I have always loved food, different cuisines, trying the food the locals eat in different countries. I’ve been lucky enough to try the food in so many Asian countries, European countries, and now Australia. Russia was challenging, to say the least, but I suspect having to eat hospital food on top of a fairly stodgy local food style really didn’t lead to a good result.

Now, since being diagnosed with MS, going through the AHSCT, then having to be so careful while neutropenic, my interest in food and nutrition has increased.

There is a lot of evidence now, that diet and how we eat can influence the course of our MS and recovery from relapses. I really noticed the difference after a lovely weekend of eating way too much processed food, and drinking too much wine, that my symptoms were a lot worse. Now, after a few weeks back to generally healthy eating and drinking, I feel as if I am getting back on track again.

I listen to a fair number of podcasts. A couple I have listened to lately have been part of the MSGym, but focussing on nutrition and how it can impact our bodies. These podcasts are looking at a medical field called functional nutrition, which looks at all he body systems, environmental and genetic factors, and how what we eat can impact our health. Note; this is no fluffy field of feel-good diets, it’s all based in biology and biochemistry.

So, I have enrolled on a short course, in the field of functional nutrition. The practitioner who has compiled the course is a medically trained nutritionist, who also has MS and has undergone AHSCT. In her words;

I’ve had the benefit of straddling both worlds; I have the perspective of a practitioner and the heart of a patient

Ahna Crum

Her website can be found at http://restorativenutrition.com , and it’s well worth a look. My plan is to keep a track of the key messages from each lesson, here, on the blog … so really, it will become a journey through food and nutrition, as part of my recovery.

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