This Is MS Multiple Sclerosis Community: Knowledge & Support

Thanks!

you're welcome

food update:

i have been eating a lot of dinner leftovers for lunch lately but it's time for a change.

for the last few days, breakfast has been pretty standard: antioxidant fruit blend (SO GOOD!), vanilla yog, granola, walnut bits, and flax seeds.

plus water, supplements, and coffee.

i always forget to take my pills before because i'm so hungry for the food!!

lunch has been green leaf lettuce salads with tomato (i spoiled myself and bought a heritage tomato yummmm), cucumber, yellow pepper, homemade salad dressing (flax and olive oils with white vinegar, dried mint and mixed italian herbs, a drop of maple syrup - i'm out of sugar - salt, and pepper), 1 chopped hard-boiled egg, sunflower seeds, and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.

more supplements and water ... and coffee and evil baked goodies (this is going to be tough to change - one of my co-workers started a second job at starbucks)

dinner has been the same every day recently (boo) - i cooked up a big batch of mushroom spinach risotto, lemon basil baked chicken thighs, and i steamed up an entire bunch of kale. ran out of the kale a couple of days ago but other than that, dinner has been 2 thighs, some risotto, and a big side of kale.

day off today, have to go shopping for salad stuff, and i think the next cookup will involve.. feesh!

i need to cook up a few different things and freeze servings, rather than eat the same dinners, day after day!

today i started with tea and i just had a wicked day off breakfast, a strip of BACON fried to crispy, then yellow pepper and spinach, covered with an egg (broken yolk), and topped with a slice of cheese chopped into tiny dice. so basically the usual decadent breakfast, plus bacon LOL

now for the supplements (yep i forgot to take em before again :S)

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

I'll add one of my favourites - home made chicken & Veg soup which is also good for those on a budget.

I always buy whole chickens and save the carcasses after I have used the meat. When I have 3 I simmer in a stock pot for 8 hours with some bay leaves. I then sieve the contents. The liquid is then put in a pot in the fridge - next day skim off the fat layer. The solid remains I pick out any meat left and dispose of the rest.

What goes in?

About 2.5-3 litres of chicken stock
the meat scraps
Onions
diced potatoes
celery
cabbage (can't get kale here in Saudi)
Brocoli
diced carrots
salt
pepper
Vegetable stock cube

And then the really good stuff for MS and flavour;

Tumeric
Coriander ( a fantastic herb for flavouring soups and good anti oxidant)
Parsley
garlic
paprika


I also add a handful of black eyed beans and orange lentils for protein. I know some people avoid beans

ooo that sounds tasty! you reminded me i recently had had a bunch of asparagus, since 'tis the season here

i made a snack of steamed asparagus tips one day, and i took the stems, and some onion, and a potato, and some green peas, and an organic chicken cube, and made soup. it had a bay leaf in it too. when it cooled, i took out the bay leaf and pureed the soup. it's in the fridge now, but is not quite 'done'.

i saved the drippings from the baked chicken and i'm going to add that in to 'finish' it

looks like i just figured out today's lunch - thx, mrb!

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

asparagus/potato/chicken... (bacon, guilty as charged) soup for lunch... with multigrain bagel, toasted. because it was free, sitting there, and filled in the cracks. normally i would consider an entire bagel a bit too much wheat for one sitting.

perch, potatoes, peas and salad for dindins.

i did not get my b-complex and magnesium in today. i usually take them together, but i'm sooo wary of that magnesium pill nowadays.. think i'll just take the b-complex for tonight, and try to remember the mag tomorrow. (i know, b vits are for energy *but* there's circadian rhythm to consider too)

did a shop for the week ahead today, stocked up on chard, spinach, onions, salad greens and other salad veg, milk, eggs, yoghurt, frozen fruit blend, etc.

they did not have my hoped-for fish, will have to do another trip :S

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

the last two nights have been some pretty tasty vegetarian meals

'soft tacos'

-whole grain whole wheat wrap, flat on the plate (whole grain means the wheat germ is in there, hence good vitamin E) - IF=-31 mildly inflammatory
-a layer of refried black beans - IF= -31 mildly inflammatory
-shredded old cheddar cheese - IF= -26 mildly inflammatory
(all of that heated up until the cheese is melted, then)
-sprinking of chopped vidalia onion, bell pepper, and tomato IF = +46
(onions IF = +21 mildly anti-inflammatory
pepper IF = +19 mildly anti-inflammatory
tomato IF(est) = +6 mildly anti-inflammatory)
-a layer of shredded green leaf lettuce IF = +46 mildly anti-inflammatory
-topped with plain yoghurt and salsa (from a jar this time but home-made next time) - IF = -12
(plain yoghurt IF = -9 mildly inflammatory
salsa IF = -3 mildly inflammatory)

these numbers are all based on estimates of amount of each food consumed.

total est score for this meal is -8. or -16 if you eat two >:P

my typical breakfast is mildly inflammatory too. let's see if my recent lunchtime salads compensate, or not:

-2c shredded green leaf lettuce IF = +96 moderately anti-inflammatory
-tomato IF (est) IF = +6 mildly anti-inflammatory
-diced cucumber IF + 0 neutral
-diced yellow pepper IF = +19 mildly anti-inflammatory
-1 chopped hard-boiled egg IF = -51 mildly inflammatory
-raw sunflower seeds IF = + 11 mildly anti-inflammatory
-parmesan cheese IF = -4 mildly inflammatory
-vinegar IF = 0 neutral
-olive oil IF = +147 moderately anti-inflammatory

so, grand total +224.

overall, healthy people are supposed to go for a daily minimum +50 IF score.

those with inflammatory immune system issues are supposed to go for +200.

so lunch 224 combined with two tacos for dinner for -16, gets me +208. i have to go back and revisit my breakfast numbers. but i think i will still be well over 100 for the day yay!

