Tuesday, 29 June 2021

The Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis (OMS) Diet

Well, I promised I'd write a little about the OMS diet that I'm embarking on. 

Following on from the Swank diet, the OMS diet, created by Professor George Jelinek, is a diet using the same premise - that if you are an MS sufferer you should stick to a low saturated fat diet. 

This involves cutting out meat and dairy (which I didn't eat anyway), processed foods and eating a diet rich in wholegrain, fish, healthy oils and plenty of fruit and veg. So basically the diet we should all be following to have a healthy lifestyle.  

Here's a breakdown of the key do's and don'ts. 


oms diet, overcoming multiple sclerosis


So I can have a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, grains, seeds/nuts, beans etc, fish and seafood, plant dairy, tofu and egg white. The list to avoid includes dairy, baked goods (such as cake), snacks (such a crisps and chocolate), fats (aside from olive oil), meats, fried and deep-fried foods, fast foods and egg yolks. 

Plenty to be going on with. I mentioned in my last post that I had been vegan for the last 6 months, but I'm going to break this by having some fish occasionally. I'm not a big fan of nuts and seeds, so introducing fish again will give me a handy protein source to turn to that's quick and easy to prepare. I became a vegan mainly for health reasons, so it doesn't seem unreasonable to reintroduce fish. As Professor Jelinek says - 'you'll basically be a fish eating vegan'!

I've felt soooo rubbish over the last month, and I'm sure that diet has played a part in that. As soon as I decided to not be vegan any more I found myself reaching for a big bar of chocolate!! I think starting on a eating regime where I'm just not allowed it is the way to go. I am a complete binge eater, for my sins, and can't be trusted to have a small bits of chocolate in moderation! So no, it's a good thing chocolate is out again.

Having a low saturated fat diet is meant to reduce inflammation, which is obviously a great help for MS and other neurological diseases. When I was on the Swank diet, many moons ago, I was in a remission for 4 years when I stuck to it. The only reason I came off was because I became pregnant, and was worried about the amount of calcium I was getting. I could have worked my way around this for sure and stuck to the diet, but when you're pregnant and craving cheese, it's easy to give in, and in the fog of motherhood, I never quite got back on the wagon again. 

I feel positive about this and will keep blogging my food successes (and I'm sure the odd failings!) as I embark on this new way of life. It needs to be exactly that....a new way of life. No more fad diets to lose weight, just living healthily to make my body run as smoothly as possible. If I lose weight, then great, but I'm fed up of 'dieting'. I realised the other day I've been on one diet or another for 10 years and I've been miserable with it and only getting bigger. A lot can be said for that, i.e diets clearly don't work for me. 

Aside from reading this blog, you can also follow me on Instagram to keep up to date with what delicious food I'm putting together, or on Twitter for inane ramblings. Just click on the relevant link to the right. 

If you'd like a more in-depth look at the OMS diet (perhaps you're interested in starting it yourself?) I've created a page dedicated to the basics, which can be found in the menu bar at the top. 

And as always, do get in touch with your thoughts and own experiences!

Here's to my health! 



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