If you feel confused about what’s the best diet for MS, there’s a good reason! You may have noticed that suggestions, made by various “experts” over the years, have swung so wildly that some of the diets advised for MS are actually opposites of each other. Examples include the Paleo Diet (a modern approximation of the diet our Paleolithic ancestors ate) with an emphasis on meat, vegetables, fruits and nuts, versus the McDougall Program—a vegan approach that excludes all animal products but focuses on a high starch diet from whole grains and beans. For decades, Dr. Roy Swank promoted a very lean approach, studying an extremely low-fat diet for people with MS. But in the last few years, the Ketogenic Diet, in which fat makes up 75% of dietary calories, has received a lot of attention.

Some diet choices, like the Mediterranean Diet or a vegetable-focused Paleo plan, tend to have side benefits that can improve health for anyone, whether or not you may have MS. More extreme diets, like the high-fat Ketogenic Diet, have potential for harm if not undertaken carefully with medical monitoring.

Dr. Bates, the IMSMP’s naturopathic doctor, is here to help. She works with people who have MS to optimize their food and lifestyle to create the best environment for body and brain repair. While there’s no perfect one-size-fits-all plan, here are some tips that apply to everyone:

1. Stay away from foods with trans fats, also known as partially hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans fats are formed through an industrial process and can be found in snack foods, baked goods, fried foods, and margarine. These chemically altered fats are some of the very worst for human health.
2. Fish: while one of the best sources of protein, it’s critical that you avoid fish that is high in mercury, a known neurotoxin. The four fish you should never eat because of high mercury include swordfish, shark, tile-fish, and king mackerel.
3. Don’t smoke! Cigarettes have been shown to increase the risk of developing MS as well as progression of the disease.
4. Eat more fresh food and less processed food. The human food supply has changed dramatically over the last few decades as autoimmune diseases have become more prevalent. Processed foods are more likely to contain ingredients (such as salt, sugar, gluten, emulsifiers, organic solvents, and nanoparticles) that are suspected to contribute to the rising incidence of autoimmune diseases. Fruits and vegetables are naturally low in salt and sugar and high in fiber and antioxidants, the right balance to benefit people with MS.