Last Updated on December 7, 2023 by Cathy
The Paleo diet, also known as the caveman diet, is based on eating food like our ancestors did before the industrialized world started processing our food. This is not some fad diet, this is a lifestyle change to keep you healthy, strong, and disease free.
By removing many of the foods that cause autoimmune diseases, your body will be able to detox the toxins and allow it to heal, often without medications. Wouldn’t it be nice to have your autoimmune disease, like multiple sclerosis (MS), go into remission? There is no guarantee you will go 100% into remission but you will not know until you try.
The Paleo diet is not a quick fix, it can take years to recover from the damage that has been done to your body. Unfortunately, the nervous system is the slowest system in your body to heal so don’t give up. Also, once you start feeling better you cannot go back to eating your old ways without having flares return.
The Paleo Diet
Meals should be nutrient-dense and vegetables are now your main course. Eating a nutrient-dense meal is the foundation for your body to start healing. Although it may not sound thrilling (eating lots of vegetables), you will discover how delicious and satisfying paleo eating really is.
In order to stop the damage to your body, you need to avoid grains, dairy, legumes, refined sugar, and ALL processed foods and additives. This will calm down the inflammation in your body which in turn allows your body to begin healing.
Produce
In order for your body to heal, it’s very important to eat a wide variety of nutrient-dense vegetables and fruit. It is best to eat locally grown organic and non-GMO produce as often as possible to avoid pesticides.
If you are not able to buy all organic produce, avoid buying non-organic from the items known as the “Dirty Dozen” from the Environmental Working Group (EWG). This is listed in order starting from the top with the most pesticides.
The EWG also has a list called “Clean Fifteen” that lists the items with the least amount of pesticides. The list starts with the food with the lowest pesticides and is considered safer to eat if buying non-organic.
Make sure you are buying:
- Grass-fed Meat and Organs (offal)
- Organic, Pasture-Raised Poultry
- Wild-Caught Fish and Seafood
If you are just starting out on the paleo diet and need some help, check out “How to Start the Paleo Diet.” There you will learn which foods to eat and which foods to avoid to get your body on the path to healing.
More Than Food
The paleo diet is not all about food, it is also about healing caused by today’s living conditions. It is important to focus on stress management, fitness, sleep, sun exposure, and toxins.
Stress Management
Stress management is extremely important and has been linked to the onset of MS or flares. Everybody is different so you need to personalize what works best for you, good options are yoga, meditation, tai-chi, or talking to someone.
Sun Exposure
Vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, plays an important role in the immune and nervous systems and many other areas of health. The best way to get vitamin D is by exposing bare skin to sunlight. It has been proven that people who live closer to the equator have a lower chance of getting MS, possibly due to more sunshine.
Fitness
You know the old saying “use it or lose it” that applies to fitness as well, especially for those who have MS. Many people with MS suffer from muscle stiffness, atrophy, or weakness, it is VERY IMPORTANT to keep moving! There is no need to join a gym, instead, combine pleasure with your workouts. Go for a walk, ride a bike, hike, play with the kids or dogs, whatever you do – just have fun!
Sleep
Getting eight or nine hours of sleep is an integral part of recovery for the cells in the body to rejuvenate. If you struggle with falling asleep limit artificial light after sundown, avoid electronics a few hours before bed, avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening, exercise in the morning, and manage your stress.
Toxins
Unfortunately, our world today is full of many different toxins, from the air we breathe, the food we eat, to the body care products we use every day. People with an autoimmune disease also have a large burden of toxins, the body becomes so overloaded it cannot keep up.
The main organs that help with detox are the liver, kidneys, and sweat glands. There are many different ways to help your body remove these toxins, as the toxins start tapering off you begin to feel better!
- Dry brushing
- Eating a clean diet
- Exercise
- Herbs and herbal teas
- Saunas
- Soaking in a tub of water with Epsom salts
Minimize the toxins in your environment, and quit using plastics with your food or drinks. Use natural skin care products, deodorant, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, lotion, sunscreen, laundry detergent, and dryer sheets. Choose organic and read labels to stay as natural as possible. The EWG has an app called Skin Deep, that scans a product using a smartphone and it will tell the number of toxins that are in each product.
You’re Not Alone
The best part of the paleo diet is the community and the support from other paleo eaters. There are many Facebook groups to join, find one that fits your needs and asks to join (most are closed to keep out spammers). A couple of my favorites are The Paleo Approach Community and The Wahls Protocol.
If you need help starting the Paleo diet, check out How to Start the Paleo Diet.
What is the Paleo Diet?
