fact improve your general wellbeing and make you stronger in the long run, helping you fight the illness on much higher grounds, so to speak.
It is known that many MSers have trouble with pseudoexacerbations (acute sensations without any relapse danger) of their symptoms when they get to hot. That’s why it’s advisable to start slow, do minimum impact exercises untill your body gets stronger. Push through that eggshell we all have and do your best regularly. By keeping at it, in the long run I promise you that you will see good results.
Multiple Sclerosis wants to keep you down and not being able to move. Beat it through movement and healthy eating. Along with exercising, what you put in your body also counts. A fast-food, processed aliments and smoking way of life never helped anyone, especially a person with multiple sclerosis.
These unnatural things are more than harmful to your body, as they change the inner chemistry that keeps you as healthy as possible. Ingredients that you are hardly able to pronounce and 98% that comes out of a bag or box becomes dangerous, as your immune system can get irritated and confused by them and start an immune attack that will create havoc in your body. With an already weakened or missfiring immunity, you surely wouldn’t want to inflame it even more than it already is.
HOW YOGA AND NO MORE PROCESSED FOODS HELPED ME GET STRONGER
Long story short: I was a couch potato, eating mostly junk and loving Coke and coffee. Untill multiple sclerosis decided to pay me a visit and make me transform my lifestyle around. Because, although MS is a serious, posibly debilitating condition, it helped me see the bigger picture. It forced me to analyze and review my entire life, beginning from the food I ate and up to the hours of sleep per night.
It was a brutal self-assesment, as I found many (MANY!!) mistakes that did my body harm on a daily basis. I was eating for pleasure, not for nourishing, and so I was starving from the inside out. It was time to make a change.
My eating habbits, went through a lot of changes. I noticed that gluten bloated and made me feel sluggish after eating it. So I cut it of for a month, to see how I felt. Never better! I did a test meal afterwards, and it was proof that gluten was no good for me. One down! No more gluten for me!
The second category of food I experimented with was dairy. Oh, those greek yoghurts, those lovely cheeses! But, oh! Those lovely cramps, that bloating! Did the same test and after one month, dairy became my enemy. I had to let it go! (Irony and drama intended!). No more dairy for me! I do make exceptions, but everytime I do them, I feel bad, so I decided that is not worth it. Do whatever makes you feel better.
Sugar was a completely different story. As you, I am addicted to the sweet taste and chocolate is the best thing ever. But is it healthy? No. Especially when the ingredients on it are 10 letters long (or more). So… what to do, what to do? Let go sugar? Ahmm, no way! I know! I’ll find replacements! And I did! Honey, stevia, and the king of all kings: coconut oil chocolate. It satisfies the sugary tooth everytime I have cravings. Being only human, I do have guilty pleasures such as my boyfriend’s chocolate muffins, or a few squares of dark chocolate. But that’s it! And I don’t do it everyday.
I tend to stay away from the foods that make me feel bad and that accentuate my symptoms. I mostly eat clean foods, as close to their natural state as possible. I make home-cooked dishes that are full of spices and taste. Chicken, turkey and fish are definetly my best friends and I eat seasonal veggies. Fruits are eaten in moderation, as they do contain a lot of sugar.
As I said, I was a proud couch potato, and although I wasn’t overweight, my body was out of shape. And I know that not only for my panting as I walked up a longer set of stairs or something like that, but by comparing it to my current fitness level. It.was.a.disaster! Stiffness, pains and mostly discomfort.
My MS didn’t gave me any problems in the mobility area, but it began to make me afraid of moving to much, of getting out of the house to often. I know! Fraidy cat! But that’s a good thing after all. I had the time to browse the Internet and try some yoga for the first time in my life. I wanted to get in better shape and be stronger, and yoga was offering the right kind of non-exhaustive workout that I was so curious about.
Little did I know that as time went by, I would become addicted to stretching my muscles and growing my body-mind-breath connection. One evening I had a rough time with some upper back pain. Once again I turned to Google for some advice and at the top of my search results was a video with exactly what I was looking for: yoga for upper-back pain.
This girl, Adriene, had a YouTube Channel and a very lively and friendly personality. Up untill then, I was only playing aroud with moves, sequences and went on and off with my yoga practice. I played the video, followed the easy instructions and I could see that my body responded. After the routine was over, my upper-back pain was gone. Litrerally! It felt like there never even was a pain in that area. And I was fascinated! It did work. It did help! What more can I try? I’m curious what other benefits there might be.
I browsed her channel, found the 30 Days of Yoga Challenge and from that month on, I was hooked! From that month on I never missed a day. I practiced every single day of the week. In time, I got from sweating my shorts off to being able to relax, focus and calm the mind while stretching the body in more and more complicated asanas (positions).
Of course I had days when I found it hard to practice. My body would not respond well and I got tired. But I pushed through it, went out of my comfort zone. Little by little, I began to sweat a little less as the days went by, I searched and tried more difficult routines and pushed through them. Repeating some of them made me see that I got stronger and stronger and that I didn’t pant my lungs out when I climbed stairs or my arms didn’t fall off after lifting a 2 year old baby and carrying him to his mum.
Last week I had two big rewards. The first one was that after months and months of struggle, one day, after my core yoga workout, I tried doing side plank just for fun, to see how fast I’ll fall tumbling down to the mat. And surprise, surprise! I didn’t!
I could balance my body on a side, without my hand trembling, without feeling that my shoulder would come out of its socket. And I did it on both sides too (Yes, I’m smug about it! My work is rewarded. All the time I was exercising it had payed of. Thank you, Adriene Mishler!)
The second one happened this Thursday morning. I went through my first 45 minutes of power yoga (yoga asanas at a faster rate, getting your heart pumping and body into shape). I was sweating again, but I was happy that I got out of my comfort zone and challenged myself. It payed off, as now I am stronger and have more faith in my capabilities.
Challenges always do that!
INSTEAD OF A CONCLUSION
And that’s what I mostly do, guys! Not so fancy, not so unusual, just healthy eating and moving my body. These are all my personal choices. I do not recommend them literally to anybody, because, as with everything in life, it’s all about tastes, opinions and choices.
I just hope that this article has inspired you to begin living healthier and to do the best your body needs. Keep a balanced lifestyle and diet and you’ll be fine! MS or no MS!
This was all for this week’s #HealthyThursday! Thank you for reading and if you would like to receive my next articles right into your mail, subscribe to SMart Choice and join my SMart Warriors list!
P.S. Adriene’s YouTube Channel is right here! Click on the video and make sure to subscribe to her channel. You'll thank me for that! ;)
