Last Updated on November 30, 2023 by Cathy
Doctors consider Multiple Sclerosis (MS) as an ‘incurable’ inflammatory autoimmune disease. But, many people were able to stop the progression of MS by using food as their medicine. There is a list of foods to eat and foods to avoid at the bottom of this post for your convenience.
How are they doing this? By treating the root cause of what triggered your MS, to begin with. Finding the triggers isn’t always easy, you may want to contact a functional medicine practitioner for help.
Triggers to MS:
- Poor Diet
- Infections (bacteria, parasites, viruses, and yeast overgrowth)
- Environmental toxins (heavy metals, mold, pesticides, etc.)
- Chronic stress
- Hormones (adrenaline, cortisol, etc.)
Your first step is to change your diet. For some, this will be easy for others it’s a huge change. But wouldn’t you rather change your diet and start feeling better?
Nutrition can have a big impact for patients with neurodegenerative conditions like multiple sclerosis.
The Institute for Fuctional Medicine
Studies can’t support one particular diet that works until there is further research. But researchers do find benefits for people with MS who eat an anti-inflammatory diet such as the paleo diet.
Why eat a Paleo diet?
First, you need to stop eating foods that cause inflammation. Instead, you need to be eating anti-inflammatory foods. Paleo is an anti-inflammatory diet that allows your body to heal.
It includes clean natural foods and NOTHING processed. There are different versions and I have been on a few different ones. Including the basic paleo, Autoimmune Protocol, and The Wahls Protocol which I currently follow.
Eating a clean diet with no processed foods allows your body to start healing. Plus, it not only can stop the progression of MS it can also reverse some if not all your symptoms.
Going Paleo
Many people for many decades have used food as their medicine. Terry Wahls probably being the most known. Eating a high-nutrient-dense paleo diet she was able to get out of her tilt-recline wheelchair. She was also able to get back to riding her bike to work every day.
Unfortunately, eating a standard American diet (SAD) causes many health issues. Including cancer, heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and many more. It seems that there is an explosion of autoimmune diseases today. MS went from 400,000 people in the U.S. to almost one million today.
Preliminary results of the study estimate that nearly 1 million people are living with MS in the U.S., which is more than twice the previously reported number. The results were presented in October 2017 at ECTRIMS — the world’s largest MS research meeting.
National MS Society
After years of eating a poor diet, it can cause a “Leaky Gut.” Plus, taking antibiotics it disrupts the balance of good bacteria in our gut. As a result, undigested food and toxins pass through the gut lining. Toxins pass through the blood-brain barrier which protects the brain and spinal cord.
People ask me all the time how I stay so strict – it’s because I’m determined to reverse ALL my symptoms. Plus, this is a lifestyle change. I LOVE the taste of real food much better than processed food.
Getting your gut bacteria healthy is one of the most important things you can do to get and stay healthy. If your bacteria are sick, so are you!
Mark Hyman, MD
Foods to Avoid
Avoid ALL processed foods, refined sugar, refined carbohydrates, refined vegetable oils, and soda. Grains, dairy, and legumes (beans, peanuts, soy) should also be avoided. It sounds like a lot but there are still many foods you can still enjoy.
Some alcohols have wheat, barley, and rye, which means they have gluten in them. Here are some to watch out for beer, whiskey, bourbon, scotch, gin, and alcohol mixes. It’s best to avoid alcohol altogether.
What can I eat?
1 – Fruits and Vegetables of All Kinds (almost)
All fruit is allowed. However, some fruits are higher in sugar than others. On a Paleo diet, any fruit that is high in sugar is not allowed.
Fruits with lower sugar:
- Avocados
- Berries (blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, strawberries)
- Grapefruits
- Green apples
- Lemons
- Limes
You can enjoy most vegetables except for corn. Corn is mostly a GMO. Green beans and peas are a legume, they were not allowed at first but are not excepted. Try some you have never tried before. Make it fun! Additionally, to get the most nutrition eat a rainbow of colored vegetables every day.
2 – High-Quality Meats
Avoid eating conventional meats, they have antibiotics and growth hormones. If possible, buy grass-fed and finished meat like beef, bison, pork, lamb, and goat. Also wild-caught fish and pasture-raised poultry. You can also eat bacon without nitrates or sugar.
3 – Good Oils/Fats
Not all fats are bad some are very healthy. Our body needs healthy fats it lowers cholesterol levels and boosts brain function.
Healthy fats:
- Avocado
- Coconut oil
- Fatty fish (mackerel, salmon, trout)
- Flaxseed
- Ghee
- Healthy animal fats
- Nuts and seeds
- Olive oil
4 – Eggs
Eggs are allowed on the paleo diet. But, in The Wahls Protocol book, she said many people with MS are sensitive to eggs. It would be best to avoid eggs until you have healed.
5 – Nuts and Seeds
You can enjoy all nuts (peanuts are a legume). Walnuts, almonds, cashews, pecans, macadamia, hazelnuts, pine nuts. Sunflower and pumpkin seeds.
6 – Farm-raised fish
Farmed fish are commonly raised in confined areas, leading to issues like algae, parasites, and diseases. To address these problems, farmers often resort to antibiotics and using harmful chemicals in the water. Therefore, consuming farmed fish poses potential health risks. Instead, buy wild-caught fish like salmon, halibut, and haddock. Plus, it’s crucial to be mindful of mercury levels, especially in larger fish like swordfish and tuna.
Read 7 Fish You Should Never Eat.
7 – Organ Meats
Eat organ meats like liver, heart, kidney, tripe, brain, sweetbreads, and Rocky Mtn. oysters (I’ve never eaten these myself). When you’re first starting out try heart, lamb heart has a milder taste.
There is a convenient list of foods to eat and foods to avoid that you can print out (it’s free). Hang it on your refrigerator so you can easily refer back. You’ll find it at the bottom of this post.
Avoid Toxins
Toxins are everywhere! In our body care products like toothpaste, deodorant, soaps, shampoo, and makeup. Also, cleaning products, carpet, furniture, paint, mercury fillings, etc. It’s impossible to remove all toxins since there are so many. Do the best you can – every little bit helps.
Stress is also a toxin and it’s also hard to avoid. But learning to manage stress is the key. Stress can wreak havoc on your body, including how well your immune system works. Stress especially emotional stress will keep your body from healing.
Going Paleo for Beginners
Going paleo as a beginner can seem overwhelming at first. But there are so many paleo-friendly foods including vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, and healthy fats like avocados and nuts.
Because you’re eating whole, fresh foods it’s easier to cook meals at home. Then you know what ingredients are in your food. There are many paleo cookbooks you can buy. To save money I like to check them out at the library first to see if it’s a cookbook I would use.
Double all recipes so you will have leftovers then freeze them for days you don’t feel like cooking. Leftovers are also great the next day for breakfast or lunch. Don’t be afraid to experiment! And make sure you ALWAYS keep healthy food in your house so you don’t go hungry, that’s when most people slip up.
Foods to Eat ~ Foods to Avoid
Get the password to my library with MANY wellness printables including the Foods to Eat ~ Foods to Avoid here by filling out this form:
Want to remember this health tip? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!
Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6132382/
https://www.nationalmssociety.org/About-the-Society/MS-Prevalence-Background
