Part 2: MS, Diet, Supplements, and What I Eat for Dinner

In Part I of MS, Diet, Supplements, and What I Eat for Dinner, I discussed some factors that challenge my digestion and dietary supplements I have tried along with the results. Now I would like to discuss my all-time favorite subject: food!

Staples in my MS diet

Although I don’t follow any particular regimen, my choices come closest to those in a Mediterranean diet. Seafood is a focus.

Seafood

In my cupboard, you’ll find cans of mackerel and yellowfin tuna. Not only are they rich in omega-3s and protein, but they are also tasty and satisfying eaten right out of the can as a snack or meal unto themselves. I love seafood in general and my grocery store carries freshly-made sushi, where I indulge in California rolls once every week or two. I also make jumbo shrimp once in a while baked on a cookie sheet with garlic and coconut, breaded or not.

If you are wary of mercury in tuna, mackerel, and salmon, keep in mind that the larger the fish, the more mercury they will contain. For example, I choose yellowfin tuna over albacore because I love the stronger flavor of yellowfin. But yellowfin might also be the lower-mercury choice of the two types of tuna as well, since albacore is a much larger fish than yellowfin. If you’re a stickler for maintaining safe levels of mercury, it is recommended that we only eat tuna two or three days a week.

Vegetables

Fortunately, I like them so I find all kinds of ways to include them most days. I can only eat lettuce salads so many times before I start thinking rabbit-like thoughts, hopping around the apartment, and watching my ears grow. So I’ve switched to garden veggies, like cucumber, tomato, chopped baby spinach, carrots, celery, red onion, radish, and add feta cheese. To make it a meal, I add more protein: a hard-boiled egg, other kinds of cheese, fish, or meat.

Meat

One of my favorite meals is homemade chili using ground turkey. A package of Jennie-O 93% lean ground turkey seasoned with chili powder, cumin, garlic powder, paprika regular or smoked, and cayenne pepper, and a can of Red Gold petite diced tomatoes with green chilies. That’s it. Leftovers can last three days. I also love to buy a rotisserie chicken, strip off all the meat and use it a million different ways. Sometimes I marinate it in a special sauce I’ll describe later. Whether marinated or plain, it can stay fresh for ten days.

Starch

I must eat some kind of starch, so it’s pasta and English muffins. They are endlessly versatile and can be made into healthy meals. I love a homemade egg muffin. Pasta can be added to anything. And I snack on popcorn, the kind you have to pop. I do it the old-fashioned way in a pot with oil in the bottom. Then I lightly salt it.

Condiments

There is one condiment that I use for everything. It is the marinade I mentioned earlier and it is called Scallion and Ginger Ultimate sauce, made by Cindy’s Kitchen. Its base is anchovy sauce, sunflower, and sesame oils. There is garlic, hot pepper, onion, ginger extract, and lots of savory spices besides. I use it as a dipping sauce for sushi, but also as a salad dressing, in stir-fry, and it can be drizzled over vegetables, meat, potatoes, and everything else.

Take out

When I eat out, Lebanese food is my favorite. Fattoush, chicken shawarma, hummus, grape leaves, and raw kibbeh. It's tasty, healthy clean food.

Love what you eat

Why these choices? Simple. I choose my foods based on what pleases my palate. Fortunately, my palate loves whole foods. I don’t know if it is benefitting my immune system or gut flora. But my palate is in a perpetual state of bliss.

What do you eat? Do you choose based on MS or other health conditions? Or throw caution and health recommendations to the wind and eat whatever you want? Please share, share, share with our community! Food! We love to eat it and talk about it. So please pass the plate and give us generous portions of your food story, won’t you? I’m salivating already!