Kathy Kohl

Kathy's story
In 1985, when I was a feisty young student of 20, I woke up with what appeared to be a stroke: the right side of my body was almost completely paralysed, and even my mouth was lop-sided. I was soon diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and given steroids, told that there’d be no more late-night partying for me, also that I should lose a bit of weight and that unfortunately there was no ‘magic cure’ for MS... For the first ten years, I suppose I was ‘in denial’. I didn’t tell people about the MS unless I had to, and apart from going to the gym, taking Evening Primrose Oil and giving up red meat, I didn’t focus much on what part I could play in managing my own health. However, despite intermittent relapses, I lived life to the full, spending most of those years living and working in Portugal.

When I came back to England in 1996, I started trying new therapies. I read New Developments for MS Sufferers by Jan de Vries which gave me real hope that diet and lifestyle may not only help prevent MS symptoms, but that they may actually be able to reverse the progress of the disease. As a result, I gave up gluten and dairy, and although I had thought that beer and bread would be the hardest to say ‘no’ to, ultimately I didn’t see it as ‘giving up’ anything, rather that I was choosing other healthier options for me. Later, I heard about the Best Bet Diet (BBD) and was impressed with Ashton Embry’s explanations of links between food and MS. To follow the BBD, I just needed to cut out legumes (all beans and pulses, including peas, soya and lentils). I am also gradually working out what foods trigger my joint pain and fatigue, both of which I have suffered from intermittently for many years.

And now? There’s still no magic cure, but I’m still pretty fit and active. Is this due to diet? Who knows? But I’m sticking with it...  the thing is, I don’t want to eat 'special diet food', standing out like an awkward customer; I want to be able to cook great food, eat with friends, eat out wherever I am, and try foreign cuisine without upsetting my well-being. In this respect, I know that there are thousands of others like me in the UK alone, and that’s why Sensitive Foodies was born.

Good health and enjoy your meals.

 

Pics: Dinner at Lisa's in 2010, yum!  Abseiling to raise funds for Sussex MSTC, summer 2008, yikes!

Lisa Finch

Lisa's story
When I first had optic neuritis (inflammation of the optic nerve leading to temporary loss of sight) in 1998 the hospital didn’t tell me it can be early symptoms of MS, and offered me no support with dealing with the condition. You can imagine the shock I had when I went on line and did my own research. It was at this point I decided I had to find how to manage my health to avoid my condition getting any worse.

Thanks to Kathy, I discovered the MS Treatment Centre in Southwick where I go for High Dosage Oxygen Treatment, pilates, shiatsu and support. It’s a fantastic centre with all sorts of therapies to help you maintain a healthy life . What is more, the therapies are subsidised making it affordable so you can have regular treatments. Contact them at www.mssussex.com. There are MS Treatment/Therapy centres across the country if you want to find out more, go to www.msrc.co.uk.

In June 2006 I decided to try the Best Bet Diet (or Palaeolithic Diet) after meeting several people who had tried it out and strongly recommended it. I can certainly feel the benefits and the more I research, the more sense it makes;  it has also made me aware of how many other people have food intolerances and could benefit from the information Kathy and I have gathered. Don’t worry so much about what you can’t eat, it’s just a change in habits and lots of fresh food and chopping.

The hardest time for me is eating away from home and being tempted by homemade cooking at friends’ houses that might contain wheat or dairy. Most restaurants that serve good healthy food will have something for you on the menu and most chefs are happy to adapt dishes where possible. Look out for features on our homepage about other people’s experiences and go to the numerous links to find out all you need.


Photo: Lisa unwrapping some fragrant and delicious Thai-style baked fish, January 2010. Watch out Masterchef!