NUTRITION 

Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 and Online Materials

"...provides advice on what to eat and drink to meet nutrient needs, promote health, and help prevent chronic disease."

- Relating to Myasthenia Gravis -

"Myasthenia gravis requires a holistic approach that includes, in addition to pharmacological therapy, special attention to nutrition. Direct experience underscores the importance of a personalized diet that takes into account individual reactions and contributes to optimal symptom management. Collaborating with healthcare professionals and adopting a mindful dietary regimen are fundamental steps toward improving quality of life." (mama health)

*NEW* Food Safety and Life with MG (The MGA Digest) A wealth of information about FOOD SAFETY.

SWALLOWING, CHEWING and DRINKING

• Tips for Eating and Drinking with Myasthenia Gravis (myasthenia-gravis.com)

• Tips for Eating and Drinking When Myasthenia Gravis Makes It Difficult to Swallow (Healthline)

• Tips for Swallowing with Myasthenia Gravis (Conquer MG)

• Patients With MG Must Be Aware of Problems With Chewing and Swallowing (Rare Disease Advisor)

DIETING WITH MYASTHENIA GRAVIS

• *NEW* Myasthenia gravis diet and nutrition (Myasthenia Gravis News)

• Nutrition & Myasthenia Gravis (YouTube video from MGA)

• Best Diet for Myasthenia Gravis - AmeriPharma Specialty Care

• Myasthenia Gravis Diet: How To Eat For Better Health (Fabdelta.com)

• Eating Your Way to Better Health: The Best Foods for Myasthenia Gravis (Medium)

• Myasthenia Gravis Diet: The Promising Role Of Probiotics & Prebiotics (Fabdelta.com)

• Myasthenia Gravis: Eating to Combat Prednisone Weight Gain (YouTube video from Conquer MG)

• Myasthenia Gravis Diet: 4 Foods To Eat and 4 To Avoid (MG Team)

• Nutritional myasthenia gravis–friendly recipes and other diet and meal-prep tips (MG United)

• Healthy Green Smoothies (recipes) From MGFA

• 3 Proven Hacks For Eating With Myasthenia Gravis (FindMeCure)

• Eating to Combat Prednisone Weight Gain (YouTube video from Conquer Myasthenia Gravis)

• Nutrition Tips for Myasthenia Gravis (Conquer MG)

- In General: Supplements, Vitamins, Minerals, & Diets -

Verywell Health has a repository of articles on Diet and Nutrition.

SUPPLEMENTS

• Supplements: What You Really Need (WebMD)

• Dietary Supplements for Immune Function and Infectious Diseases (NIH) Doctors' version

• These Are the Supplements You Should Avoid Taking Together (Verywell Health)

• How Do I Choose a Supplement? (Verywell Health)

• 7 Popular Supplements That May Have Hidden Dangers (Everyday Health)

• *NEW* 9 Dangerous Supplement Combinations You Should Avoid  (VerywellHealth)

• 10 Serious Side Effects of Fish Oil (omega-3) (VerywellHealth)

• Neurologists Share Their Views on the Benefits & Drawbacks of Vitamins & Supplements (from Brain&Life)

• Antioxidant Supplements: What You Need To Know (NIH)

• Which Antioxidants Are Best? (Verywell Health)

• Brain Supplements That Do and Don’t Work (WebMD)

• What to Know Before You Take Herbal Supplements (WebMD)

• 10 Natural Appetite Suppressants (Verywell Health)  

VITAMINS & MINERALS

• Vitamins and Minerals (from NIH)

• Best Ways to Take Different Vitamins (Verywell Health)

• What Are Vitamins and Can They Help Your Health? (Healthline)

• Can You Take Too Many Vitamins? (Better Report) Simple answer, yes.

