If you have multiple sclerosis (MS), you know that following medications, physical therapy, and other management plans are important for taking good care of yourself.
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What’s more, following a healthy diet can make a big difference.
Healthy eating isn’t a magic bullet for healing MS, but following a healthy MS diet can make a difference in how you feel and how your condition progresses.
“MS is a chronic disease that cannot be cured. But it is certainly manageable,” says registered dietitian Natalie Crtalic, RD, LD. “What you eat can make a real difference in how you feel and function.”
We spoke to Crtalic about what a healthy MS diet looks like and how eating well can help you feel your best.
How does your diet affect MS?
While your diet may not cure you of MS, it can make a big difference in your overall well-being. So think of what you eat as part of your overall strategy for managing MS—one more arrow in your quiver to live your best life.
Crtalic shares a few reasons why healthy eating is important for people with MS.
Reduce inflammation
MS is, at its core, an inflammatory autoimmune disease, and eating a healthy diet can help keep inflammation under control.
People with MS have an overactive immune system that attacks their nervous system. This causes chronic inflammation in your central nervous system, which may be responsible for your MS symptoms, such as weakness, numbness, pain, stiffness, and spasms.
“MS causes more inflammation in your body. But eating healthy foods can help keep this inflammation at bay,” Crtalic says.
Some foods are known to contribute to inflammation. This includes red meat, saturated fats, added sugars and highly processed foods. Reducing these foods can leave room in your diet for nutrients that help fight inflammation that contributes to MS flares.
Prevent other chronic diseases
MS is not caused by an unhealthy diet, but a diet high in processed foods, sugar, and saturated fats can put you at risk for developing other chronic conditions that can affect your health and complicate MS.
Some of the most common, life-threatening, and chronic health conditions in the United States have been linked to unhealthy eating patterns, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and even some cancers.
“When you have a chronic illness like MS, it’s common to turn to food for comfort,” says Crtalic. “It’s stressful and upsetting, and emotional eating can make you feel better in the moment. But it can make things much worse if you develop other conditions that need to be managed now.”
Best diet for MS
When you research what to eat and what to avoid while living with MS, you’re bound to find lists of specific foods you should and shouldn’t eat.
A healthy MS diet should include a variety of fresh and whole foods, Crtalic says.
“There’s no particular magic food,” she says. “It doesn’t mean you should eat one thing and not the other. It’s about making good choices in general.”
How did you do this?
For most people with MS, the Mediterranean diet is an excellent place to start. “The Mediterranean diet emphasizes heart-healthy, anti-inflammatory foods. These are the kinds of choices that will help you feel your best, prevent flare-ups, and reduce your risk of other chronic conditions,” Crtalic says.
MS diet: Foods to eat and restrictions
Following the Mediterranean diet when you have MS is not a list of foods you should eat and avoid. It’s a lifestyle that encourages high-nutrient foods and discourages added sugars and saturated fats.
“It’s a matter of eating more natural foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean meats, and focusing much less on processed foods, sugars, and saturated fats,” Crtalic explains. “This is a healthy diet for just about everyone.”
Here are a few examples:
| Lean proteins like fish and poultry and plant-based proteins like beans, nuts and legumes. | Red meat such as steak, pork, veal and lamb. |
| All fruits and vegetables. | Fried foods and baked goods. |
| Egg whites. | Egg yolk. |
| Fat-free and low-fat dairy products. | Cheese and full-fat dairy products. |
| Whole grains such as oats, quinoa, barley, and brown or wild rice. | Refined flour products such as white bread, crackers and white rice. |
| Extra virgin olive oil. | Vegetable oil, butter, sour cream and mayonnaise. |
| Eat more of this | |
|---|---|
| Lean proteins like fish and poultry and plant-based proteins like beans, nuts and legumes. | |
| Eat less than this | |
| Red meats; such as steak, pork, veal and lamb. | |
| All fruits and vegetables. | |
| eat less | |
| Fried foods and baked goods. | |
| Egg whites. | |
| Eat less | |
| Egg yolk. | |
| Fat-free and low-fat dairy products. | |
| Eat less than this | |
| Cheese and full-fat dairy products. | |
| Whole grains such as oats, quinoa, barley, brown or wild rice. | |
| Eat less than this | |
| Refined flour products like white bread, crackers, and white rice. | |
| Extra virgin olive oil. | |
| eat less | |
| Vegetable oil, butter, sour cream and mayonnaise. |
Considering gluten and dairy
Some people with MS may benefit from reducing their gluten or dairy intake. However, this is not a general recommendation.
“Gluten or dairy can be triggers for some people with MS and other inflammatory diseases,” Crtalic says. “But it doesn’t have to be the case for everyone. I also always encourage people to pay attention to how they feel after eating these foods. If you’re OK with them and don’t find that they make you feel worse, then it’s perfectly fine to continue eating them.”
But if you suspect that a particular food or category of food is contributing to a worsening of your symptoms, try cutting it out for a week or two and see if that helps.
“If you feel better after cutting out dairy and/or gluten, those foods may be triggers for you. If skipping them feels good, then that may be the path for you. Listen to your body,” Crtalic advises.