How to Stop Multiple Sclerosis

Last Updated on December 3, 2023 by Cathy

Being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) is scary. Especially not knowing what your future holds. MS is very unpredictable. You’ve probably wondered if you are going to end up in a wheelchair or worst… bedridden.

Fortunately, there is good news, by using food as your medicine you CAN stop the progression of MS. Everyone should eat a healthy diet but especially if you have MS. Neurologists don’t normally tell their patients they should start eating healthy. But, as the saying goes… you are what you eat.

Food as Your Medicine

If you are currently eating the standard American diet (SAD). You are eating a diet that’s loaded with sugar-filled processed foods. This diet is missing nutrients from the food our bodies need to be healthy. Change your way of thinking and start seeing food as your medicine. Make better decisions on what you should be eating for your health.

I started using food as my medicine back in 2004. It was right after I had the worst MS flare ever. I had double vision, paralysis on my face, slurred speech, dizziness, and couldn’t walk. I was at my lowest point ever and worried I would stay like this forever. That’s when I started searching online for something other than MS drugs to help me.

I was very thrilled when I found out other people with MS were using food as their medicine. I jumped right into the diet excited to get started. Unfortunately, I live in a small town and there weren’t a lot of options. Even the natural foods section at my grocery store (the only store in town at the time) was so small. I could do all my shopping by standing in one spot.

Fortunately, things have changed for the better. More and more people are sick and tired of the SAD making them sick. Which makes grocery stores sell more natural foods. So your options are much better making it easier for you to get started.

Getting started

If you have been following a healthy diet on the SAD, you aren’t actually eating real whole foods. So what’s the difference?

Healthy foods that aren’t healthy:

• Fruit juices are high in sugar
• Gluten-free snacks often contain fillers
• Prepared salads are high in sodium, and the dressing is usually made with vegetable oil
• Protein bars, many have lots of sugar
• Reduced-fat, healthy fats are necessary
• Veggie chips, most are potato chips sprinkled with veggie powder
• Yogurt contains dairy and missing probiotics

You want to avoid ALL processed foods and eat whole foods that are healthy and nutrient-dense. Including vegetables, fruits, meat, fish, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, and oils. The Paleo diet is a good diet to follow since it is an anti-inflammatory diet.

When reading the nutritional label there should only be ingredients that you recognize. Processed foods have ingredients you can’t even pronounce let alone know what it is. And it seems like high-fructose corn syrup is in just about everything, even in a can of pears.

Foods to Avoid:

• Artificial sweeteners (aspartame, Equal, Splenda, Sweet n’ Low, etc.)
• Dairy (butter, cheese, cream, ice cream, milk, yogurt, etc.)
• Grains (bread, pasta, wheat, etc.)
• Legumes (beans, lentils, peanuts, soy)
• Processed foods (boxed, canned, fast foods, pizza, etc.)
• Refined sugar (candy, pastries, processed foods, etc.)
• Soft drinks and fruit juices
• Trans fats, “hydrogenated” or “partially hydrogenated”
• Vegetable oils (canola, corn, cottonseed, peanut, sunflower, soy, etc.)

Nutrient-dense diet

You need to eat a diet that has the most nutrients and that means lots and lots of vegetables. Studies show people with MS are usually nutrient deficient, you need to improve this in your diet. The Wahls Protocol is a good nutrient-dense Paleo diet to follow.

Dr. Terry Wahls took the basic Paleo diet and changed it to treat her own secondary progressive MS. By creating this nutrient-dense diet she was able to leave her wheelchair. If you would like to learn more check out this post, What Is The Wahls Protocol, or read her book The Wahls Protocol.

Dr. Wahls recommends 3 cups of each:

• Dark leafy greens
• Colored vegetables (including fruit)
• Sulfur vegetables (broccoli, cabbage, onions, etc.)

Aim for as many vegetables as possible. Drinking a green smoothie every day is a great way to get more vegetables into your diet. I have a few smoothie recipes on my blog. My favorite is an extremely nutrient-dense smoothie without fruit (sugar) – Super Nutrient-Dense Green Smoothie. Experiment with different vegetables while you’re making your smoothies.

Foods to Eat:

• Vegetables
• Fruit
• Game meat
• Grass-fed and finished meat (beef, bison, lamb, game meats, etc.)
• Herbs
• Healthy fats and oils
• Organ meats (brain, heart, liver, etc.)
• Nuts and seeds
• Pasture-raised poultry (chicken, duck, turkey, etc.)
• Sea vegetabes (arame, dulse, hijiki, kombu, nori)
• Wild-caught fish

Delicious Healthy Snacks

Make sure you ALWAYS keep healthy foods available for you to eat. That includes your home, work, or when you leave your house. If you find yourself getting hungry and there’s nothing to eat it will be too tempting to grab an unhealthy bite to eat.

Simple Snacks:

• Apple slices with almond butter (green apple is best since it has less sugar)
• Avocado
• Dark chocolate
• Fermented veggies (carrots, pickles, sauerkraut)
• Fruit
• Green smoothie
• Handful of nuts
• Leftovers from the previous night
• Vegetable sticks (broccoli, carrots, celery, cucumbers, sweet peppers)

What Can I Drink?

Water should be your go-to beverage to keep you hydrated and help flush out toxins. But, sometimes you want something other than just plain water. Add fruit or vegetable slices like cucumber to your water.

Many people with MS have bladder issues so they back off on drinking liquids. But drinking water is essential for your body including brain function. Don’t get to the point where you “feel” thirsty, this means you are already dehydrated. If you notice your urine is a darker color you aren’t drinking enough water.

It’s a Lifestyle, not a Diet

Changing your diet to a nutrient-dense diet is a good start but you need to clean up your lifestyle too. If you smoke – stop! Get plenty of sleep, exercise, and remove toxic body care products and toxic household cleaners. Don’t stress out as much, laugh, and enjoy life!

Foods to Eat ~ Foods to Avoid

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