• Digestive Health and 4 Essential Vitamins (Everyday Health)

• What Are the Fat-Soluble Vitamins? (Everyday Health)

• Vitamins and Supplements to Fight Inflammation (WebMD)

• Excess Vitamin B3 Linked to Increased Risk of Heart Disease (WebMD)

• Vitamins and Minerals - Health Guide (Harvard Health)

• What are the signs of a vitamin deficiency? (Medical News Today)

• Signs You’re Low on Vitamin B12 (webMD)

• What is Vitamin Toxicity? (VeryWell Health)

-- Scroll down to see additional information on Vitamin D --

OSTEOPOROSIS (a common side effect of Prednisone)

• Increased risk of osteoporosis in patients with myasthenia gravis (Neurology) Even for those NOT taking Prednisone

• Everything You Need to Know About Osteoporosis Prevention (VeryWell Health)

• 8 Foods to Avoid With Osteoporosis (VeryWell Health)

WHAT'S DANGEROUS

• *NEW* ...the 'Dirty Dozen" list... (CNN Health) The most pesticide-laden fruits and vegetables and how to clean them.

• These Common Medications May Cause More Side Effects When It’s Hot Out (Verywellhealth)

• What Happens to Your Body When Your Electrolytes Are Low (Verywell Health)

• 7 Common Nutrient Deficiencies: Know the Signs (Everyday Health)

• Can You Eat Too Much Protein? 5 Ways to Tell  (Everyday Health)

• The 9 Best and Worst Sources of Protein (Everyday Health)

• Liver Damage from Medication (Verywell Health)

• 12 [types of] Medications That Don’t Mix Well With Coffee (VeryWell Health) Most MGers take at least one type of the medications listed in this article.

• How Tylenol Can Cause Liver Damage (Verywell Health)

• Six Over-the-counter Drugs That Can Be Dangerous for Older Adults (VeryWell Health)

• What Are the Top Contaminated Foods? (Everyday Health)

• *NEW* 4 Things You Can Do to Reduce Your Microplastic Exposure (Verywell Health)

• Do You Actually Need That Daily Aspirin You're Taking? (Verywell Health) Over 60? Low-dose Aspirin may be harming you.

ULTRAPROCESSED FOODS

• Scientists Uncover Hidden Biological Dangers of Ultra-Processed Foods (SciTechDaily)

• Which Foods Are the Most Ultraprocessed? New System Ranks Them (Scientific American)

• The Surprising Truth About Ultra-Processed Foods (SciTechDaily)

• Foods That Accelerate Biological Clocks (MedScape)

• What Happens to Your Body When You Eat Ultra-Processed Foods (Verywell Health)

• *NEW* How Ultra-processed Foods Can Have a Negative Effect on Brain Health (Brain&Life)

• What doctors wish patients knew about ultraprocessed foods (AMA)

• Will Ultra-Processed Foods Kill You? 5 Findings From a New Study  (WebMD)

• Ultra-processed foods may accelerate biological aging (Medical News Today)

• Ultra-processed foods linked to higher risk of death in long-term study (News Medical)

• The What, How, and Why of Ultraprocessed Foods (MedPage Today)

GOOD IDEAS

• *NEW* Is Peanut Butter Good for You? (VerywellHealth)

• Kefir Benefits for Digestion, Immunity, Heart Health, and More (Verywell Health) Find out how and why Kefir is such an exceptional addition to your diet.

• How probiotics could help boost your daily mood (Medical News Today)

• The Truth About Electrolytes (MedPage Today)

• Things Your Body Needs as You Age (WebMD)

• Best OTC Medicine and Health Products | U.S. News U.S. News has produced a very comprehensive review of most over-the-counter (OTC) drugs, rated by pharmacists and dermatologists. If you ever feel overwhelmed by the choices available when you walk into a drug store (especially when you're sick), you will likely find this article quite helpful.

• How to Count Macros: A Detailed Beginner’s Guide  (Everyday Health)  Why macronutrients are so important.

