When my husband first showed me the OMS diet, I confess that I laughed. Really? I was going to go on that diet – for life? I threw away the piece of paper and tried to dismiss it as just one more fad that would do nothing at all except make me feel very grumpy at missing all my favourite foods.
Then the friend who introduced me to the Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis programme, turned up and promoted it too. Frustratingly, he looked ridiculously healthy ; a sort of OMS poster child. This gave me pause. After all, there was nothing that I could fault the diet on regarding healthy eating principles – it embraced all the current guidelines.
Sceptical but willing to consider anything that might improve my situation, I went ahead and checked out the OMS website on diet and read the book very carefully. To my horror, I discovered that the very thing that formed the basis of almost all my meals (dairy) was the very thing that was making my MS worse!
It seemed that certain fats contributed to the disease and others mitigated it. The evidence supporting this theory was incontrovertible. A neurologist by the name of Roy Swank had conducted a study of his patients over thirty-four years and discovered that those following the diet had significantly better outcomes than those who did not. Indeed, those following a low-fat diet for five years reduced their relapse rate by a shocking 95%.
So why wasn’t anyone I spoke to – neurologists, MS nurses or doctors -talking about this? I was furious. Here was as close to a cure as anyone was going to get and all the healthcare professionals were keeping mum or worse, discouraging patients from trying the diet.
It is tempting to go down the conspiracy/big pharma route here and perhaps there is something to that too, but to be honest, I think that it is simply because these professionals think that it is too hard and that medication is a ‘safer’ option. (I tried the medication path, and for me, it was anything but.)
Eat your vegetables!
In truth, once you commit to the diet, it really isn’t difficult at all. If anything, my husband and I eat far better now than we ever have. Yes, I do have to make virtually everything from scratch and yes, I do spend a great deal of time thinking about food and recipes (when have I not?). However, the time I spend actually preparing and cooking meals is relatively short – about fifteen to thirty minutes plus cooking time. And for those of you who don’t quite believe it is possible to create a delicious meal from scratch in very little time, I’ll share some of my own recipes in the next blog.
So what does the diet entail? Well, for those of us with MS, it is a modified and updated version of Swank’s original diet. It is essentially low-fat vegan and fish with supplements of flax seed oil and seeds.
Eating a plant-based diet
Fortunately for me, vegan is the latest food trend and that makes this diet infinitely easier. Even a few years ago, the choices for alternatives to dairy milk were few and I always asked very tentatively for soya when ordering coffee or tea. Sometimes, I was successful and often had to pay a premium for the privilege. Now, however, I’m often given the choice of a variety of dairy alternatives and not seen as the dreaded ‘awkward customer’.
Supermarkets now all have a great selection of plant-based products. When my local Co-Op started stocking organic tofu, I knew that times were surely changing.
But our diet is not quite vegan. We need to watch our fat content and many vegan ready meals (and especially cheese) will not fit the bill. However, olive oil hummus, soya yogurt and fruit juice ice-lollies certainly do. And if you are not quite perfect one day? It won’t kill you. What is important to remember is that as far as possible to keep to the diet. The closer you stick to it, the better the outcomes.
The organic option
Ideally, we want to aim to eat as much fresh produce as possible and ideally organic. Expense, convenience and time factors may mean this is not always possible. But it is worth knowing that certain fruits and vegetables are more pesticide laden than others. For a complete and easy guide, look up: https://www.pan-uk.org/dirty-dozen-and-clean-fifteen/ By purchasing the organic version of those most contaminated, you can minimise your expense and maximise your health benefits. Many of us can grow some ourselves. My vegetable crops have had mixed results, but even this year after a long, dry summer, I have endless quantities of herbs and apples and pears from the garden. If you don’t fancy growing them yourself, all supermarkets have a good organic range with Sainsbury’s having by far the greatest selection.
By eating a wide variety of vegetables of various colours and adding herbs and seeds, you can maximise your nutritional intake as well as making dishes more appealing to the eye and the stomach!
Making sense of it all
This diet (as you have probably already realised) is rather complex. And the easiest way to explain it is through the OMS video below or through the website: https://overcomingms.org/recovery-program/diet
Fish
Not everyone is a fan of fish. I understand that. It is quite possible to follow the diet eating only plant based foods since essential oils are catered for. But eating fish does make life a great deal easier. Smoked mackerel, tinned or smoked salmon, tuna, sardines and anchovies require no preparation at all. Other fish, such a haddock and salmon steaks require the barest preparation and shortest cooking times. But with all fish, try to buy those fished responsibly and where possible, organic or wild.
Good Fat/Bad Fat
It seems that not all fats are created equal and for those with autoimmune diseases, it is best to avoid saturated and trans fats. These are fats that are solid at room temperature or highly processed fats. Even ‘healthy’ fats, if cooked above 180 degrees can become problematic.
Fatty foods, as anyone on a diet will tell you are, of course, the most delicious, but cutting them out does not require compromising on taste. I now dry fry (without fat) just about everything, or steam it or bake it in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil. And you can add oils after cooking if you want a little of that delicious buttery taste. Walnut oil is as close as I can get to butter and is utterly divine with corn on the cob and popcorn.
Good fats, polyunsaturated fats high in omega 3 such as fish and flax seed oil, actually help those with MS by actively suppressing inflammation, so I take the recommended dose (20-40 ml) of flax seed oil a day. I find it quite pleasant and happily swallow mine at breakfast and dinner. Others slosh it on salads or veggies after cooking. But whatever you do, don’t heat it!
So does it work?
Yes, is the simple answer. I’ve been on the diet for four years now (I just dived straight in once I was convinced and never looked back). I haven’t had any relapses and many of my more troublesome symptoms have diminished or disappeared altogether. In addition, despite not being able to do any cardio-vascular exercise until recently, at a recent heart check, I discovered that my heart was five years younger than my age – in other words, in great shape.
The diet also ensures that we keep our weight more stable. (Initially, you may lose a lot and then balance out at a healthy weight for you.) And keeping a healthy weight is good for us both physically and psychologically. In addition, it is likely to improve the health of your teeth, your hair and skin.
When I was in treatment for cancer, my husband looked up suitable diets and discovered that the one I was already on pretty much covered it and while writing this, I looked up the World Health Organisation guidelines. Like most other diets, they allow small amounts of lean meats, but once again a serious restriction of saturated fats, trans fats and processed foods is recommended. And by avoiding highly processed foods, you are likely to avoid excess sugar and salt.
So I cannot help but encourage everyone to try to increase their intake of fruit and vegetables (five is seriously at the low end), decrease their intake of fats and enjoy a much healthier life. Bon appetit!