Last Updated on November 30, 2023 by Cathy
There are many diets for multiple sclerosis (MS), so many that it is hard to know which one is best. One diet claims eating low-fat is best while another diet claims a high-fat diet is best. – It’s so confusing.
However, the Standard American Diet (SAD) is NOT one of the recommended diets! Instead, SAD is the number one reason people in the U.S. die. It causes obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s, and autoimmune diseases.
The top five reasons Americans die:
- Heart disease
- Cancer
- Accidents (unintentional injuries)
- Chronic lower respiratory diseases
- Stroke (cerebrovascular diseases)
Can MS be reversed with diet?
Since I first changed my diet, over fourteen years ago, I have been on many diets looking for that “perfect diet.” Eventually, I realized there is no perfect diet for everyone. Since everyone is different, their diets are going to be different.
I followed many diets hoping to find the perfect one. Including Swank, Best Bet Diet, Paleo, Autoimmune Protocol, and the Wahls Protocol. Sure my MS stopped progressing after the first year. But, not one of these diets helped reverse my MS symptoms. It wasn’t until I started adjusting the Wahls diet to fit MY needs that my symptoms started to reverse.
After twenty years of suffering from heat intolerance, it was the first to reverse back to normal. It was amazing so I tested it over and over by staying outdoors during extremely hot weather. Even to this day, I’m thrilled I can stay outside on hot days without my body shutting down from the heat.
What foods are good for multiple sclerosis?
The Wahls diet is very nutritious. It helps people with neurological damage such as MS, so that is the protocol on which I based my diet. Although, I also had a severe case of yeast overgrowth (Candida) so I combined the Wahls diet with a candida diet. I followed the recommendations of Healing Multiple Sclerosis by Ann Boroch.
As I said earlier – everyone is different. If you are just starting out from SAD, this is going to be a huge change. But you shouldn’t get discouraged, eating healthier isn’t hard, it will improve your health and stop MS. Plus, eating natural foods tastes better!
The healthiest diet is one that focuses on natural foods, especially vegetables. Avoid processed foods such as soda, junk food, lunch meats, and quick boxed meals. Read every ingredient label, if it’s not a natural ingredient and you recognize it – don’t eat it.
Eat foods that aren’t processed and close to nature as possible. These foods have the most nutrients to help your body heal. Foods like vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs, and spices.
This doesn’t mean you need to be a vegetarian but avoid conventional meats. Conventional meats contain antibiotics and growth hormones. Plus, they’re fed GMO corn and soy that contain pesticides, and fertilizers.
Naturally raised animals live in an environment that’s closer to nature. They are free from the toxins found in conventional meats. Plus, the animals are able to roam around and are less stressed.
The best natural meats to buy:
- Grass-fed and finished beef
- Pasture-raised poultry
- Wild-caught fish
The Blue Zone
Years ago I read a book called The Blue Zone by Dan Buettner. It’s a book about areas in the world that have the healthiest people. Since they lived in different cultures they didn’t have the same diet. But they all had fewer diseases and lived longer than average.
How did they do this? Their diet is mostly a plant-based diet with very little meat. They stayed active, got plenty of sleep, and had a good spiritual outlook. They also stayed connected with family and friends.
The Blue Zone areas:
- Icaria, Greece – they eat a Mediterranean diet
- Nicola Peninsula (Costa Rica) – they base their diet around beans and corn tortillas
- Ogliastra, Sardinia (Italy) – they eat a plant-based diet including goat’s milk, sheep’s cheese, and wine
- Okinawa, Japan – they eat lots of soy-based foods, garlic, brown rice, and green tea
- Loma Linda, California (USA) – they eat a vegetarian-based diet
I was very surprised to see a community from the U.S. included. They are members of the Seventh-day Adventists who stick with a “biblical” diet. The majority are vegans and eat vegetables, fruit, nuts, grains and only drink water. Those who do eat fish each day generally live longer than the vegans.
How to Start Eating Healthy
Avoid gluten/grains, dairy, legumes, processed foods, and refined sugar. Choose foods that are anti-inflammatory, with as many vegetables as possible. As you first start out, completely changing your diet can seem a little overwhelming.
You don’t have to change your diet overnight. Instead, remove one group like dairy then move on to the next like gluten. The important part is removing foods that cause inflammation and sticking with them.
Foods to include daily:
- Dark leafy greens
- Colorful vegetables
- Sulfur vegetables
- Fruit, especially berries
- Healthy fats – avocados, coconut oil, olive oil
- Nuts and seeds
- Herbs and spices – cinnamon, garlic, ginger, turmeric, etc.
- Water
- 2-3 tablespoons of ground flaxseeds
Breakfast isn’t your usual toast or cereal, instead, breakfast is just like any other meal. Leftovers from the night before make a quick and easy breakfast. During meal preparation make a double batch and freeze half of it for another day.
Watch for any foods your body reacts to such as acne, bloating, or headaches. If you do have a reaction, you may have a food sensitivity and you need to remove this food item from your diet. If you are experiencing any reactions and can’t quite figure out which food is causing it. Try an elimination diet to pinpoint the culprit.
Quick Links to information in this post:
The Connection Between MS and Candida
What Is the Wahls Protocol?
How to Start an Elimination Diet
Is there a special diet for multiple sclerosis?
There really isn’t “one special diet” for MS. Whatever diet you are following, you need to adjust it to fix YOUR needs. I do recommend the Wahls Protocol since it is a very nutrient-dense diet, but not everyone does well on it. Follow an anti-inflammatory diet and pay attention to YOUR body.
Diet isn’t the only factor when it comes to stopping MS. You need to improve your lifestyle habits. If you smoke you should quit, smoking is linked with MS. Spend time outdoors, it’s not only relaxing you soak up some vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin. Also, stay away from negative people and stay positive.
- Exercise
- Manage stress
- Remove heavy metal toxins
- Remove infections (bacteria and yeast overgrowth, viruses, etc.)
- Sleep
- Stop smoking
- Take a vitamin D supplement
You can do this!
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Resources:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/m/pubmed/30736445/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29993025
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/leading-causes-of-death.htm
