Multiple sclerosis nutrition woes again….
Yes, I’m trying to get healthy for summer. And yes, this blog is a repeat, originally published spring of 2013. But I figured it was ok as my menu issues continue…..
I swear that I really am taking this whole healthier diet thing seriously. Yet, I just seem to falter at every turn. And the most frustrating thing, (although with multiple sclerosis it is hard to list frustrations in order,) is that when I think I am on to something good, it gets proved to be wrong.
Earlier in April I was munching away on an apple; supposedly a very healthy snack. I was telling myself how delicious it was and how many vitamins I was consuming when out of nowhere, I bit out a bite of the inside of my cheek.
It hurt, a lot, and the apple got a little bloody and so I gave up. I didn’t realize that my teeth were that sharp and that a healthy diet could be dangerous.
And if I am being totally honest, I was totally lying. It wasn’t delicious at all, before or after the blood.
Luckily, my social media friends informed me that it was free cone day at our local Ben and Jerry’s. Once the blood stopped, I headed there and the cold cone helped numb the area. The servers were super friendly and said that customers could come back as many times as they wanted as long as they waited in line and weren’t too obnoxious about it.
The cold helped but I didn’t want to use my earlier healthy eating incident as an excuse to fall off my ‘get fit’ plan.
So I only went back three times.
Kidding. I suffered through my pain and only had one free cone. I paid for the other two.
I take comfort in the fact that at least I start my day on a fiber filled, all things healthy note. I have a favorite cereal that is pretty nutritious.
I hesitate to name it here in case someone is able to burst my bubble and tell me that Fruit Loops aren’t that good for you.
Kidding again; the cereal is not Fruit Loops.
After hearing a neurologist speak on the benefits of flax seeds (see my prior blog post Not Working It Out,) I bought some and started adding them to my cereal. They provide extra crunch and make my breakfast extra filling. And I was losing weight so I felt this was finally a good breakfast choice.
THEN, I was informed that the body does not really digest whole seeds and it is better to get your flax in the powder form! There went my extra crunch and now my cereal is just powdery and gross.
It is enough to make an MS’er pull out her Fruit Loops coupons- at least there would be fruit.
Finally, in the scope of consuming more veggies, I made a wonderful, good for you recipe. It is a casserole made with kale, whole wheat pasta, onions, diced tomatoes and ground turkey.
The diehards might argue that any type of pasta is not really ideal and casseroles are not the best choice, but I have to find something edible and since there was a lot of good in this recipe, I felt it was a great compromise. I had made it once before and loved it.
Unfortunately my MS brain got a little cocky in the kitchen and also got a little lazy about measuring things. This time it came out way spicier than intended but still not bad. Hey, crushed pepper is also good for you, right?
I ate my dinner and had a ton left over so I gave some to my sister and her boyfriend for their dinner. Then I watched the news.
Turns out a recent report found that A LOT of ground turkey contains antibiotic resistant bacteria, fecal bacteria and E-Coli! I won’t tell you what fecal bacteria is, but if you want to be grossed out, look it up.
The news didn’t say which companies they tested or where they bought the ground turkey leaving you to wonder and panic all on your own.
To make matters worse, this report wasn’t even a recall but a warning.
What does that mean?
It means that it was up to my indecisive MS brain to decide how disgusting this news was and what to do with the rest of the casserole.
It also said that if you heated the turkey to 165 degrees, you probably killed all the bacteria and E-Coli. How the heck did I know how much I heated the turkey?
It was hot, I know that. I could tell when I dropped some on my foot after transferring it from the pan and my foot stung a bit. Does turkey need to be 165 degrees before it stings? Or does it sting at 150 degrees? 160?
The folks who make ground turkey came out with their own report where they stated that the results of the first report were misleading; but I have heard that they are all just a bunch of turkeys.
What is a committed MS’er to do? What would you do? And what if a pizza joint and a burger place where within a ten minute drive from you????
Yes, healthy eating with MS truly bites. And as in the case with the apple, I say that literally!
Looking for some fun, lighthearted reading for the summer?
Do you enjoy a book about the antics of someone crazier than you?
If so, might I suggest one of my favorites-
MS Madness! A “Giggle More, Cry Less” Story of Multiple Sclerosis
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Don’t feel bad I am really really bad about dieting… I like salads of course i also like lots of dressing… I can go without chips and cookies and believe it or not i still have my hagen daz chocolate ice cream in the freezer that i bought 3 weeks ago… Yet when driving the kids and their friends around fast food is so tempting, and if i go to the movies i can eat my weight in buttered popcorn.. And I too have found it frustrating that you buy something that you think is healthy only to find out that its not as healthy as you thought like yogurt i got some greek yogurt for Joel he liked it but then learned that it has more sugar than other brands UGH
Totally makes me crazy! Wait till you see the crazy that I describe in this week’s blog- no wonder I’m nuts…
I swear I have been a soda holic for all my life and for years i would treat myself to burgers and fries and the occasional milkshake in the summer and my health has always been fine…. Since I am older I have been trying to eat a bit better and I feel exhausted, and reading the labels is so time consuming
Yep….
Well I have decided that whatever doesnt kill me is what i am going to eat.. I have no patience to read labels and check what is approved by the medical community as healthy this week, and what they changed their minds on etc. So If i go to wendy’s and have burger and fries who cares i dont have diabetes, high blood pressure or cholesterol issues so i must be doing something right.
I don’t know. I do feel better when I eat the right stuff but it is so exhausting!