PLEASE NOTE:   I CANNOT AND DO NOT RECOMMEND FOR ANYONE ELSE,
AND I AM NOT A NUTRITIONIST.   I MERELY SHARE WHAT HAS WORKED FOR ME.

I first began diet revision using the 40-30-30 Zone food plan, then I began eliminating gluten, all dairy products, sugar and reducing animal fats to the lowest level possible.   Dr. Swank had proven many years ago that the progression of MS could be greatly slowed by eliminating animal fats from the diet due to their inflammatory nature. 

I had just gotten comfortable with the above program and was doing very well, when I got acquainted with Dr. Ashton Embry and he  convinced me to also eliminate eggs, and legumes.   After a couple of years I reintroduced eggs into my diet.

Now please do not misunderstand me. This diet at first seemed impossible to me.  But I accepted the challenge, and once I learned to make appropriate substitutions, I found that I could prepare very tasty versions of most of my favorite foods..

Most of my protein comes from poultry and seafood. I buy Louis Rich or Jennie-O smoked turkey breast chunks (they will be where the ground turkey is displayed at the supermarket). I hand them to the butcher and ask them to slice the turkey in "thick deli slices." I eat these a lot for a quick lunch sandwich on gluten-free bread.

Unless you know you have a serious yeast problem (in which case you need to eliminate yeast), I recommend delicious 100% flourless breads baked by Food for Life.  They are made entirely from sprouts and are available throughout the United States.   I have found them in such diverse cities as New York City and Toledo, Ohio.   The Naturally Healthy health food store chain carries them, and in Southern California where I live they are available at some supermarkets.  You will find them on the Internet at www.Food-for-Life.com.  

The 7-Grain Cinnamon Raisin makes wonderful breakfast toast, and the Ezekiel and Wheat breads are excellent for sandwiches.

PLEASE NOTE:  In the sprouting process all the gluten is devoured by the enzymes, so these flourless breads are gluten free, although they cannot be called gluten free since they are sprouted from gluten-containing grains.  Finding these breads made a huge difference for me in helping to keep me from losing too much weight.

Why it is important to eliminate processed sugar:

Sugar has absolutely no nutritive value. Processed sugar is a man-made nonfood. Sugar causes your insulin level to increase sharply, and that increase in insulin interferes with the body's internal process of converting essential fatty acids (EFAs) into a kind of cholesterol which is the major component of myelin, as well as brain tissue. Every person with MS knows the importance of myelin. That is also why high levels of the EFAs are extremely important in an MS nutrition program.

For years I have been pressured to write a cookbook and guide for this food plan.  Because of limited market appeal, I didn't consider it a viable project.  However, with the advent of e-books, available on the Internet, I finally decided to assemble the I Can Cookbook.  You simply print out the pages, punch them with a three-hole punch, and place them in a binder.

I am frequently bombarded by people who say that they can't live on this food plan.  Hence the name of the book.  Incidentally, it contains a complete guide to implementing the diet.  And it is designed to be a growing entity.  Each month in my Journey to Wellness newsletter I include food tips and recipes, all of which may be added to your I Can Cookbook.

Included are shopping tips, suggestions for eating out, and substitution ideas, as well as tips for implementing the food plan for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

For ordering information for the I CAN COOKBOOK, click here.

And please remember, you CAN do this.  I know that it is not easy breaking life-long eating patterns and habits, but I can promise you that it is worth all the effort.