I am very into food.

I do have a serious, ongoing, life-long love affair with movies, but food is a close second. Take me to an innovative new restaurant or buy me a pizza bagel on the streets of New York and I am one happy kitten. Foie gras literally makes me purr.

So in that very first meeting with my neurologist my close friend had the foresight to ask about food. Are there foods that should be avoided that make MS symptoms worse? Do they recommend I go on a Whole-30 type diet to reduce inflammation? Should I only consume water and vegetables for the rest of my life? So many questions and I was prepared for total heartbreak.

Turns out, my neurologist didn’t have much to say about any of that, and the relief in the room was palpable. Remember, this diagnosis was brand spankin’ new and I had already been told that I had to quit smoking immediately and do a million tests and get days of intravenous steroids… it was enough to process at that time.

Now, over a year later, I’ve been slowly experimenting and researching. Researching to see if I can find any good science on a food plan that helps MS. Experimenting with different food plans to see for myself what makes me feel good. Here is what I have tried and discovered:

• Whole 30: I know a few people who swear by this and they definitely look and feel better while doing it. At the end of 30 days I looked the same, weighed the same, and felt lethargic.
• Low Carb – High Protein: This used to make me look and feel good in my 30s, but this time I constantly craved pizza and kept giving myself so many cheat meals that I wasn’t ever truly on this plan at all. So weird that it didn’t work.
• Calorie-Counting: Obviously more for weight loss than MS health, but the most annoyed and hangry I have ever been. If I don’t want to keep any of my friends I will make this diet a lifestyle choice.

Most recently, a friend introduced me to intermittent fasting so I did a little Googling, jumped on the bandwagon and love, love, love that I did. I have more energy and less symptoms already and I’ve literally just begun. Plus there is a decent amount of research out there that points to this being a leading food plan for reducing MS symptoms long-term.

I cannot help but think how lucky I am to be diagnosed at a time of miracle drugs and an abundance of information right at my fingertips.

I am going to forever enjoy food. And the gratefulness continues.