What I eat
When starting out on the Overcoming MS program, I know it can feel a little overwhelming at first, especially when you're wondering like I was, what can I actually eat?? ...so to help simplify things I created this page to show you the staple foods we buy and eat regularly on OMS.
To sum up the Overcoming MS diet portion: it is a plant-based, low saturated fat diet + seafood, that involves avoiding vegetable oils and processed foods as much as possible.
Below, you'll find a list of what is in our pantry that are, to my knowledge OMS compliant, along with the methods I use to prepare our meals.
My personal approach is to keep meals balanced and nutrient-rich by incorporating a wide variety of colourful fruits, vegetables, herbs, spices, proteins, and superfoods into each day where possible.
As a reminder, if you're doing OMS, always read food labels carefully to ensure they're free from vegetable oils, as per the OMS guidelines. Unfortunately, this sneaky flavourless oil is in many a processed food. The oils allowed on OMS are Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO), which is now allowed to be used in baking, and flaxseed oil, which is only ever to be used cold, not heated.
Once you start shopping and eventually find your go-to brands and recipes, your grocery shopping and meal times do become much easier over time.
Tip: for me, when it comes to food shopping, I find grocery shopping online much easier. I find it’s much less overwhelming than visiting the supermarket, I can keep an eye on my budget; plus the toilet is close by, and my favourite products are saved for easy reordering next time. I love that it's delivered to my door and I can sit with a cup of tea and take my time, and if I forget something, I can quickly check the pantry or fridge.
I hope it all helps!
Simonne x
All fresh vegetables that are in season and available. We usually have a mixture of greens eg. lettuce/salad mix, spinach, silverbeet, rocket or kale, which are great for salads, cooking or in smoothies. We also have a mixture of broccoli, cauliflower, capsicum, beetroot, a big bag of carrots always, mushrooms, purple cabbage, zucchini, cucumber, spring onion, eggplant and if it's in season - sweet corn. In the pantry, I generally have 2 to 3 large sweet potatoes, a big bag of white potatoes, a bag each of red and white onions, several fresh garlic bulbs and 4-5 tins of tomatoes.
Winter fruit box
Fresh fruit is an easy snack on OMS. I generally have a big bowl full of fruit on our dining table all year round. We get a fresh local fruit box delivered every week as the quality is much, much better than the supermarket. Through Winter, we have a mixture of apples, oranges, mandarins, lemons, limes, green and yellow kiwifruit, and a big bunch of bananas all year round, which are great for snacking and in smoothies and smoothie bowls. In the freezer, I keep bags of frozen mixed berries, blueberries, banana and mango, used in baking and smoothies. Through Summer, a mixture of apricots, nectarines, feijoas, avocado, and sometimes watermelon, grapes, rockmelon and fresh blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries when available. I buy tinned jackfruit for quick dinners like jackfruit tacos or curries, and fresh medjool dates to keep in the fridge for snacking - these are great stuffed with peanut butter.
All dried herbs and spices etc. turmeric, cumin, paprika, smoked paprika, curry powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamon, ginger, cayenne pepper, mixed spice, allspice etc. From the garden we have fresh oregano, rosemary, parsley, coriander, and mint. We buy curry leaves when available at the grocer and fresh ginger for making dressings or sliced in hot water.
I keep jars of dried apricots, raisins, cranberries, dates, and sometimes mango and figs (although these never last long). All of which come in handy in baking, snacking and dinners.
Raw almonds, cashews, walnuts, chia seeds and flax seeds (both are high in fibre), pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds. Hazelnuts, which I mainly use to make raw vegan "nutella", is delicious spread over toast drizzled in flaxseed oil. Sometimes I buy pecans, macadamias, pistachios, brazil nuts, hemp seeds, and pine nuts for anything from pesto to raw treats, but I find the staple nuts I buy can be great substitutes for the later eg: cashews in pesto instead of pine nuts and walnuts instead of pecans.
A big jar of oats for porridge or in baking or cereals, and jars of quinoa, white and brown rice, buckwheat groats and sometimes millet, which are all great for salads, treats and dinners.
Dried red lentils I use weekly in the OMS bolognaise which is a simple delicious recipe and a staple in our house (available in the OMS cookbook). Dried and tinned brown lentils for plant-based lasagne or salads, tinned black beans, kidney beans, cannellini beans, butter beans and chickpeas for anything from Mexican to fill tacos, salads, chickpea biscuits or for making hummus. I find keeping a variety of beans and lentils, specifically tinned, is very helpful come dinner time when you may be scrambling for ideas. They're filling and nutritious and offer a variety of quick options. Out of all of them, I have a few more tins of chickpeas as we use them in a few different recipes, and aqua-faba (chickpea juice) is great in many gluten and dairy-free plant-based recipes.