• Macronutrients: How to Be Sure You’re Getting Them All (VeryWell Health)

• 12 most nutritious fruits  (MedicalNewsToday) I add 8 different fruits into my daily smoothie. (Mike Stabile)

• The 9 Healthiest Nuts (Verywell Health) I add 8 different types of nuts into my daily smoothie. (Mike Stabile)

TURMERIC

• Potential Health Benefits of Turmeric and Curcumin (Everyday Health)

• 10 Serious Side Effects of Turmeric (VeryWell Health)

• Turmeric and Its Antioxidant Curcumin (Verywell Health)

• *NEW* What Happens to Your Blood Pressure When You Take Turmeric (Verywell Health)

• Can Turmeric Fight Cancer? (WebMD)

• Why You Should Combine Turmeric and Black Pepper (Everyday Health)

DARK CHOCOLATE

• Is it good for you? (VeryWell Health)

• A more scientific analysis. (both from Frontiers in Nutrition)

• *NEW* What Happens to Your Blood Pressure When You Eat Dark Chocolate Every Day? (Verywell Health)

• Dark chocolate may help lower type 2 diabetes risk (Medical News Today)

• 7 Proven Health Benefits of Dark Chocolate (Healthline)

• The More Bitter, the Better (VeryWell Health)

• 8 Healthy Reasons to Eat Dark Chocolate (Everyday Health)

• How much cocoa might lead to dangerous exposure to toxic metals? (Medical News Today)

• Lead and Cadmium Could Be in Your Dark Chocolate (Consumer Reports)

• Could dark chocolate have a blood pressure-lowering effect? (Medical News Today)

• How Much Dark Chocolate Should You Eat to Live Longer? (VeryWell Health)

IMFLAMMATION

• Anti-Inflammatory Diet (MG United)

• Vitamins and Supplements to Fight Inflammation (WebMD)

• 8 Anti-Inflammatory Foods to Eat (Everyday Health)

• What Is Inflammation, Anyway? (Better Report)

• 11 Chronic Inflammation Symptoms  (Verywell Health)

• The Signs of Different Types of Inflammation (Verywell Health)

• Will a better understanding of the role of INFLAMMATION lead to the development of better therapies or combination of therapies that target both the autoantibody and inflammatory components of MG? (Frontiers in Immunology)

DIETS

• Dejunking Your Diet  (NIH News in Health)

• Plant-Based Diet: What to Eat and a 14-Day Sample Menu (Everydy Health)

• Vegan and vegetarian diets provide a vast array of health benefits, study says (Medical News Today)

• Healthy smoothie tips to help with weight loss (Medical News Today)

- Your Gut: Microbiome and Digestion -

MICROBIOME

• What Is the Gut Microbiome? (Everyday Health)

• Gut Microbiome (1440) Lots of info about all aspects of gut microbiome (including videos)

• Lessons in Gut Health - a primer on your gut's microbiome (VeryWell Health)

• *NEW* The Gut-Brain Axis: How Your Gut Impacts Your Mental Health (Health Matters)

• According to Scientists, This Is the Most Important Thing To Restore Your Gut Health (SciTechDaily)

• How Well Is Your Gut Working? (Science Alert)

• The Gut Microbiome and MG Connection  (myasthenia-gravis.com)

• Steroids, stress and the gut microbiome-brain axis (NIH)  

• Gut bacteria may influence our stress response, a mouse study shows (Medical News Today)

• This article from KFF Health News about how emulsifiers (a common food additive) may cause many significant health problems

• How Does Your Gut Microbiome Impact Your Overall Health? (Healthline)

• Microbiome, Macro Impact (1440)

• Gut Check: Test Your Knowledge of the Gut Microbiome (Everyday Health)

• Your Gut Bacteria May Affect How Well You Cope With Stress (Everyday Health)

• *NEW* What Happens to Your Gut When You Eat Bananas Regularly? (Verywell Health)

• 6 Best Drinks for Gut Health (Everyday Health)

• 5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Gut Microbiome Starting Today (Everyday Health)

• Easy Ways to Heal Your Gut (CNET)  Surprisingly good advice from a technology website.

DIGESTION

• The Surprising Health Benefits of Fermented Foods (Verywell Health) Note that heating fermented food will destroy much of its beneficial bacteria.

