How my Health Improved when I changed my Eating Habits

Clica aqui para leres a versão portuguesa. Obrigada.

Today I want to share with you how my health improved when I changed my eating habits.

So, by now, you already know that my last two years were tough. First, I was diagnosed with MS and then I got depressed. I craved for sugary and carbohydrate-rich foods and having an healthy diet was my last concern... I just wanted to end the day and go back to bed.

I think you can imagine the impact that eating cakes, cappuccinos and carbs every single day has... My neighbours just kept asking if I was expecting!

When I got more motivated I started to think about the impact that my eating habits were having in my life. I felt sad, I had a lot of pain and I realized that I had to do something. I don't have the treatment for MS but there were other things I could do. That's when I started the journey I'm on.

I could be healthier, I could feel better and I wanted to improved my health. My first steps were:

1 - Drink water

You already know how staying hydrated is important. But I didn't know that it had a positive effect on migraines too! When I started drinking more water, migraines appeared with less frequency.

I don't like to drink water when temperature lowers so now I've been drinking tea. I love mint tea with cinnamon and green tea with jasmine!

I also stopped drinking beverages or any juice with added sugar.

2 - Less dairy products

It's been years since I´ve stopped drinking (cow) milk but when I discovered cappuccinos, milk was back into my diet. I don't know why but when I drink milk or eat cheese my belly blows up like a balloon.

To avoid this symptom I drink oat or rice drinks instead and I don't eat cheese anymore.

3 - Cut Out Sugar

There was a doctor who told my mum that she should eat a cake with her morning coffee every day to prevent fainting due to low arterial pressure. Since then, I had to eat one too (Thank God, I had low pressure too!)

Last year when I told my MS nurse the reason I ate a cake everyday she said it was nonsense! That sugar didn't had effect on arterial pressure and that I shoud eat something salty instead when I felt dizzy. I couldn't believe the amount of cakes I ate for preventing fainting!

But now I could cut out sugar from my diet! So I started to:

• Add half of the sugar I used to on coffee.
• Eating jam without added sugar.
• Cut out on beverages.
• When I buy chocolate I choose the one with more percentage of cocoa
• Cut out on candies
• I buy brown sugar instead of the white one.
• When I (rarely) eat a cake, I choose a Portuguese tart with cinnamon. I love them and they are one of the lowest calorie cakes! 

 

Pastel de Nata, a Portuguese tart

4 - Eating gluten free foods.

Gluten is another thing that makes my belly blowing up and I feel stomach pain too. Gluten is everywhere from bread and biscuits, to pastry and pasta.
I've started by changing my morning chocolate croissant to corn toasts with jam and now everytime I eat bread or pasta is gluten free.

These were the main changes I did on my diet. Last Summer I started being more active too. I used to walk about 500 steps per day and that was it. I had to much pain too do more than that...

• I started using a pedometer to gradually increase my daily steps
• When I felt comfortable walking 5000 steps per day, I started practising yoga, 15 minutes per session.
• Then I gradually felt my legs getting stronger and started to ride the bicycle and swim in the ocean. I was so happy when I finally did this!!
• Now I already take the stairs without even hold the handrail!

These were the stairs I kept using when I went to the beach this Summer. The first time I climb them was hell!

As you can see, when I changed my eating habits to healthier ones, I started feeling better too, even with a disease like the one I have. I used to sit on the sofa all day long, due to the intensity of articular and muscular pain and now I can ride a bicycle! 

And no one asks for the baby anymore...

I hope that my story can help others that are feeling down too. We can feel better, be healthier with simple changes, done step by step. It's up to you!