healthy eating

Hiya,

My opening line is to say that I am a firm believer that diet is a powerful weapon in the fight against MS symptoms. Qualified with the same old MS caveat - we are all different.

Moderation in all things - and that includes controlling what I eat! My strategy is to moderately follow the advice of Mr Swank http://www.swankmsdiet.org/ so I eat a low fat diet. However, if I fancy stopping off somewhere and treating myself to a fast food burger - I do it - moderately.

Also, I believe in avoiding stuff that messes with my nervous system - caffeine for example. Then I look for stuff that is traditionally good for the nervous system - like green tea. Green tea is an excellent example of stuff good in moderation. It naturally lowers the blood pressure but this in itself has health risks. 

Finally, I am also a believer that it is not just the main ingredient, but also the additives and the seasoning. So I avoid heavily processed foods. Sometimes it is not obvious. Take Flavoured tea. Lemon for example. Stimulates the immune system. But do I want my somewhat cranky immune system stimulated? Chamomile on the other hand is an anti-spasmodic. So what do I drink? None of this flavoured nonsense. It is good old Yorkshire tea for me. Cause I like it! De-caf though - and I have a rule that whatever I drink at least 50% of it should be ordinary water. I.E. If I have a cup of tea, I also have a glass of water.

I think the problem with answering the question is - any impact that food has occurs over a long period of time and the effects tend to be quite subtle. It is almost a matter of faith. 

Soooo -  I decided the only thing that was important was this: Make a decision about my diet, then stop worrying and get on with other things.