• How Does the Digestive System Work? (Everyday Health)

• Digestive Health and 4 Essential Vitamins (Everyday Health)

• Does It Take 30 Minutes to Digest Food? (MedicineNet)

• What You Should Eat During and After Antibiotics (Healthline)

• What to Know About Probiotics and Prebiotics (Everyday Health)

• The 11 Best Ways to Improve Your Digestion Naturally (Healthline)

• Your Guide to Understanding Digestive Health Triggers (Healthline)

• High-Fiber Super Foods (WebMD)

• Why Is Fiber Important for Your Digestive Health? (Everyday Health)

• Are You Getting Enough Fiber? Here's How Much You Need and How to Eat More (Verywell Health)

• 9 Signs of an Unhealthy Gut — and What You Can Do About It  (Everyday Health)

• How Stress Affects Digestion (Everyday Health)

• Legumes: The Gut-Boosting, Heart-Healthy Superfood (Everyday Health)

• Digestive Enzymes: Types and Function (Verywell Health)

• This Common Food Preservative May Not Be as Harmless as We Thought (Science Alert)

• What’s the Best Sleeping Position for Digestion? (Verywell Health)

• New Research Reveals Why You Shouldn’t Add a Banana to Your Smoothies (ZME Science) and Study Shows You Should Skip Bananas in Smoothies (SciTechDaily)

- Vitamin D -

• Vitamin D Deficiency Can Trigger Autoimmune Conditions. Here's Why. (Science Alert)

• The Truth About Vitamin D’s Health Benefits (WebMD)

• *NEW* 5 Serious Side Effects of Vitamin D Supplements (Verywellhealth) 

• Vitamin D is a very important nutrient for the human body. (Everyday Health)

• Vitamin D is even more important in the treatment of Myasthenia Gravis. (Ingenta)

• How Much Vitamin D Is Too Much (Everyday Health)

• However, be aware that you can end up with toxic levels of vitamin D without careful monitoring. (Mayo Clinic)

• Could I Be Low in Vitamin D? (WebMD)

• 10 Illnesses Linked to Vitamin D Deficiency (Everyday Health)

• If you have Myasthenia Gravis then learn all you can about Vitamin D: Professional Overview - Consumer Overview (NIH)

• How Vitamin D Can Affect Your Gut Microbiome (Everyday Health)

• Causal effect of vitamin D on myasthenia gravis: a two-sample Mendelian randomization study (Frontiers in Nutrition)

 Living With Germs 

• Since most of us MGers are immunocompromised (because we take immunosuppressants such as Prednisone, Azathioprine, Mycophenolate Mofetil, Methotrexate, Cyclosporine, and Tacrolimus) we must be vigilant about not catching, among other things, airborne diseases.  This new and informative article from NIH has lots of great info on this subject.

• Immunosuppressants compromise our immune systems and put us at greater risk of infections and diseases.  To protect against illness, including from non-airborne sources, there are other things you should consider avoiding.  What Not to Do When You're Immunocompromised, an article from WebMD, highlights common sources that you might not have considered.

• Germiest Things in Restaurants (WebMD)

• Germiest Things in Hospitals and Doctor’s Offices (WebMD)

• Public Hot Spots for Germs (WebMD)

• Germy Things You Touch Every Day (WebMD)

• Research: Wash Your Hands Immediately After Touching These 10 Things (The Healthy)

• *NEW* Beards and microbes: What the evidence shows (medical press)

Put the toilet lid down before flushing! (YouTube video)

Here's scientific proof, too. (AMI)

Does closing the toilet lid before flushing reduce the spread of viral and bacterial particles? (Everyday Health)

Your Keyboard May Contain More Bacteria Than Your Toilet Seat (WebMD) and probably your phone, too.

Don't forget to clean your watchband regularly. (Science Alert)

• SERIOUSLY consider making your house shoe-free. (CBS News)

• Wearing Shoes Indoors Is Much Grosser Than You Think (Mental Floss)

• Another shoe-free house article. (Southern Living)

• Tips for Enforcing a No-shoe Rule in Your Home (YouTube)

Are You Washing Your Sheets Enough? (Better Report)

What Happens When You Don't Wash Your Hands (WebMD)

Leading health agencies outline updated terminology for pathogens that transmit through the air (WHO) It's still all about ventilation, distance and masking.

What does the dust in your home mean for your health? (The Conversation) Immunocompromised MGers might want to take a look at: Summertime can be germy: A microbiologist explains how to avoid getting sick at the barbecue, in the pool or on the trail.