Re: Need help with diet

[Guest guest]

Hi Jodi!

It is so hard when you are sick to take care of yourself and eat right.

I applaud your willingness to step in and try to help your Mom.

From my perspective, sugar is addicting. The enjoyment factor is great

but the high is short lived. If you could limit your Mom to a few

sweets spaced out with good foods in between, then maybe you can turn

things around. How about a protein shake instead of a Chocolate malt?

I would also recommend getting some protein in her for breakfast so that

her blood sugar is stabilized. If you can do that then a lot of her

cravings will diminish.

Be patient! As she sees the results of eating better, she will be more

willing to discipline herself.

Good luck!

Tom Nesler

Need help with diet

My mom was diagnosed with MS several years ago and she is slowly getting

worse. She takes several medications and her diet is horrible (when she

does eat). She knows that she should be eating better, but she says she

just doesn't have the taste for anything except for rootbeer popsicles

and chocolate malts. She also doesn't take any vitamins or supplements

because it is too hard to remember to take them with all the other meds

she is taking. I am amazed at her being able to function at all. She

finally said that she wants some help and would like me to come up with

a diet plan for her but she wants to do it slowly. If I changed her diet

all at once, she would give up after a day. If I could introduce any one

food/meal into her day, what would be the best thing to start with? I

was thinking about some kind of smoothie for breakfast. There is very

little that she likes to eat though so it will be a challenge.

Thank you!

Jodi

[Guest guest]

Hi Jodi-

I think the smoothies are a good idea, nutritous easy to digest and will help

with satisfy that sweet tooth of hers. Once she gets used to fruit smoothies you

can start adding in some greens for the extra minerals. My picky kids & husband

will eat pretty much any smoothie I make. We also do ice cream...frozen bananas

put through my juicer, and frozen mangos put through the juicer....makes them

feel like they are eating junk food.

Good luck

Cote

~~A Proud member of the Mom Team~~

http://www.mymomsdreamjob.com

christinacote@...

---------------------------------

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[Guest guest]

Hi Jodi,

Here is a website that contains advice that may be helpful in treating

your mother's MS:

http://tinyurl.com/grpm9

All the best,

Dudley Delany

http://profiles.yahoo.com/dudley_delany

[Guest guest]

Hi Jodi,

That is great news about your mom. Wanting to change is a big step even

though it is hard to change our habits. It took along time to

transisition with my family, I have teenagers. She will definately have

to give up her rootbeer and chocolate malts but there are many healthy

alternatives that taste good and are good for you.

On another group we have been talking about Larabars, they are so good

and so simple. They have fruit and nuts come in several flavors and only

cost $1.29 thereabouts. I bought a bunch for myself and everyone in my

family is eating them up like crazy. So that is one more good thing and

hopefully it keeps my husband from that candy bar at lunch! Just go

slow and she will adjust.

Jodi Elenteny wrote:

>My mom was diagnosed with MS several years ago and she is slowly getting worse.

She takes several medications and her diet is horrible (when she does eat).

>

>

[Guest guest]

Jody,

You are right, changing her diet to fast might be overwhelming for

her. Basically, right now, any change for the better will be

improvement.

Since there is very little she likes to eat, I would start by making

a list of the things that she does like to eat. You have told us 2

things...

1. root beer popsicles

2. Chocolate malts.

After you nave made the list, you can tweek those choices by

substituting the healthier version of those things. Even list

several alternatives for each thing.

For example, there are popsicles that are made of 100% fruit.

Better yet, you could make your own fresh fruit smoothies, and

freeze them.

You talked about starting with smoothies for breakfast. That is a

great idea. They could take the place of her chocolate malts. Yes,

a way different flavor, but it might work for her. Adding a bit of

fresh kale to a fresh fruit smoothie will give additional nutrients

without affecting the flavor too much. You could even get a whole-

food vitamin supplement capsule (whole food in the BEST, don't

settle for cheap synthetics, make sure it says whole food on the

label), open the capsule and mix the powder into the smoothie, and

she won't even taste the difference, and she will be getting a whole

spectrum of essential vitamins. (I do this with my young boys, who

often refuse to eat their veggetables. It works great!)

For those just starting to introduce good nutrition in the diet, it

is good to start with the basics. www.mypyramid.gov has some

general nutrition guidelines that you can follow to make sure she is

getting a variety of foods, to meet the nutritional requirements

that come from every food group. (Although many with MS have

eliminated dairy, and just get their calcium from vegetables or

supplements.)

