I believe that "prevention is better than cure" for most things and most especially my health, hence I am passionate about learning more about how to prevent and reduce the inflammatory markers in the body. This is something that I have been focussed on over the past year personally to optimise my health and wellness and it is fascinating to watch how small changes in a health and wellness plan can produce excellent results.

I follow and listen to so many specialists who Talk about health and wellness in general and in neurology.

I recently listened to a Neurologist, Dr Perlmutter being interviewed on Hay House and he talked about the importance of gut health in neurology and in particular MS. So many say that inflammation starts in the gut first and foremost. He said that when people develop a leaky gut, the junctions in the gut lining become weak and undigested food particles can travel around the body including to the brain via the bloodstream. This is how the inflammation moves from the gut to different parts of the body.

I read an article a few months ago that outlined that the number 1 thing that influences gut health and permeability is gluten.

Today is World MS Day and I thought, it was important to speak about this as there are things we can do to help our bodies relearn how to function more optimally again.

Here are some tips that I have used in the past to help with reducing inflammatory markers in the gut:

1. Cut out sugar (Sugar feeds the bacteria in the gut that influence inflammation in the gut)

2. Remove gluten (Start looking at the ingredient labels as you shop. You will be amazed how many things have gluten in it. 

3. Swap to a good dairy-free nut mylk

4. Check your ingredients in your shop bought spice mixes

5. Cut out readymade sauces and takeaway meals as there will most likely be gluten in it unless specified

6. Swap high Gi carbohydrates for lower Gi carbohydrates

7. Introduce bone broth to help heal your gut

8. Introduce prebiotics and probiotics into your diet daily

9. Reduce stress in your life as this raises inflammation markers in the body

10. Introduce anti-inflammatory herbs into your daily cooking or diet like cinnamon, ginger, garlic and turmeric

11. Eat more vegetables

Dr Terry Wahls, a Functional Medicine specialist who reversed the effects of her secondary progressive MS a few years ago, also talks about gut health and its importance as well.

Dr Terry Wahls outlines in the Wahls Protocol outlines that we should be having 9 cups of vegetables and fruit daily: ▸ 3 cups of green vegetables (including kale and green smoothie) ▸ 3 cups of coloured fruits and vegetables (beets, carrots, berries, peaches, oranges, red cabbage) ▸ 3 cups of sulphur rich vegetables (onion, mushrooms, leeks, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprout, garlic, chives, cabbage, turnips, radishes collards and kale

▸ Grass-fed meat or wild fish daily

▸Organ meat once weekly

▸Seaweed once weekly 

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but hopefully, it’s enough to help you on your way to finding out more. Over the coming weeks, I will be discussing these further in much more detail.

If you want to know more about whether you have inflammation in your gut or body and what your inflammation markers are, find a functional medicine specialist who will be able to help you with the tests, analysis, implementation and support.

If you have MS or a neurological impairment, are you eating foods that help to reduce inflammation in your body? And are you focussed on eating foods that will nourish your mitochondria and your brain?