How to Heal Multiple Sclerosis with Food

Last Updated on November 30, 2023 by Cathy

You’ve taken the first step to stop the progression of your autoimmune disease by eating a clean diet. Now it’s time to put it into action and start living a healthier lifestyle, eating real food, and removing toxins. You have the power to heal yourself from multiple sclerosis!

You need to learn which foods to eat and which foods to avoid. I’m not going to lie, switching from the American Standard Diet (SAD) to a diet that is not full of toxins is a huge learning curve.

So how do you heal multiple sclerosis with food?

Researchers now know that diet and/or leaky gut is one of the triggers for autoimmune diseases. An imbalance of bad to good microorganisms upset the digestive system creating an environment of poor nutrient absorption. Without proper nutrients, your cells begin to degenerate thus leading to a leaky gut.

A leaky gut can be caused by:

• Anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like aspirin or acetaminophen
• Birth control pills
• Chronic stress
• Overuse of antibiotics
• Overgrowth of yeast, usually Candida
• Poor diet
• Steroids such as Prednisone

This produces inflammation, allergies, and food sensitivities allowing undigested food particles and waste to pass into your bloodstream. A leaky gut overloads your liver making it work overtime if the liver cannot do its job these toxins will recirculate into your body. Your immune system is stressed then sees this as an intruder and begins to attack your body. You can begin to get headaches, excessive fatigue, and/or brain fog.

Eating a clean diet to remove toxins from your body only makes sense. No more fast-food restaurants, no quick boxed meals at home, no more pizza delivery. You begin to wonder, “What Can I Eat?”

The good news is, that thousands of people are doing this and putting their autoimmune disease into remission and YOU can too! You need to stay positive and don’t beat yourself up if you slip (it happens to all of us). Make sure you plan ahead for every meal, keep snacks handy in your purse, your desk, and especially when you will be gone from your house for a while. You need to avoid Gluten/Grains, Dairy, Legumes, and all Processed Foods.

Foods you can eat:

You’ll want to go organic as much as possible to remove pesticides, antibiotics, growth hormones, and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Avoid all processed foods, this means most foods on the inside aisles of the grocery store. You basically will be cooking from scratch. Check out the Environmental Working Dirty Dozen List for produce with the most pesticides.

Vegetables –

• Leafy Greens – including mixed baby greens and spring mix (my favorite), arugula, chard, kale, romaine, spinach, and even the tops of beets, and dandelion greens.
• Colored – eat a rainbow of veggies every day, try new varieties even ones you’ve never eaten before.
• Sulfur-rich – asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, cabbage, cauliflower, garlic, leeks, onions, radishes, rutabaga, shallots, turnip, watercress.

You can eat all vegetables except for corn. Corn is a grain, and mostly a genetically modified organism (GMO). Even though peas and green beans are actually a legume, they are low in phytates and lectins which make them easier to digest than other legumes. There is a lot of controversy as to whether they are good to eat or not. I rarely eat them but only because I don’t like the taste.

Eat as many fresh vegetables as possible to get the most vital micronutrients. To help keep the cost down eat in season, buy at a farmers market, or grow your own garden. Growing a garden is fun and it gets you outside and lowers your stress. If you don’t have room for a garden try container gardening. Try growing vegetables, herbs, and fruits such as strawberries.

Substitute –

• Cauliflower – for rice, chop cauliflower in a high-speed blender until it resembles rice.
• Zucchini – for pasta, you can use it as spaghetti or cut it into strips for lasagna.

Smoothies

Green smoothies are another way of consuming vegetables. Include vegetables, fruit, seasonings, and nuts and seeds. A simple smoothie is a banana, frozen organic sliced strawberries, and filtered water.

Strawberry Green Smoothie Recipe:

• A big handful of spinach, about 1 cup
• 1 cup full-fat coconut milk
• Blend in a high-speed blender and mix until smooth, then add:
• 1/2 cup frozen strawberries
• 1/2 frozen banana
• Continue to blend until smooth. (Serves 1)

Dr. Terry Wahls

Dr. Terry Wahls beat her multiple sclerosis (MS) by eating a high-nutrient diet, including 1 cup of berries, 3 cups of dark leafy green veggies, 3 cups-colored veggies, and 3 cups of sulfur-rich veggies every day. She was able to get out of her wheelchair and start riding her bike again.

