Maria

Thank you for your questions. It’s nice to chat with another traveler on the Swank-McDougall continuum. I started out doing this vegan. I will be at it 5 years this coming February. In the first year, even though I had read in the Multiple Sclerosis Diet book that “linseed oil” i.e flax, could be substituted for it, I tried to take some fish oil, since it was considered so important to those following the plan on the Swank Discussion board. This did not work out well for me. I didn’t digest it well and actually felt worse. Using any oil seemed to exacerbate hormonal fluctuations and aggravate my rosacea as well. So pretty early on I went to other sources of omega 3s: in particular ground flax seeds and walnuts (kale and romaine are also sources, and I eat a lot of both). I had also read in Dr. Swank’s book and elsewhere on the Swank Foundation site that while between 20-50 grams of the good oils were allowed, staying at 20 (or below) was optimal, and of that 20, keeping the saturated portion of that at 5 or below was best. Then I also read Dr. Jelinek’s first book, who himself has MS, and follows a somewhat more stringent version of Dr. Swank’s fat allowances. His understanding of Dr. Swank’s foundational work and reasons for modifying it made sense to me, though I couldn’t repeat them exactly here. I do recommend his work. Then I also read Dr.Esselstyn’s Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease. While this book does not address MS directly, it is based on more current dietary research about blood flow and heart disease. Very early on, Dr. Swank made the connection that the same diet that treats MS also treats heart disease. In fact the first addition of his book, which came out in the late 70’s has both of these conditions in the title. I asked the library for this book, too, so I could see what he said about it. I decided that taking Dr. Esselstyn and Dr. McDougall’s guidelines to heart (pardon the pun) could do nothing but ALSO help the MS, which arises from a vascular problem to begin with. In time, I settled on gold flax seeds, because they are easier for me to digest and I like them better. I read somewhere they are a bit higher in fat than the brown, but I’m not sure how much. Another friend I knew on the Swank discussion board was also eating vegan and using ground flax seeds. I know I need at least a tablespoon of those each day (this is Dr. Esselstyn’s recommendation). I have that a teaspoon at a time on each of my three meals. In addition to that I may have a very small amount of walnuts or additional flax or other nuts or nut butters within a recipe. I never go over a total of two ounces of any of it in a single day, and usually I’m not having that much (the tablespoon of flax seeds is about 1 oz). So my fat count by Swank standards is probably low. But it seems to work very well for me. Not having to worry about weight gain also helps my mobility. I do need that flax, however. So in my experience, some is needed, but not quite as much as was thought, at least in my case. And for me, it’s much healthier if it’s not in oil form, but closer to whole food, as in grinding up the seeds fresh. I hope that helps answer your questions.

Maria

I enjoy reading your posts! I, too, am a former Swank dieter who converted to vegan after meeting Dr. McDougall. I am much happier being meatless and dairy-free! But I seem to fare better (more improvement from exacerbation damage, more strength and stamina) if I maintain the Swank-recommended 20-50 grams of good oils per day, including 5 grams of cod liver oil. This has caused some bit of weight gain, though. Do you maintain an oil-free diet? If so, do you feel that oil-free works better for you than ingesting the Swank-recommended good oils each day? How long have you been meatless and dairy-free?

Thanks in advance for the info!
Valorie

Thanks for sharing about your lovely dessert in the French Quarter of New Orleans: it sounds ambrosial. And yes, I can’t say enough about the joys and benefits of eating fruit from my own yard. And I agree it’s all definitely worth the mess!

Maria

Maria

Maria

Maria

Sounds like you have the same problem as I do!! (Such a “problem,” yes?) I probably could make a lot more stuff with my pears but what I really like best is to just eat them!! And I am a gonner over liquid sunshine, too.

Maria