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| Yummy! Photo kindly supplied by mymuybueno Chefs |
I do not profess in any way of being a professional or expert when it comes to nutrition and must point out that most of this information has come from chats with my Dietician, my Neurologist and my Ear, Nose and Throat Specialist. There are two main aspects that I thought are most important for us MSA sufferers. Why we need to be aware of nutrition and what are some of the ways we can help in easing Dysphagia (when you find it difficult to chew, swallow or transport food from your mouth to stomach).
The importance of a good balanced and healthy diet is simple really. We know that there is no treatment or cure for MSA and all we can hope for is to keep our autonomous organs as healthy as possible and for as long as possible. Nutrition is therefore so very important. I spoke to all three about vitamin/mineral supplementation and they all concurred that a well balanced and healthy variety of foods was a much better choice and more cost effective. A general all purpose multivitamin would do no harm, however they said no to specific vitamins unless a definite deficiency was established.
The three food groups below are suggestions for a Level 4 Dysphagia Diet, "Soft Foods". This is more or less where I am at the moment. I do from time to time slip into level 2 and 3.
Energy Foods, The basis of most meals could be, In the morning, soft cooked mealie (Maize) meal, rolled oats, pronutro or any dry cereal that becomes soft in milk. Dunk/soak bread and biscuits in soup, tea, coffee, milk. For Lunch or supper, mashed potato, pasta, rice, noodles in sauce. One could fortify the above with Margarine, oil, milk, milk powder, raw egg, peanut butter and sugar. Note: Peanut Butter added to Maize meal or rolled oats is very tasty. For those with a sweet tooth, Jelly or instant puddings, Thickly baked custard, sago or tapioca puddings, marie biscuits softened in tea or coffee. Soft bread or rice pudding without raisins. Cheesecake. Of course Sugar and cream could be added to any of the desert type foods.
Protective Foods, Should be included every day. Softly cooked vegetables in season or soup as well as mashed fruit without skins and pips. Some fruits are already soft for example banana, mango or paw-paw. For the vegetables or soup one could add Margarine, oil, milk, milk powder, raw egg, peanut butter and sugar. For the fruit one could add Milk, sugar, cream, yoghurt, fresh fruit juice, vanilla essence.
Body Building Foods, It is very important that Dairy Product should be consumed at least twice a day from a selection of Fresh milk, Yoghurt, Buttermilk, Cheese, Cottage cheese, Ice-cream, Milk shakes. Three to five times a week Scrambled eggs, Soft boiled eggs, Cheese Omelet. Also three to five times a week, Minced beef, chicken, lamb, tongue, liver. Cook until very soft, mince/mash with a fork and serve with gravy. Steamed and flaked fish moistened with a white sauce or milk. Flaked Pilchards or Tuna moistened with a white sauce or mayonnaise.
Moving from Level 4 to Level 3 and 2, is a question of moving from Soft foods to "Pureed Foods". For this I use a "Stick Blender" this is also known as a single immersion blender in some parts of the world. Another word for Pureed or "Sloppy Foods" as my Neurologist calls it, is SMOOTHIES. All too wonderful and so easy to make. Moving from Level 2/3 to Level 1 is moving from Pureed Foods to "Liquid Foods". It is a question of taking your pureed foods and straining them to get a smoother finer texture as well as adding more liquid. If you are making custards or gravy's, they need to be very thin but NOT a water consistency.
Three insights I think I should mention with regards to Dysphagia and were given to me by my dietician are, meals should be on the cold to warm side as Dysphagia is not a fan of steaming hot food. Also liquid meals should never be of a water like consistency, but rather on a slightly thicker side. Evidently this facilitates an easier transportation of food from your mouth to stomach. The last one, from a digestion point of view, is to have 5 or 6 small meals rather than 3 main meals a day.
Occasionally, I also have difficulty in downing my meds. Fortunately it does not happen often and with "capsules" I simply break them open and with pills I crush them. Mixing the "Powder" with a little fruit juice "makes the medicine go down". (Who remembers the movie with Julie Andrews?)
