Last Updated on November 14, 2023 by Cathy
The cause of multiple sclerosis (MS) is due to genetic predisposition and environmental factors. Genetics plays a small role, it’s mostly due to lifestyle factors. What you do will determine how your MS will progress. That is why it is important for you to eat healthier and live a healthy lifestyle.
There are many diets for MS making it hard to know which diet to try. Including the Paleo diet, Wahls Protocol, MS Recovery Diet, Swank, and more.
There is a free “Foods to Eat ~ Foods to Avoid” cheat sheet at the bottom of this post.
I have been on many diets trying to find the perfect one that works. What I found is, that there isn’t a perfect diet. It is best to pick a diet like the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP) or the Wahls Protocol then adjust it to fit YOUR needs.
For example, I follow The Wahls Protocol but I have to adjust it because I have a high level of candida and mycotoxins. So I eat a low-carbohydrate diet and a low-mold diet. Many of the foods I avoid are on the Wahls Protocol.
The most important thing to remember is to cut out foods that cause inflammation. No more fast-food restaurants, no more quick dinners from a box. Have you ever noticed that a McDonald’s french fry looks the same after a few weeks from the first day you bought it? That’s not natural, real food spoils – especially after a few weeks.
Eating real food is delicious plus it will make you feel better. Isn’t that what we all want and deserve? After the shock of finding out you have an autoimmune disease like MS, it is time to get proactive.
It is time to start eating healthier and live a healthy lifestyle to stop the progression of MS.
First Step to Eating and Living Healthier
MS doesn’t happen for no reason. Something you did or were exposed to caused your MS. Doctors want you to believe that having MS was not your fault. Nothing you did caused you to get an MS. This is NOT true!
They want you to start taking their drugs immediately, and that’s okay! It is a big decision whether you want to start one of the disease-modifying therapies (DMTs). But, you don’t need to start immediately. You have been living with MS for a long time so take time and research the options before starting.
Listen to your instincts and do what YOU want to do. Either way is fine, if you decide not to take any of the DMTs, don’t let doctors bully you into it! It’s your body, you know what makes your body feel its best.
Think of it this way: if you are more afraid of what will happen if you aren’t on one of the DMTs then take one. If you are more afraid of the side effects of DMTs, then it’s time to start eating healthier and living a healthy lifestyle.
“Listen to your instincts!”
A neurologist is a doctor who specializes in MS. If you are not happy with your doctor, it is time to find another one. You want to find a neurologist who will listen to you. Diet is important for people with MS. When my neurologist told me “Diet doesn’t work.” – I fired him.
Second Step to Eating and Living Healthier
Educate yourself, don’t rely on the neurologist to tell you what to do. You know what works best for your body. Researchers discovered Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is the main cause of MS. However, 95% of all adults worldwide have EBV but only a small percentage have MS.
This proves EBV is not the only factor, what that is is still unknown. Researchers do suspect the HLA gene and fungi. Until they know you need to eat a healthier diet and live a clean and healthy lifestyle.
There is a free “Foods to Eat ~ Foods to Avoid” cheat sheet at the bottom of this post.
Key factors that can trigger autoimmune diseases:
Diet/Leaky Gut:
Gluten, dairy products, refined sugars, refined carbohydrates, genetically modified foods, antibiotics, preservatives, and growth hormones.
Infections:
There is increasing evidence that for many patients chronic infections, bacteria, viruses, parasites, and/or fungus play an important role in autoimmune diseases.
Environmental Toxins:
Chemicals, heavy metals, radiation, pesticides, plastics, molds, electronics, and power lines.
Stress:
Living with MS increases stress and stress can cause a flare (exacerbation or attack). Stress can also be the final trigger that leads to the onset of MS.
Genetics:
Heredity, Allergies
Third Step to Eating and Living Healthier
Realize everyone is different, just because a certain medication works for one person may not work for the next. The same goes for those who are taking a more natural approach like diets or a healthy lifestyle (which is what I like to call it).
Don’t get discouraged if you don’t see results immediately, our bodies DO have the ability to repair themselves. Be diligent in creating a new healthy lifestyle, you have the power to heal yourself. I know you can do it!
How Do I Start?
Deciding to live a healthier lifestyle is the first step! Eating clean nutritional food, staying positive, removing toxins also stress, and most importantly believing you can heal yourself.
This isn’t a race, therefore, you may need to go slow. Jumping right into it “cold turkey” can cause detox reactions like headaches, body aches, and acne, pay attention to your body and slow down if needed.
