b"up the stool and can keep bowel movementsincreased symptoms of urinary frequency moreregular.Lowberdietcanresultinand urgency. It may be hard to take away symptoms of constipation. Constipation andyour morning coffee but consider consuming incomplete emptying of your bowels canthese dietary options in moderation, if not result in increased pressure on your bladdercutting them completely to reduce exacerbation causing urinary symptoms to worsen.of your bowel and bladder symptoms. Most adults should strive for 25-35g ofAdditional bowel and bladder irritants may ber a day. Consider starting a food journalinclude: for a few days to track your fiber intake to Acidic foods such as citrusunderstand if you are meeting this goal or if Spicy foods have room for improvement. For example, Day One: 1 medium apple 4.4g + 1 cup peas Carbonated beverages 8.8g + 1 cup of kidney beans 13.6g = 26.8g of ber.Chocolate Bonus tip: When choosing grains, reach for Cigarettes/tobacco whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheatbreads.TheseoptionshavehigherReach out to your healthcare provider to fiber content compared to refined grainsdiscuss how you may improve your bowel (e.g., white rice, white bread).and bladder control through potential dietary Caffeine, alcohol, and articial sweeteners:modications. Consider consulting with an Typically consumed in the form of a beverage,occupational therapist or dietitian to discuss caffeine, alcohol, and beverages or food withdietary goals to promote a healthy lifestyle articial sweeteners can worsen bowel andand to support healthy bowel and bladder bladder symptoms. Specically, these itemssymptom management.can cause increased motility of the bowelRemember to eat so you can go and get on leading to bowel movements, as well aswith your day.What changes have you made to your way of cooking or eating because of MS? Also, What are some of your favorite MS-friendly dishes?Loretta DeMossI make simple food, reduced processed or prepackaged foods. Varied in the way to go, bananas, water. No soda, white sugar. Whole milk, very little pasta.John BerchielliI avoid inammatory foods as much as possible. Increase the number of servings of fresh vegetables and drink more water. Kathy BuysWhen able to prepare, always try to make enough for a leftover meal. I use frozen veggies a lot. Jessica BilligsMy diet has changed, no sugar (not even fruit), no prepackaged food and low carbohydrate. I eat veggies every day and lots of protein. I also include things like nuts and seeds. It's so important to my body function, well worth it.msfocusmagazine.org 45"