Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease that requires particular attention to the way you eat… Anti-inflammatory diet required!
- Diet, in the context of multiple sclerosis, can play a determining role in the management of the disease.
- It is necessary to prioritize: water, omega-3, fruits and vegetables, particularly those rich in vitamin D and fiber.
- Ultra-processed products and added sugars should be banned from the food bowl.
It is in Bois-Colombes, in Hauts-de-Seine, that Isabelle Sylvestre, dietician specializing in inflammatory diseases (endometriosis, irritable bowel syndrome, etc.) but also in the treatment of obesity, overweight and of cardiovascular diseases, welcomed our editorial staff.
Why doctor: As a dietitian, what guidelines do you receive in the context of multiple sclerosis?
Isabelle Sylvestre: In the case of multiple sclerosis, there aren’t really any specific studies that will give you guidelines. Even if you look at the recommendations of the High Authority of Health in terms of nutrition, there is not much for multiple sclerosis. The recommendations will be to have a balanced diet… Recommendations that exist for the entire population.
What is a balanced diet?
A balanced diet is a diet with an anti-inflammatory tendency. It is a diet that is diversified, varied, where there are fruits, vegetables and therefore a good intake of fiber. This also involves good quality cereal products and legumes. Little meat but more fish, olive oil, omega 3 fatty acids.
A sort of Mediterranean diet?
This term Mediterranean diet is good at the same time, because it allows us to frame the diet a little and it speaks to consumers, but on the other hand, it can lead to some deviations. We can easily say “come on let’s go, we overconsume, I put olive oil everywhere, there I eat Mediterranean, I eat Lebanese, we eat fried foods”… This is not the Mediterranean diet in the literal sense.
In the case of multiple sclerosis, everything that is neurological must be protected, so you need a lot of omega-3.
What do you recommend, then?
A diet rich in fruits, vegetables and vegetableleafminers For cover intake of fiber and antioxidantsreasoned consumption of proteins in privilegeant white meats and limiting red meats to 1 to 2 times per week, and especially to increaseeating fish.In the case of multiple sclerosis, it is important to‘have an action neuroprotective , so we must bring more of omega-3. Finally, we must not forget good quality cereal products, that is to say complete or semi-complete and from organic farming if possible.
Where are omega-3s found?
In small fatty fish: sardines, mackerel, herringanchovies… In large fish also type salmon and tuna, but there is a small downside with them because they are predatory fish which eat the smallest ones and which then take on more mercury. It can also be found in vegetable oils: linseed oil, hemp oil, camelina oil, walnut oil, hazelnut oil and rapeseed oil. All this preferably organic and first cold pressed. Afterwards, we also find it in nuts and oilseeds. But he is Preferable to consume them unroasted and unsalted, otherwise their quality is alteredAnd avoid peanuts because peanut is inflammatory.
The objective is not to overconsume or overeat fruits and vegetables either.
Is fruit and vegetables unlimited?
So fruits and vegetables are unlimitedit has to be weighed. I would say that the objective is not to overconsume either fruits and vegetables, because if we bring too much energy to his body which that be Lfood consumedautomatically the body will create of there fat mass. Excess body fat is pro-inflammatory. So in the context of multiple sclerosis, increasing inflammation through excess weight is not a good idea! For balance, we put the equivalent of half the plate in vegetables at lunchtime and in the evening, and regarding fruits, we recommend two to three servings per day.
And what foods should you ban?
Anything that’s going to be ultra-processed, anything that’s going to contain a lot of additives and trans fatty acids because it’s pro-inflammatory.
We must return to a “down to earth” diet, the diet of our grandparents, as little processed as possible.
In what foods are these saturated fatty acids found?
In red meat: beef, veal, pork, lamb. More in dairy products whole than skimmed dairy products which contain less. You can still consume raw butter in reasonable proportions, because it contains fat-soluble vitamins that are not easily found elsewhere. On the other hand, once heated in the pan, it becomes much less interesting. Once again, you must try to give priority to organic butter, because its quality will be better: made from organic milk, we limit the risk of finding pesticides, of the hormones or of the antibiotics which can increase inflammation.
Any diet advice for our readers?
In the context of multiple sclerosis and in the context of all pathologies, the little thing to keep in mind is that we must return to a “down to earth” diet, the diet of our grandparents, as least transformed as possible.