Learn Which Foods to Eat and Avoid
Eat foods that are nutrient-dense and high-quality that our bodies can easily digest. Eat NOTHING that is processed or that our bodies can’t easily digest like gluten, dairy, and legumes. If it can sit on the shelf for months DON’T EAT IT!
Foods to avoid:
- Dairy
- Gluten
- Refined sugar
- Artificial flavors and sweeteners
- Natural flavors
- Corn (it’s mostly a GMO)
- Soy (it’s mostly a GMO)
- MSG
- Canola oil (it’s mostly a GMO)
- Pork (it’s high in fat and prone to parasites)
- Farmed fish (it’s washed in toxic chemicals due to parasites)
- Processed citric acid (it’s mostly derived from corn)
There is a free “Foods to Eat ~ Foods to Avoid” cheat sheet at the bottom of this post.
Focus on Foods You Can Eat
Vegetables are your main meal (3/4 of your plate), eat a huge variety in addition to a rainbow of colors at every meal. To get more vegetables into your diet add them into everything you cook, drink green smoothies, and experiment with different veggie greens and fruit.
Blueberry Smoothie Recipe:
- 1/2 cup crushed ice
- 1 cup full-fat almond milk or coconut milk
- A big handful of spinach, about 1 cup
- 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon gelatin (optional)
Toss everything into a high-speed blender and mix until smooth. (Serves 1)
See Environmental Working Group’s shopper’s guide to pesticides here: Dirty Dozen.
- Learn to use spices and seasonings to enhance your meals. To help keep the cost down, grow your own herb garden.
- Learn how to read labels, and learn the different terms for gluten and dairy. You can read tips on How To Go Gluten Free and How To Go Dairy Free.
- Buy organic as much as possible, at least, the ones on the Environmental Working Group Dirty Dozen List.
- Include ground flaxseeds every day for fiber, and include it in soups, and salads, or sprinkle it over vegetables.
- Drink bone broth to heal your leaky gut.
This is a huge learning curve, if you don’t know what it is or you can’t pronounce it, you probably shouldn’t eat it. Don’t get frustrated, in time, it will become second nature to you.
Stock a Healthier Pantry
Once you start eating healthier don’t buy any more processed foods, you’ll notice your pantry getting smaller and your refrigerator getting fuller. This is a good time to clean out your pantry, throw away all opened items, and donate unopened, unexpired items to the food bank.
Don’t run out to the store and buy everything at once, this will help with the sticker shock when checking out at the grocery store. Only buy what you need, food doesn’t last as long so you don’t need to buy in bulk unless it’s something that will go into the freezer.
Support
Get your family on board! If they aren’t fully on board with you, ask them to not eat junk in front of you and to keep it out of the house. This will help keep you from being tempted – Out of Sight, Out of Mind.
Join a support group, there are many Facebook groups you can join. Most are private so you can ask more private questions without the whole world reading about it.
More Than Food
It’s extremely important to remove toxins which include stress, adequate sleep, and exercise. Spend time outdoors and get some sunshine, get your Vitamin D checked it should be between 60-80 ng/mL.
Success Stories
- Dr. Terry Wahls was diagnosed with RRMS which progressed to Secondary Progressive MS and was in a tilt-recline wheelchair. Wanting to get better she started eating the most nutrient-dense foods and within a year was able to walk without a cane she also completed an 18-mile bicycle tour. Her book The Wahls Protocol
.
- Ann Boroch, CNC, healed herself and has been symptom-free for 21 years, her book is Healing Multiple Sclerosis.
- Pam Bartha was diagnosed with MS at the age of 28, she chose an alternative approach to recovery. Decades later and still symptom-free, her book is Become a Wellness Champion.
- Mathew Embry is a filmmaker and was diagnosed with MS in 1995. He eats and lives a clean lifestyle to manage his MS. He has a movie about living with MS on Amazon Prime Video called Living Proof.
.Eat Healthier for MS
This is a huge change from the standard American diet, and it will take time to learn. But, you will find not only does the food taste better, but you will also start seeing improvements in your health like more energy.
- Prepare meals at home as much as possible
- Eat lots of colorful vegetables and fruit daily
- Avoid gluten/grains, dairy, legumes, sugar, and processed foods
Instead, eat foods that fight inflammation. MS is caused by chronic inflammation.
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? Save it to your favorite Pinterest board!
Photos by Ketut Subiyanto at Pexels and Welcome to All ! ツ from Pixabay.
If you like this story you may also like How to Start the Paleo Diet.
Eat and Live Healthier for MS
