Managing MS and eating

Last updated Feb. 14, 2025, by Ahna Crum
Fact-checked by Inês Martins, PhD

While there isn’t an established multiple sclerosis (MS) diet plan, eating well with MS can be an effective way to manage symptoms and improve quality of life for people living with MS.

An autoimmune disease, MS causes damage to parts of the central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord, and disrupts communication between the brain and the rest of the body. This can lead to symptoms such as cognitive difficulties, fatigue, sensory imbalances, impaired fine motor skills, and swallowing problems, known as dysphagia.

But managing MS and eating isn’t just about knowing what foods to eat with MS and what foods to avoid. Meal planning and prep, as well as the act of eating itself, can become challenging due to MS symptoms.

If your MS symptoms are denying you pleasure in food and you’re finding yourself frustrated and unsure in the kitchen, there are strategies you can try for culinary success and safety.

Difficulties eating with MS

As a dietitian and a self-taught avid cook, I enjoy being in the kitchen. But after accumulating an array of broken dishes, minor injuries, and scars from my own battles with spasticity and fatigue as someone living with MS, I realized MS can be a recipe for disaster and turn eating into a chore.

I hope my tips can help boost your confidence in the kitchen and restore your appetite for eating.

Coping with cognitive challenges

Short-term memory deficits, or an inability to focus, can make it harder to plan meals, follow recipes, and manage multiple tasks simultaneously. Certain strategies for kitchen management may help:

If you struggle with attention to tasks, look for shorter, less complicated recipes.
Slow cooker recipes, which don’t involve a lot of directions or steps, allow you to set it and forget it, making cooking easier and safer.
To-do lists, such as for shopping and meal prep, may be easier to follow if you make them into step-by-step checklists.
Apps on smart devices can also help you generate recipes and shopping lists.
A kitchen timer or alarm on your phone is an easy way to remind yourself to move to the next step.

Fatigue and food prep

MS fatigue can turn simple tasks such as chopping vegetables, stirring dishes, reaching for ingredients, or simply moving around the kitchen, into near-impossible chores.

Fatigue can worsen weakness and tremors, and exacerbate memory and focus struggles. Practicing energy conservation in the kitchen can go a long way toward boosting kitchen confidence.

Some of my fatigue-friendly tips:

Conserve energy by crafting a plan in advance to decide what and when to cook.
Collect short recipes with minimal ingredients that can be your go-to on days when your energy is low.
Make a shopping list to cut down on trips to the grocery store, or consider a food delivery service, especially for heavy and hard-to-carry items.
Take advantage of days or times when you tend to have more energy to do your shopping or other food prep, such as chopping up vegetables for the week.
Double-batch cooking on good days can help you stock your freezer with meals for reheating when your energy is at its lowest.
Minimize the time needed in the kitchen with one-pot or slow cooker meals, which are also great for batch cooking.
Cut down on food prep with pre-cut vegetables and frozen fruit and vegetables.
Use MS-friendly kitchen tools, such as electric mixers, can openers, food processors, and other labor-saving (and muscle-saving) devices.
Find a counter-height stool or use a rollator chair to help you stay off your feet and conserve energy.

You should also try to organize your kitchen so you can easily access the items you use most often and limit the need to bend, reach, and move around the kitchen.

Place heavy items on lower shelves and make use of a Lazy Susan to avoid needing to access the back of cupboards or shelves. If you struggle to move items around the kitchen or to your table, rolling carts can be handy to have nearby.

Safeguard against sensory imbalances

Standing near a hot stove or oven while cooking can worsen your symptoms due to heat intolerance. Place a fan in the kitchen to improve cool air circulation or use a cooling vest.

Keep in mind that microwaving, air frying, or using a slow cooker does not heat the kitchen as much as the stove or oven does.

If you struggle with decreased sensation, your chances of getting burned may increase. Silicone cooking gloves can help protect against burns.

Adaptive devices to assist with eating

MS spasticity and tremors that affect your arms, hands, or fingers, can make it challenging to open packages, grip items, and safely use utensils.

Adaptive equipment can assist with any dexterity issues you may be experiencing, improving your cooking success and safety — and giving you back some independence in the kitchen. A number of such tools are available:

Cut-resistant or heat-resistant gloves can protect hands from cuts or burns.
A rocking knife uses a rocking motion to cut up food, requiring less strength and grip to control.
An adapted cutting board helps keep food securely in place, saving energy and allowing for safe cutting when using only one hand.
Weighted utensils have added weight to help stabilize tremors or spasms, and thicker non-slip handles to improve grip; some options provide additional stabilization with a cuff that goes around the hand.
Plate guards can be attached to plates to provide a barrier to help scoop food onto a utensil.
Alternatively, nonslip mats help to stabilize plates or bowls, keeping them in place to ease scooping of food onto a utensil.

In some cases, you may want to consider self-feeding devices, though they can be pricey and range in the type of assistance they offer.

Some self-feeding support devices can provide arm support to help guide the arm to your mouth. Robotic options can fully substitute for arm function, making it easier to eat independently.

Strategies for safe swallowing

Chewing and swallowing involve the coordinated effort of multiple muscles in the mouth and throat.

MS swallowing problems develop when the nerves that manage these muscles get damaged, leading to weakness and lack of coordination, which may result in dysphagia.

Episodes of dysphagia can range from infrequent incidents of food or liquid “going down the wrong pipe” to serious complications, including choking, unintentional weight loss, malnutrition, and aspiration pneumonia.

There are ways to prevent or manage swallowing issues:

Practice good posture while eating and drinking.
Eat slowly and take small bites.
Minimize distractions, such as conversation, and focus on chewing thoroughly until your food is nearly liquid.
Consider having shorter, more frequent meals instead of one large meal as fatigue can make it harder to swallow.
Choose foods that are soft and moist.

Foods that are dry, crunchy, tough, or thick can be difficult to eat with dysphagia and increase the risk of choking. Try to avoid:

dry foods, such as hard breads and crackers
food with a hard, tough, or crunchy texture, which includes nuts, seeds, popcorn, raw vegetables, hard candies, and tough cuts of meats
foods with thick textures, such as nut butters, chewy candies, and thick gravies.

If you struggle with MS and dysphagia, getting medical attention and being assessed by a speech-language pathologist is essential to minimize symptoms.

Treatment strategies vary depending on your specific swallowing issues and their severity. A registered dietitian can personalize plans based on the speech-language pathologist’s recommendations by modifying food textures and liquid consistencies and monitoring nutritional status.

You should also schedule regular visits with your dentist and maintain proper oral hygiene. Controlling oral bacteria can lower the chances of developing pneumonia in case of aspiration.

Ask for help in the kitchen

If you are struggling in the kitchen, remember, it’s OK to admit you need assistance — great cooks often have a sous chef.

Ask close friends or family for help cooking, and turn it into a social occasion.

You may want to speak with your primary care physician or neurologist about your MS and eating issues and ask for a referral to add to your healthcare team.

A speech-language pathologist can help you work through cognitive issues and is invaluable in assessing and treating swallowing disorders.
A registered dietitian can create an eating plan based on your unique nutritional needs, offering support with symptom management and making your time in the kitchen easier through improved meal planning and preparation, and dietary adaptations.
An occupational therapist helps increase safe participation in daily activities, in and out of the kitchen, by suggesting ways to utilize adaptive equipment and preserve energy.

Just like creating a new recipe, it might take some time to discover the perfect mixture of planning, preparation, products, and support for managing MS and eating. Keep experimenting until you create a kitchen setup and eating routine that works best for you.

Multiple Sclerosis News Today is strictly a news and information website about the disease. It does not provide medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. This content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this website.