October 9, 2016

I was so confused when I first read all the different MS diets. These are my attempt to sort out what you can and cant (or shouldn’t) eat on the Wahls and Swank protocols. You can see that there are a lot of similarities. Fish, lean chicken and turkey, vegetables and fruits. Even coffee and alcohol (within limitations).

Just remember that with Swank - saturated fats are limited to 15grams per day and with Wahls, there are specific minimum amounts of different types of vegetables.

Whether you go Swank or Wahls either diet is healthier than living on fast food or processed foods.

For more information, check out the following graphs - or go straight to the source. (And if you notice mistakes between these and the books, please let me know - as I said, they are confusing and it is easy to make an unintentional mistake.)

Want to start but don’t know how?

Pick a diet. They are very different and cite opposing reasons for avoiding/embracing saturated fat, gluten, dairy and eggs.
Write down your reasons. It cant be about losing weight. You will lose weight on either, but it cant be about the weight.
Plan your starting date. It doesn’t have to be tomorrow, but if you plan your way it will be easier.
Plan your first week(s) worth of meals. What will you have for breakfast, lunch, dinner - and snacks. If you have some dinners out, consider delaying or starting early. Plan some ‘go to meals’ for those nights when you are too tired to cook.
What’s your public ‘narrative’. We both know that saying ‘I’m dieting to beat multiple sclerosis’ will just get you into a debate on whether diet can fix diseases. ’My new doctor suggested I try paleo/reducing saturated fat to sort out some autoimmune conditions’.
Keep yourself accountable. Join one of the FB sites and ask heaps of questions. Let them be your support team. There isn’t a question that they haven’t heard before. They want to be on your team.

Remember, you are strong enough to make the change.