Be sure to soak dried lentils and beans in a bowl of water the night before, or in hot water for at least an hour before cooking, as this releases the phytic acid and helps the body digest them better.
This is the approved main oil on OMS. We have a large bottle on the go at all times. Although it's mainly meant to be used cold, OMS has approved it as the preferred oil for baking, up to 180 degrees celsius. EVOO is great drizzled on toast in place of butter, over salads and dinners, or for dipping in bread. I love drizzling mine over cooked pasta before putting the sauce on top. It adds a nice richness that you wouldn't achieve. otherwise.
Gluten is included on the OMS program; however, I choose to eat a few different gluten-free breads, and find the commercial processed brands contain vegetable/seed oils. Sometimes I eat sourdough or ciabatta or make hot cross buns at Easter, but I limit gluten where I can, which is a personal choice.
We buy a few different flours, the staple ones being regular gluten-free flour, chickpea flour, wheat flour (I mainly use for making play dough and occasionally hot cross buns), tapioca flour, cornflour, buckwheat flour and sometimes brown rice flour. These are all good options that I use when I'm baking and cooking, but you don't need all of these. For oat flour and almond meal, I make them in my food processor. As time goes on, you'll come to know which flours you like and use the most.
As a family, we eat pasta weekly for ease, and love. If you have kids you know what I mean! We enjoy the San Remo brand of brown rice gluten-free pasta spirals and spaghetti as this brand hold's its structure when boiled. I've tried a few, and some fall apart.
Unfortunately, many commercial nut and oat milks contain seed oils. When I find a brand not using seed oils I'll buy them for convenience; otherwise, I'll make my own almond milk. You can do this with raw almonds, a few dates and a nut milk bag.
The main sweeteners I use and keep are 100% pure maple syrup, honey, coconut sugar, and chutney (I check the label for brands that are free from vegetable oil). Dates are also a great sweetener in raw treats. If you have excess in-season fruit, you could make your own chutney. I avoid processed sugar as a personal choice but it isn't excluded from OMS. I find the above to be great substitutes.
I love herbal teas and drink them all the time including camomile, peppermint and green matcha tea. Lately I've really been enjoying sliced ginger in hot water, and matcha powder as a tea with almond milk. When we're out and people are drinking around me I generally have a soda water with fresh lime or a mocktail. I also love good kombucha, either home-made or store-bought and smoothies, juices and sometimes coconut water kefir. My friend recently gifted me a zero percent asian spiced gin, which is absolutely delicious!
If I do want a drink I usually have a small red wine but this depends on how I'm feeling. I think my friends dont believe me when I say that I already feel drunk most of the time, I dont need to feel more drunk haha!
A daily staple on the OMS program for omega-3 fatty acids. The minimum daily consumption: 20 ml (about 2 tablespoons), maximum daily consumption: 40 ml (about 4 tablespoons). I use this mostly drizzled over cooled toast in place of butter with a spread of vegemite. I also love using it in smoothies as it seems to mellow out the sweetness and add creaminess. You can drizzle flaxseed oil over any food you like, but be sure the food has cooled enough first, and store in your fridge.
Tamari (gluten free soy sauce) we use a lot for sashimi, balsamic vinegar for home-made salad dressings, rice wafers, miso paste, hulled tahini for hummus and salad dressings, nori sheets for sushi, vermicelli noodles, dijon and whole grain mustards, vegetable stock cubes/powder, pure vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and black pepper, pure peanut butter (containing nuts and sea salt), vegemite, marmite, green olives, kalamata olives, nutritional yeast (great alternative to cheese), and rarely I buy tofu. Other staples include smoked chipotle sauce, cacao powder, cacao nibs, plant-based protein powder, and sometimes acai powder and medicinal mushroom powders.
Sliced zucchini, blueberries, mixed berries, and mango, all of which are used in smoothies and in baking. Packets of corn taco's - my friend makes corn tacos locally with just corn and water and they're great for last-minute dinners plus they heat with a splash of water on the pan, flipped over of each side, so keep an eye out for something similar. Bags of frozen peas and corn for dinners, edamame beans for poke bowls, and whole spotty bananas I've thrown in there for smoothies and making beau ice-blocks. An extra bottle of flaxseed oil, and multiple loaves of gluten free bread for when we run out. Packets of frozen fish in dinner sized portions, mainly snapper and kingfish that Ben's caught. Ben has a vacuum sealer which makes this much easier, we store the packets in a bigger freezer and it is an absolute saviour! on the pocket and at dinner.
Egg whites are advised on OMS, not the yolks. If I have an egg I eat the whole thing, but I don't eat them often, that's just a personal choice so please, you do you. The irony is my son only likes egg whites!!