Fruit –

All fresh or frozen fruit is fine to eat – don’t be afraid to eat fruit. Fruit is high in antioxidants, fiber, minerals, phytonutrients, and vitamins – everything you need to heal. You should eat blueberries every day since they are healing for the brain. Wild blueberries are even better, they have two times more antioxidants than conventionally grown blueberries.

Meats –

• Grass-fed beef – conventional grain-fed beef is pumped full of antibiotics and growth hormones. They are fed corn products, corn is a GMO product.
• Bacon – nitrate & nitrite free. Pork has often had parasites and is high in fat, instead choose turkey bacon. I buy Applegate turkey bacon.
• Pasure-raised poultry – make sure they are organic and cage-free.
• Wild-caught fish – not farm-raised. Canned sardines are exceptionally good for you, also, as canned salmon and canned tuna, make sure the can is BPA-free and the ingredients have no soy, I buy Wild Planet at Costco.
• Organ meats – eat 12 ounces each week. If you can’t stand eating organ meats, try organ supplements like grass-fed beef liver supplements.

For The Pantry –

• Almond Butter – substitute for peanut butter.
• Arrowroot Powder – substitute for cornstarch.
• Baking Soda – great for toothpaste, deodorant, cleaning, and more.
• Beverages – coffee, coconut water, filtered or spring water, herbal teas
• Cacao Powder and/or Cocoa Powder
• Coconut Aminos – substitute for soy sauce.

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” ― Hippocrates

• Coconut Cream – substitute for whipped cream. Place the can of coconut milk in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours, then scoop the “cream” off the top, add vanilla extract, and then whip to make the cream.
• Coconut Sugar – substitute for sugar
• Flax Meal – used for baking and to replace breadcrumbs.

• Flours – any non-grain flour (coconut, nut, tapioca)
• Herbs & Spices – don’t buy premixed blends, most of them contain starch.
• Larabar – these are great to carry around for emergencies, most are okay but always read the labels.
• Nut Milk – (coconut, almond)
• Oils – Unrefined, cold-pressed (avocado, coconut, nut oils, olive oilseed oils)
• Natural Sweeteners – (raw honey or pure maple syrup)
• Nuts, Raw & Seeds – no peanuts they are a legume. It’s best to soak nuts for 24 hours to remove phytic acid so they can be easier to digest. Cashews and pistachios often have mold, so it might be best to avoid them at first.
• Flaxseeds should be consumed every day, they are full of fiber.
• Salt – avoid iodized salt, you can use Himalayan Salt or Celtic Sea Salt.
• Sea Vegetables – are critical for adding minerals. You can buy these as snack bars, sea seasonings, or flakes such as dulse.
• Sweet Potatoes – substitute for your standard potatoes, you can use them anyway and they taste even better. They are high in carbohydrates so only eat them a couple of times per week.
• Spaghetti Squash – instead of spaghetti pasta.
• Vanilla Extract – organic.

Heal Multiple Sclerosis with Food

It seems overwhelming at first but it isn’t. Include lots of fresh vegetables, organic if possible. Don’t make huge meals, find recipes with five or fewer ingredients. Always keep snacks on hand, like avocado, nuts, fruit, olives, or pumpkin seeds. Putting your autoimmune disease into remission is all about cutting out everything that is processed and going back to eating real food.

Check out my Healthy Foods And Snacks

Food is not the only thing you need to improve. It is very important to live a clean and healthy lifestyle. Exercise and get plenty of sleep. Remove any infections such as Epstein-Barr virus, mycotoxins, parasites, and yeast overgrowth. Balance hormones such as vitamin D and cortisol. Plus, work on lowering your stress.

To heal multiple sclerosis is hard but you can do this!

The Ultimate Guide to Surviving & Thriving with MS:

Want to remember this health tip? Pin it to your favorite Pinterest board!

How to Heal Multiple Sclerosis with Food