Nutrition vibes wreak havoc on an MS brain
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!
Friends-don’t forget to enter the fun contest described in the blog post, What’s in a Name? You only have until 5/24/13 to get your entries in!
Image courtesy of [Master Isolated Images] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of [debspoons] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of [Grant Cochrane] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of [bearvader] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of [worradmu] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of [debspoons] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Image courtesy of [Salvatore Vuono] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Yvonne,
I agree with you wholeheartedly! I recently read an article that claims that even the healthiest of diets (ie, an organic, vegetarian diet) has its issues… my suggestion… eat a little of everything, in moderation!
Keep up the good work and the humor my friend!
I can totally work with that! A little ice cream, a little cookies, a little pasta- this will be a breeze!
Eat healthy I know doctors say you should, but hell first of all healthy stuff is more expensive, and second of all I love my chocolate way to much to give up….It’s great that you are trying to be healthier, but I say don’t stress about it, I mean I eat veggies and fruit(when the kids don’t eat it all on me ) but I also love cheeseburgers and French fries…I say eat what you like and have some healthy things in there too.
Yeah- trying to do the balance thing but it totally bites too!
Yep, I agree with Dora. Eat in moderation along with a wide variety. It can be frustrating in trying to do/eat the right thing.
Best of all, just keep active & moving!
Frustrating is right! But I am working on it….
I share your frustration. I don’t have MS but I have diabetes, non-celiac gluten sensitivity, and an irritable bladder – all requiring dietary restrictions. So no wheat or gluten products, low carbohydrate, and nothing acidic and that includes anything with vitamin C added.
To your mention of flax seeds I want to caution that ground flax seeds can cause GI distress for a lot of people.
Vegans will tell you there’s is the only way to go, but there are key nutrients essential for good brain function that are missing from a vegan diet and they can’t be replaced by supplements. Not a wise choice for MSers.
One person’s “healthy diet” can be totally different from another. I’ve found that it’s about trial and error and lots of research. So keep trying, keep reading, and keep smiling.
Meanwhile – I’ll send you a recipe for a green smoothie that’s low carb and delicious.
Glad you understand Mart- it is driving me crazy! Like I need to add more insanity to the already insane world of MS. I did take a vegan cooking class although the teacher insisted that we refer to it as a “plant based cooking” class- I guess vegan is politically incorrect these days. But it was a little too intense for me. Thank you for checking out the blog and thank you for the smoothie recipe- it really does look delish1