Last Updated on September 6, 2024 by Cathy
There are many diets for multiple sclerosis (MS) including the Best Bet Diet (BBD). Dr. Ashton Embry developed the BBD after his son’s MS diagnosis in 1995. Today, there are thousands of people with MS who follow this diet plan.
After my last flare back in 2004, it left me looking like I had a stroke with half of my face paralyzed. The disease-modifying drug (DMT) I was on was causing my flares to be worse and happen more often. That’s when I started looking into an alternative and found I could use food as my medicine.
I first discovered the Swank diet but soon afterward found Dr. Embry’s website and switched to the BBD. There is a story about Roger MacDougall, a famous playwright. He fully reversed his MS by eating a hunter-gatherer diet. What is impressive about this story is this was back in the 1950s, way before MS medications. This gave me hope, I figured if he could do it I could too.
If you are familiar with the Paleo diet the BBD is very similar. The only difference is, that the Paleo diet removes gluten-free grains whereas the BBD doesn’t.
I stayed on this diet for ten years and was very happy with it. When my MS started to worsen, I switched and began switching diets. First, to the Paleo diet, then the autoimmune protocol, and finally the Wahls Protocol. What I later realized, no diet was going to help me until I got my stress under control.
The Best Bet Diet
Like other MS diets, the BBD removes foods linked with the onset and progression of MS. That includes foods that cause an autoimmune reaction and intestinal permeability. This will lower your inflammation allowing your body to heal.
Avoid:
- All dairy products including whey
- Foods that contain gluten grains (barley, rye, wheat)
- Legumes (beans, peanuts, peas, and soy)
- Refined sugar
- Any food that causes an allergy or sensitivity
Eat in moderation:
- Alcohol such as wine, avoid alcohol with gluten such as beer
- Foods that contain saturated fat such as red meat, they recommend eating only once a week
- Non-gluten grains such as corn, oats, quinoa, and rice
- Omega-6 polyunsaturated fats are found in refined oils such as canola oil
Foods to include:
- Vegetables
- Fruit
- Protein such as skinless chicken breast, fish (fatty fish is best), and game meat
NOTE: It’s best to avoid alcohol altogether while you are healing since it is hard on the liver.
Best Bet Diet Supplement Recommendations
The BBD also recommends supplements to “bolster immune regulation, to increase anti-oxidant capacity and to avoid deficiencies.” It is well documented that people with MS have a vitamin D deficiency.
Studies show people with MS are nutrient deficient. I found this out myself even though I was eating a nutrient-dense diet. A nutrient deficiency could be due to a leaky gut or low stomach acid.
No matter what the cause is, you need to make sure you are getting enough nutrients in your diet. Ask your doctor for a vitamin D test. Conventional medicine sees 30 ng/mL as normal, this is too low for people with MS.
Your vitamin D level should be between 60-80 ng/mL. To convert ng/ml to nmol/L multiply the ng/ml by 2.5 for example 60 ng/ml is equivalent to 150 nmol/L. You can also get tested using an online lab, I like to use Walk-In Lab.
Here is an image from my 2022 vitamin D results:
Getting tested yearly is important because your body changes. My first vitamin D test result was 30.5 ng/mL the next year it was 155 ng/mL. That was due to having the flu and I increased my dosage of vitamin D according to a Harvard Study.
Essential supplements BBD recommends:
- Vitamin D
- Omega-3 essential fatty acids
- Calcium
- Magnesium
They also recommend other supplements. Such as vitamins A, B, B12, C, and E. It is best to talk to your doctor before starting any supplements. Supplements can interfere with certain medications.
The Key to Stopping and Reversing MS
The key to stopping and reversing MS is clearing up your root cause. Researchers believe what triggers MS is a combination of factors including:
- Gut dysbiosis – an imbalance of bacteria and microbes
- Leaky gut
- Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
- Vitamin D deficiency
- Smoking
- Obesity
What causes gut dysbiosis?
What causes gut dysbiosis could be due to several reasons. Inflammation in the gut lining causes a leaky gut. It is due to a sedentary lifestyle and a poor diet high in processed foods and refined sugar. It could also be due to harmful bacterial and/or yeast overgrowth (Candida).
Having MS means you already have a leaky gut.
Causes of gut dysbiosis:
- Antibiotics
- Poor diet high in processed foods, refined sugar, and low in vegetables
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Chemicals and toxins in our food such as BPA, pesticides, refined vegetable and seed oils,
- High levels of stress
Infections and MS
Fixing your gut isn’t the only issue. You also need to address any infections you may have and you may have more than one. It can sound a little daunting but you can control these infections at the same time.
Sugar feeds infections whether it’s due to mycotoxins, parasites, or yeast overgrowth. Eating a diet low in carbohydrates will starve these infections. You don’t necessarily need to go keto but it is necessary to eat a diet low in carbohydrates.
Then take herbal supplements depending on what you are dealing with. Again, a lot of these supplements overlap. Such a:
- Caprylic acid
- Black walnut
- Berberine
- Cloves
- Garlic
- Oil of oregano
- Pau d’arco
- Turmeric
- Wormwood
Lifestyle Factors and MS
Lifestyle factors also matter. Making important changes to your diet and lifestyle can stop the progression of MS.
Lifestyle factors to change:
- Eat a healthy diet with lots of vegetables, including healthy fats and proteins
- Drink at least 8 ounces of water daily
- Exercise to stay strong and mobile
- Get some sunshine
- Reduce your stress
- Think positive
The Best Bet Diet for MS
The BBD is not recognized as a treatment for MS but neither are any of the other diets. The important thing to do is to lower your inflammation. Start by eating an anti-inflammatory diet that includes many vegetables.
The BBD diet is just that, it focuses on a healthy diet to fix your leaky gut along with supplements. Many people have had great success using the BBD diet to stop or slow the progression of MS.
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Photo by Elle Hughes from Pexels, Image by PublicDomainPictures, unknownuserpanama, and StockSnap from Pixabay.
Resources:
Study confirms vitamin D protects against colds and flu
What is the Best Bet Diet for MS?
