Last Updated On: October 21, 2024
ALS or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis is a neurological disorder. It is a serious condition that mainly impacts the motor neurons, spinal cord and controls voluntary muscle movements and breathing and nerve cells in the brain. People’s brains suffering from ALS lose its ability to start or even control voluntary muscle movements like talking, walking, chewing and more. The symptoms of ALS can worsen overtime. Before knowing what is a well-balanced diet and ALS, it’s essential to understand why a proper diet is required.
A well-balanced diet means providing your body with all the nutrition that it requires. These nutrients help your body to stay disease-free and acquire the energy it needs for every action. The balanced diet components help you to maintain immunity and control the deficiency of vitamins and minerals.
Common benefits of a well balanced diet:
There are a lot of reasons behind maintaining a balanced diet for ALS patients. Some of the reasons for nutritional needs for ALS patients are as follows:
ALS patients need energy to complete all daily activities. ALS can make them weak and fatigued. A nutritional diet can keep them going.
ALS patients often face muscle breakdown. This can be controlled with a balanced nutritional diet in every meal.
Patients with ALS can get infected due to a weaker immune system. A balanced diet can help fix the issue.
Nutritious diet can give ALS patients a good quality of life overall. The muscle related problems will be under control and they can lead a healthy life.
ALS patients need a high-protein diet for immunity. However, there are other requirements too that the patient needs for overall improvement.
Adding whole grains, cereals, fibers like green vegetables in the meals can help them with energy building.
Add more proteins to the meal to build muscle strength. Add meat, fish, cottage cheese and greek yogurt. Protein sources for ALS patients are very essential for controlling muscle strength.
Add milk, yogurt, cheese and other dairy products in the diet to add fat to it.
Try adding a bowl of rice or bread to your daily meals to get energy from carbohydrates.
People with ALS often encounter loss of appetite and muscle mass. A low BMI can be harmful for them. However, an increased BMI can also be harmful. It is essential to maintain a healthy weight to avoid further worsening of symptoms. There are a few nutritional practices that you can include to make things easier for ALS patients.
ALS patients should always take small meals in frequent intervals. This will help them to keep a healthy weight and better digestion.
ALS patients can feel fuller soon with a small amount of meal. Drinking water in the middle of a meal can make them feel fuller and they may not get proper nutrition.
Include protein shakes in the diet to complete any nutritional deficiency.
A balanced diet always works the best when patients follow a proper routine. Create a meal schedule and adhere to it to get the ideal result.
If you are missing on healthy fats and vitamins in your meal, you can always add supplements. This can also fulfill the requirements.
To maintain the best health, ALS patients must avoid certain food items. Some of those are as follows:
Food with excessive glutamate can adversely affect ALS. As glutamate is high in amino acids, it can enhance the symptoms of ALS. Avoid food like mushrooms, processed meat, seafood and more.
Do not intake a lot of fried items and processed food in your meal. This can enhance the symptoms of ALS.
Refined sugar is extremely unhealthy for any person. For ALS patients, it can be very harmful. It can contribute to weight gain thereby increasing the risk of ALS.
It is essential to limit your alcohol intake as it can take a toll on your overall health. With excessive consumption of alcohol, ALS patients can face adverse neurological issues.
You should be very careful with the eating habits and process of ALS patients. Here are some steps that you can undertake.
ALS patients face problems with chewing due to the motor skill impact. A proper food scooping can help them take a small amount of food and chew less.
ALS patients can face problems holding the spoon and taking it to the mouth. To avoid that, you can go for a feeding set up and place the plate in the same plane as the patient’s mouth.
To ease the chewing process of ALS patients, you must prepare softer food.
Smaller bites can help ALS patients chew faster and without difficulty.
Due to muscle weakness, weight loss is a common symptom of ALS. However, with a balanced diet and nutrition, a healthy weight can be maintained.
Taking a small sip of water throughout the day can help with maintaining hydration. Additionally, include soup, broth and water-rich food in your diet.
Yes, ALS patients can take supplements but it is always recommended to consult your healthcare provider. Self-prescribed medications should be avoided at any cost.
ALS can be severe and concerning if not treated and controlled. Keep a balanced diet with rich nutrition to maintain muscle mass. Additionally, add proteins in every meal. Take small bites of your meal and chew patiently. A proper diet will help ALS patients to keep a healthy weight, strong immunity and full of energy. Now, as you know what is a well-Balanced diet and ALS, include the steps in your daily routine right away.
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