My Ben LOVES fishing so we eat what he catches - here in NZ it's mainly Snapper, King fish, Hapuka or Crayfish. Ben occasionally catches/gathers Kahawai, Pipi, Tua Tua, Squid or Gurnard. On special occasions, we may buy Salmon, Prawns, or Scallops. We eat fish about 3 times per week.
I think everyone does OMS their own way. For me I find it more sustainable and enjoyable by allowing a few things in moderation. I like a few squares of 85% dark chocolate a day and I use unrefined coconut oil in raw treats that I make, but if I eat one square of that raw treat, it's a lot less saturated fat and is along with other fibre/nutrient rich foods. I also eat a little coconut milk, coconut yoghurt and coconut cream which again I'm having a portion of. These are not OMS compliant, but a personal choice, so please don't let me sway you, it's just how I do OMS and everyone is different.
I don't abuse this, and sometimes I think if I didn't do it, would I feel better - maybe. Cashew cream, and soy yoghurt are a few alternatives.
Preparing food and cooking on OMS...
- Frying - I use our enamel dish or stainless steel pots with a little water to fry in. I keep a bottle of water or jug nearby so I can top-up as I go which stops things like onions and garlic from sticking. Frying with water feels a little strange at first, but I quickly grew to love it, and now I wouldn't go back even if I could.
- Baking vegetables - I bake vegetables on baking paper, seasoned with sea salt and pepper, and sometimes herbs for extra flavour. Can someone please clarify in the comments below - are we allowed to bake veges in EVOO? I've emailed to OMS twice now and havn't had a response.
- Baking sweet treats - for baking, I use extra virgin olive oil up to 180 degrees celsius, and for raw sweet treats, I use extra virgin unrefined coconut oil, but coconut oil is not OMS. Most of the treats I make are raw, but occasionally I use the oven.
- Cooking fish - I use the steam function on our oven - this has been life-changing. I use an enamel dish with a little sea salt, pepper and maybe lemon juice. Otherwise, I wrap the fish up in baking paper, and that steams the fish within the paper. I did that for years before we owned a steam oven.
- Steaming / Boiling - a pot on the stove with a small amount of water for steaming vegetables and a large pot of water for boiling eg. pasta or potatoes.
Organisation tips...
Having an organised kitchen and pantry, and being prepared with quick and easy dinners can make a huge difference when following OMS. We can’t always just eat whatever is easiest, so being organised makes life less stressful an you more satiated.
I find that having labelled, clear jars for all of our staple foods makes cooking and baking go much smoother. Everything is easy to find, and you can see exactly what you have. I’ve been in kitchens with drawers full of open bags and packets, and it can be mind-boggling.
We use one-litre jars for our main ingredients, such as chia seeds, walnuts, red lentils, coconut sugar, white and brown rice, etc. We also have medium-sized jars for seeds and dried fruit, and a few larger jars for gluten-free flour and oats. The rest is stored in deep pantry drawers, with our spices in small labelled jars on their own shelves.
The key is in the labelling and the organisation. It doesn’t have to be fancy or expensive. I bought our labeller cheaply from a stationery store and the jars from a local retailer. I also reuse old peanut butter and yoghurt jars. You can make it work with whatever you already have.
I certainly know that spending time in the kitchen can be difficult when you have fatigue, so I try to work around it as best as I can. Sometimes I rest before cooking and/or afterwards, especially dinner times, because I find the payoff is worth it. Other times, I’ll push through the fatigue and know that I’ll probably need some extra rest and an early night or two. This is where having leftovers in the freezer is so helpful. There will be days when you’re starving at 5pm but have no energy to cook, and you’ll be so glad you froze that curry, dahl or even the small amount of spaghetti bolognese sauce you had left over.
I recommend having a few food storage containers in different sizes and, if possible, some extra freezer space. We have a larger freezer, which is a lifesaver because our fridge freezer is quite small. An easy way to label containers is with masking tape and a Sharpie. The tape comes off easily so you can reuse the container.
When I’m cooking just for myself and have fresh fish, I’ll often steam the fish with broccoli and carrots and boil some potatoes. Lately, I’ve been enjoying this with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, smoked chipotle sauce, and sea salt and pepper, maybe chutney. It’s very basic, but quick, nutritious and delicious.
When I’m cooking for the family, I love making simple one-pot dishes, such as lentil bolognese, fish ratatouille or fish dahl. Having one main dish is much easier on my brain, and there are fewer pots and pans to clean up afterwards.
Over time, you’ll naturally work out what you and your family enjoy eating and what organisation works best for you. It can make following OMS feel much easier and more manageable.
Having an organised kitchen and pantry and being prepared with quick, easy dinners makes the world of difference on OMS as we can't just eat anything.
In my experience having labelled jars for our staple foods makes cooking and baking much easier because everything is clear, easy to find, and you can see how much you have. I've been in kitchens that are disorganised with drawers full of open bags and it was mind boggling.