MyPyramid.gov only has basic, general nutrition guidelines. After

those changes have been made, then she might be ready to move toward

optimizing her diet for optimal nutrition. 100% whole grains instead

of just 50%, Mostly, or even only, raw fresh vegetables and fruits,

(not cooked or canned) etc.

It all starts at the grocery store, if you don't buy it, you don't

eat it.

As far as nutritional supplements, I use a weekly medication box to

help me remember to take everything. I fill it up once a week, and

I have it right on my counter so I remember to take it, and so I can

visible see if I have taken it yet for the day.

Let us know how it goes.

Cara

>

> She knows that she should be eating better, but she says she just

doesn't have the taste for anything except for rootbeer popsicles

and chocolate malts. She also doesn't take any vitamins or

supplements because it is too hard to remember to take them with all

the other meds she is taking. She finally said that she wants some

help and would like me to come up with a diet plan for her but she

wants to do it slowly. I was thinking about some kind of smoothie

for breakfast. There is very little that she likes to eat though so

it will be a challenge.

>

> Thank you!

> Jodi

[Guest guest]

I bought some Larabars and they are really good! I gave one to my mom to try

but she hasn't yet. I also like Organic Fiber Bars from RenewLife. They are raw

food bars too and have 14 grams of fiber in one bar, but they are more expensive

than Larabars.

Jodi

Re: Need help with diet

Hi Jodi,

That is great news about your mom. Wanting to change is a big step even

though it is hard to change our habits. It took along time to

transisition with my family, I have teenagers. She will definately have

to give up her rootbeer and chocolate malts but there are many healthy

alternatives that taste good and are good for you.

On another group we have been talking about Larabars, they are so good

and so simple. They have fruit and nuts come in several flavors and only

cost $1.29 thereabouts. I bought a bunch for myself and everyone in my

family is eating them up like crazy. So that is one more good thing and

hopefully it keeps my husband from that candy bar at lunch! Just go

slow and she will adjust.

Jodi Elenteny wrote:

>My mom was diagnosed with MS several years ago and she is slowly getting

worse. She takes several medications and her diet is horrible (when she does

eat).

>

>

[Guest guest]

Its funny how people hate change, I know I do. The key will be to get

her hooked on a few good foods that she does like and that she will eat.

Its all about habits and convenience, that is why most people eat junk

food. Eating more raw foods is convenient and something I have been

doing lately and getting used to it. Keep working at it, moms are hard

to get through to. My mom has macular degeneration just starting in her

one eye, she will not take the antioxidants that I have been tellling

her about. The doctors are pushing an experiemental drug but she is not

into drugs. She figures she will just let nature takes its course!!!

What a waste of a good eye, I am going to keep bugging her though, I

have seen great results with people who take antioxidants for their

eyes.

Jodi Elenteny wrote:

>I bought some Larabars and they are really good! I gave one to my mom to try

but she hasn't yet. I also like Organic Fiber Bars from RenewLife. They are raw

food bars too and have 14 grams of fiber in one bar, but they are more expensive

than Larabars.

>

>Jodi

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Debbie,

This site gives information about staying fit with exercises you can do

in your wheelchair:

http://64516451dd.fitsit.hop.clickbank.net

All the best,

Dudley Delany

http://profiles.yahoo.com/dudley_delany

[Guest guest]

I LOST 5lbs IN 2 WEEKS. NOTHING TO BRAG ABOUT BUT I EAT NO SWEETS. IT'S

LIKE IF IT SOUNDS GOOD & SMELLS GOOD IT WILL PROBABLY PUT WEIGHT ON YOU. I

HAVE 45 MORE POUNDS TO GO. THE BAD THING ABOUT MY DIET IS IT'S HARD FOR ME

TO EXERCISE. I HAVE TO GET OUT OF MY WHEELCHAIR & DO EXCERCISES ON THE

FLOOR. ANYBODY HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS? PLEASE!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hi Debbie,

Go on the BBD diet, you will loose weight and improve your M.S. I do

exercises twice a day on the bed ( I have to have help),pull ups using

ceiling hoist. In my wheelchair I use a battery operated bike and do

sitting Palates, I never use foot plates indoors I have to lift my feet when

I move.

.