There are many different ways to name a disease. Sometimes it is named after the part of the body that is affected. Sometimes it is named in memory of the first known person who died from the disease. Other times, it is named after the people who discovered and identified the disease. In the case of multiple physicians working together, the names of diseases can quickly become long. This is the case of Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease (CMT), a disease that is sometimes known as hereditary motor and sensory neuropathy. As the second name would suggest, CMT is a disease that causes neuropathy in both motor and sensory peripheral nerves. The peripheral nerves are nerves that are outside the brain and spinal cord. In CMT, the peripheral nerves that are most heavily affected are the ones in the legs and the feet. This can make it hard to get the exercise you need, which means that you are going to need to pay extra attention to your diet to ensure that you can stay healthy even with CMT.
Food & Nutrition Diet (Meal Plan) for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
#1 Recommended Breakfast Diet for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
Not only are you going to want to make sure that your diet ensures that you will be healthy even if you cannot go outside much but you are going to want to look at foods that will help with an anti-inflammatory diet. For breakfast, you are going to want to look at foods that have a high fiber content in them, such as toast and bagels. With these, you will want to make sure that you are looking at whole-wheat and whole-grain foods as these are generally healthier for your body. For the bulk of your breakfast, eggs have the protein you need to maintain your muscle mass as well as some healthy fats. If you want some flavor in your breakfast, you might want to look at fruits that have a high amount of antioxidants in them to further reduce inflammation. Blueberries, cranberries, and blackberries are all perfect breakfast berries.
#2 Recommended Lunch Diet for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
After breakfast, you are going to want to look at salads for your lunch. Salads are not only healthy and generally low-fat but they can also be wonderfully flavorful. Tomatoes, avocado, kale, and olives are all good foods to add to your salad. If you are feeling up to it, you can also add some walnuts or almonds for a crunch in your salad. These foods have all been shown to help reduce inflammation, which is something that you will want to look for when you are trying to manage CMT. For some flavor in your salad and as a healthy salad dressing, extra virgin olive oil is a great topping. Olive oil also contains healthy fats that you will want to keep yourself healthy. This will make for a light, healthy, and delicious lunchtime meal.
#3 Recommended Dinner Diet for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
For dinner, you are going to want to look at grass-fed beef, pasture-raised poultry, and wild-caught fish for the bulk of the meal. These foods all have good amounts of protein, which is something that you will want to raise your protein levels and maintain muscle mass. Fish also provides fatty acids, which benefit the heart and brain. For the sides of your dinner, beans and legumes have protein and fiber in them. This will make a well-rounded and healthy dinner for you to eat. If you want a bit of fruity flavor to your dinner, you could consider looking at bell peppers to add to your dish.
#4 Recommended Snacks Diet for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
Snacks are going to be a sizeable part of your day, especially if you choose to eat relatively small meals with regular snacks in between those meals. Pineapple is a good snack if you are in the mood for it. Pineapple contains enzymes that help fight against inflammation, making it a perfect addition to an anti-inflammatory diet. Nuts such as almonds, cashews, and pecans are all excellent snacks that can be lightly seasoned to have the flavor you love. You could also consider roasted and toasted pumpkin, sunflower, and sesame seeds as well. These snacks are all healthy and tasty, making them perfect for anyone with CMT.
#5 Recommended Drinks for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
There aren’t many drinks that you are going to specifically want to look for. Green teas are perfect for CMT, though. Green tea will have antioxidants in them, which is one of the things that you will want to look for when creating an anti-inflammatory diet. Coconut milk also has some of the healthy fats that you will need to keep your body in the best condition possible. Aside from these, fruit juices that are low in sugar and have no added sugar are going to be what you want to drink the most, aside from standard water.
#6 Recommended Herbs for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
There aren’t many herbs that you will need to search for but turmeric is a spice that contains curcumin. Curcumin is a compound produced by the Curcuma Longa plant and has been shown in animal studies to reduce inflammation through alleviating unfolded protein responses in the body. This means that you might want to add some turmeric to your recipes. Turmeric is a seasoning often used in curry, meaning that it will be the perfect way to add some strong flavor to any meal.
#7 Recommended Fruits for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
There are many, many fruits that you will want to look at. Specifically, fruits that have antioxidants in them and fruits that have Vitamin C are going to be the main ones. This means that berries such as Goji berries, blueberries, elderberries, cranberries, and blackberries are all going to be fruits that you look at. For Vitamin C, you will mainly want to look at citrus fruits. Oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruits are going to be the biggest ones.
#8 Recommended Vitamin/s for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
For vitamins, you will want to be looking at Vitamin C. Vitamin C plays a big role in anti-inflammatory diets by helping to reduce inflammation. Vitamin C is often found in acidic fruits. Strawberries, pineapples, berries of most kinds, papaya, bell peppers, kiwi, and some leafy greens are going to have the Vitamin C that you are looking for. However, acidic foods can sometimes cause heartburn so you will want to be wary of that when you prepare some of these foods.
#9 Recommended Mineral/s for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
There aren’t too many minerals that you are going to want to look for. Instead, to maintain a healthy body, you will want to make sure that you are getting the amount of vitamins that your doctor recommends that you get. Making sure that your body isn’t trying to compensate for a lack of a certain mineral is the best thing that you can do for yourself and your health.
#10 Discouraged Foods for Charcot-Marie-Tooth Disease
Instead of specific foods, you will want to avoid certain types of food when you are trying to manage CMT. Foods with high fat, sugar, and salts are foods that you will want to avoid. Of course, healthy fat is something that you will want to have in your diet but unhealthy fats should be removed. The same applies to natural sugar and added sugar. Salt has no place in a diet that is meant for anti-inflammatory purposes. Making sure that you abide by this will help you live a more comfortable life when handling CMT.
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