It all sounds wonderful and easy, does it not? Well it is except one needs to be creative and on top of things. I loathe the word "routine" however it is somewhat important to plan ahead. My personal ultimate plan is to have a good balanced breakfast of maize meal or oats fortified with peanut butter and lots of milk or scrambled eggs or cheese omelet. I simply HAVE to have a decent mug of coffee with breakfast! Mid morning, Lunch and mid afternoon, I plan to have my planned Smoothie of the day. For my last meal of the day, Vegetable/Chicken Soup or Baked/Steamed vegetables and a small piece of meat (Fish on Friday's) very finely cut up and mashed and with plenty of gravy. The five or six Small meals a day are so important. If I try to eat a medium sized meal, within a few minutes I start to sweat and my stomach feels somewhat uncomfortable. No doubt all to do with digestive system playing up.
YES! You can have the apple crumble, toffee and custard pictured at the top of this page. Just "Blitz" it with your blender! [smile].
This past week has been a reasonable week for me. Speech difficulties started again (Dysarthria), mild coat hanger pain started in my neck and shoulders and after a walk of around 1000 steps yesterday morning, my legs turned to lead and I spent the rest of the day hobbling around with my cane (Ataxia). I am battling to sleep at night and I am missing my vivid nightmares/dreams! Constipation has returned and I have upped my fibre intake. The fuzzy/cloudy feeling in my head is still hanging around 24/7 as is the dull pain in my legs and the tremor in my right hand. One thing that has disappeared is the heating up of my legs (my inbuilt heater), no doubt to return at a later stage. What a disease.. when one think that a symptom has vanished or gone into remission, it pops up again. The fight goes on!
Remember to keep on walking as much as you can and keeping your protein intake up!
[If you have not read the first post of this blog, I recommend you visit HERE and read in chronological order, it will make my journey a little clearer for you]
Keep safe,
Neill
It all sounds wonderful and easy, does it not? Well it is except one needs to be creative and on top of things. I loathe the word "routine" however it is somewhat important to plan ahead. My personal ultimate plan is to have a good balanced breakfast of maize meal or oats fortified with peanut butter and lots of milk or scrambled eggs or cheese omelet. I simply HAVE to have a decent mug of coffee with breakfast! Mid morning, Lunch and mid afternoon, I plan to have my planned Smoothie of the day. For my last meal of the day, Vegetable/Chicken Soup or Baked/Steamed vegetables and a small piece of meat (Fish on Friday's) very finely cut up and mashed and with plenty of gravy. The five or six Small meals a day are so important. If I try to eat a medium sized meal, within a few minutes I start to sweat and my stomach feels somewhat uncomfortable. No doubt all to do with digestive system playing up.
Let's have some fun with Smoothies!
The world of smoothies is huge and the internet is full of amazing recipes and nutritional ideas. I have started a page in this blog entitled Smoothies and have posted a few of my personal favorites. The link is at the top of the page. I would love YOU to submit your favorite smoothie/s and I will add to my page. Just submit them to me via the contact form, top left of this page.
YES! You can have the apple crumble, toffee and custard pictured at the top of this page. Just "Blitz" it with your blender! [smile].
This past week has been a reasonable week for me. Speech difficulties started again (Dysarthria), mild coat hanger pain started in my neck and shoulders and after a walk of around 1000 steps yesterday morning, my legs turned to lead and I spent the rest of the day hobbling around with my cane (Ataxia). I am battling to sleep at night and I am missing my vivid nightmares/dreams! Constipation has returned and I have upped my fibre intake. The fuzzy/cloudy feeling in my head is still hanging around 24/7 as is the dull pain in my legs and the tremor in my right hand. One thing that has disappeared is the heating up of my legs (my inbuilt heater), no doubt to return at a later stage. What a disease.. when one think that a symptom has vanished or gone into remission, it pops up again. The fight goes on!
Remember to keep on walking as much as you can and keeping your protein intake up!
[If you have not read the first post of this blog, I recommend you visit HERE and read in chronological order, it will make my journey a little clearer for you]
Keep safe,
Neill
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Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare, degenerative neurological disorder affecting your body's involuntary (autonomic) functions, including blood pressure, breathing, bladder function and muscle control. MSA shares many Parkinson's disease-like symptoms, such as slow movement, rigid muscles and poor balance. Treatment includes medications and lifestyle changes to help manage symptoms, but there is no cure. The condition progresses and eventually leads to death. Read my Journey with MSA @ https://msainsouthafrica.blogspot.com
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