In our kitchen use one-litre jars for our main ingredients; for us it's chia seeds, walnuts, red lentils, coconut sugar, white and brown rice, etc., then several medium-sized jars for seeds and dried fruits, and a few slightly bigger jars for GF flour and oats. We have deep pantry drawers to store the rest and small labelled spice jars on their own shelves.
The key is in the labelling and organising. I picked our labeller up for cheap at a stationery store and the jars for cheap at a local retailer and I use old peanut butter or yogurt jars as well. It doesn't have to be fancy or expensive.
Also, I know working in the kitchen is difficult when you have fatigue so I try to work around this by resting before cooking and/or after because I find the payoff is worth it. Or, I push through and know I'll probably need extra rest the next day and an early night. This is where having leftovers in the freezer is super helpful because the day will come when you'll be starving at 5pm, and you'll thank your lucky stars you froze that curry or dahl, or tiny amount of spag bol sauce, to quickly defrost and eat.
In order to freeze leftovers, I recommend you have several food storage containers in different sizes and extra freezer space. We have a larger freezer which is a saviour as our fridge freezer is small. An easy way to label food containers is by using masking tape and a sharpie as the tape will easily pull off again.
When I have fresh fish and I'm only cooking for myself I'll steam fish, broccoli, carrots, and boil potatoes. Lately I've enjoyed this with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of nutritional yeast, smoked chipotle sauce, and sea salt and pepper. Very basic but quick, nutritious and yumm.
When I'm cooking for the family, I love a single one-pot dish, like lentil bolognese or a fish ratatouille, or fish dahl. The single focus is much easier on my brain, and fewer pots and pans to clean up at the end.
Over time you'll naturally refine what you and your family love to eat, and how you organise things, making OMS easier and easier.
In a nutshell...
- Fresh fruits and vegetables
- Herbs and spices
- Raisins, apricots, medjool dates, dried dates and cranberries
- Walnuts, almonds, cashews, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds. sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds
- Oats, quinoa, white and brown rice
- Red and brown lentils, all beans and chickpeas
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Gluten-free bread and occasionally sourdough/ciabatta
- Gluten-free flour, chickpea flour, buckwheat flour, normal wheat flour, oat flour and flaxmeal (ground flaxseeds)
- Gluten-free brown rice pasta
- Almond milk
- Maple syrup, dates, coconut sugar, honey, chutney
- Smoothies, homemade juices, mocktails, kombucha or lime and soda water
- Cold-pressed organic flaxseed oil
- Tamari or gluten free soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, miso paste, hulled tahini, dijon & whole grain mustards, vegetable stock cubes/powder, pure vanilla extract, baking powder, baking soda, apple cider vinegar, sea salt and black pepper, pure peanut butter (containing just nuts and sea salt), green olives, kalamata olives, nutritional yeast, smoked chipotle sauce,
- Cacao powder, cacao nibs, rice wafers, nori sheets. plant-based protein powder by Tropeaka
- Frozen peas, corn, mixed berries, blueberries, mango, zucchini, banana, corn tacos, snapper, kingfish
- Eggs
- Not OMS compliant, but I choose to eat in moderation - 85% dark chocolate, coconut oil, coconut milk, coconut cream and coconut yogurt; however, I know that cashew cream and soy yogurt are alternatives.
I hope that gives you a good overview of the foods I eat and methods I use to cook my meals, on the OMS program.
There are so many benefits to being on OMS, one of which is how great it feels knowing that the food you're eating isn't processed and you know what goes in it, and that the effort you put in is all coming back to you in good health. With the foods above I've found that they last for weeks, and I can make most of the treats and recipes we love and enjoy with them. Eating this way is buying the ingredients to make the food instead of buying the pre-made food itself, which turns out quite economical. I tend to grocery shop about every 2 weeks, sometimes even 3, and when we're low on food, I do my best to make a good dinner with what we have until the next shop.
Obviously, wherever you live in the world, your staples will vary. I've been on OMS for over 10 years now, and for the first 6 we lived in Australia, and there were a few different foods we bought regularly that I loved, like all the beautiful tropical fruits, a fresh local sourdough, frozen acai packs, buckwheat wraps, and Barramundi. But now that we live in New Zealand, we have access to a whole different range of fruits like the incredible citrus fruits and crispy apples we have here that I missed so much overseas, plus feijoas (little guava), kiwifruit, creamy avocados, corn tacos and the array of fresh wild-caught seafood, like Snapper and Kingfish.
I really hope that's helped to inspire you and see that it is much easier than maybe you thought.
My advice is to see the OMS diet as something fun to explore. Like anything in life, practise makes perfect. Keep trying new recipes and altering them as you go, keep showing up, and soon you'll find your groove.
Much love
Simonne x
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