FYI, cruciferous veggies (a la wahls) tend to be moderately to strongly anti-inflammatory. particularly, kale. spinach, though not cruciferous, is strongly anti-inflammatory. chard is decent too.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

dangit i don't think i posted my berry yogurt granola breakfast IF. will have to redo

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

Hi Jimmy legs.

Can you post a link to a website that provides the inflammatory index you use?

Thanks

MB

sure thing, it's in my sig links, www.nutritiondata.com

just put in a food search, narrow the category as needed, and once you're on a specific food's page, adjust serving size to see the IF score.

have fun

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

fruit/yogurt/granola breakfast IF:

frozen mixed fruit est IF: +2 mildly anti-inflammatory
(some fruits are pro and some are anti. plus i'm guessing 1oz/28g for the weight of fruit)

vanilla yogurt est IF: -39 mildly pro-inflammatory
(they don't have my exact yogurt and i'm guessing i put 3oz but that might be a bit high)

granola est IF: -42 mildly pro-inflammatory
(i figured i use an ounce or 28g).

whole flaxseed IF: +16 mildly anti-inflammatory

so what is that... basically -81+18 so overall IF -63 mildly inflammatory.

that actually is a bigger hit than i expected... would have taken me down to what, 140 for the day i had salad for lunch and mexican vegetarian dinner. still not bad though considering 50 is the usual target for healthies

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

i went back and checked the IF rating on my decadent eggy breakfast sandwich. IF factor +10 mildly anti-inflammatory.

i can't believe eating eggs on toast, with cheese, as long as the right veg are involved, is better from an IF standpoint, than berries yogurt and granola.

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

last night's dinner (not counting some herbs, oil, lemon, a little chopped onion, and salt and pep for salad dressing, or the horseradish, lemon and ketchup for the cocktail sauce...)

MIXED GREEN SALAD, SHRIMP WITH COCKTAIL SAUCE

28g raw spinach IF +72

28g raw green leaf lettuce IF +37

28g raw romaine lettuce IF +45

4 lg shrimp IF +98

(actually it was 10 medium shrimp but nutritiondata doesn't play that way apparently)

GRAND TOTAL IF = +252 strongly anti-inflammatory.

ka-ching

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

last night's dinner was awesome. mom's 'sunday dinner' on monday.

wilted spinach salad, topped with sunflower seeds and sliced hard-boiled egg

cream of asparagus soup

sliced roast venison, collard greens, asparagus tips, and carrots. and horseradish

yum!!!

back on track after a couple of days right off the rails. saturday night pizza (white flour, uh oh), and sunday night bbq (including the single biggest simple carb white baking potato i have EVER eaten)! but it was a deliciously evil weekend

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

so i have a week ahead with only two short shifts at work. time for the final push on my school stuff. i am making a bunch of stuff into frozen lunches and dinners so that i can focus on school.

yesterday i put down a head of cauliflower and a bunch of kale.

today i got home from work at 8pm and by 9pm i had 4 sweet potatoes roasted, i poached 4 salmon fillets, baked 16 chicken thighs (half with italian seasoning, half with lemon and fresh basil), and boiled a bunch of swiss chard. whew!

tomorrow, the spinach-feta pie. just reminded myself i need feta hehe

then, i will parcel it all out into meals, put everything in the freezer, and be good to go!

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com

spinakopita!!!!

2x500g packs of frozen spinach (usually 2x300g packs just not today)
1 bunch spring onions, chopped (separate white and green bits)
1 bunch dill, chopped
1 bunch parsley, chopped
100g firm feta, crumbled
1 egg, beaten

6 sheets filo pastry

thaw spinach over medium heat.

meanwhile saute the white bits of the green onions in a little oil (i use grapeseed oil)

when spinach is thawed, add chopped dill, parsley, the green parts of the green onion, and the sauteed white bits, mix it all together, and cover for a few minutes just long enough to wilt everything.

remove mixture from heat and press to express excess liquid.

mix the beaten egg and crumbled feta through the greens.

prepare a loaf pan by brushing with olive oil.

line the pan with the stack of 6 filo sheets, so that flaps are hanging over on each side, ready to 'tuck in' the filling.

pile in the greens mixture, and fold the filo over top.

brush beaten egg from whatever you beat the egg in, over the top of the pie so that it will brown. milk works too

bake at 350degF for 20 minutes or until nicely browned.

serve with tzatziki (mix plain yogurt with lemon or vinegar, garlic and salt to taste, smidge of olive oil optional, sprinkle in a little grated cuke and finely chopped fresh dill) and GREEK SALAD

enjoy your dark leafy green magnesiYUMMM

_________________
my approach: no meds so far - just balanced whole foods (partial 'paleo', much less outright elimination), science, supplements, & bloodwork
my regimen - www.thisisms.com/ftopict-2489.html
www.whfoods.com, www.nutritiondata.com