Dr Wahls outlines her search and what treatment factors made the most difference for her.

2003 she began the paleolithic diet, she eliminated grains, milk, and legumes. She continued to eat meat, poultry, fish, vegetables, including potatoes, fruit and eggs. over time she went back to eating a little rice and legumes. NOTE: Dr Wahls health continued to decline and in 2007 was in a wheelchair.

In summer 2007, she took a blood test for food allergies, which identified a marked allergy to eggs, pinto beans and milk. She elimintated these.

November 2007, she started a neuro-stim programme.

December 2007 Dr Wahls started an intensive diet, rich with a minimum of 9 cups of fruits and vegetables a day. 4 – 6 cups of cruciferous or onion family vegetables, 3 cups brightly coloured vegetables or fruits.

January 2009 she went back to a writing a food / symptom diary and began the elimination diet with a 4 day rotation of foods. In March 2009, she eliminated all sources of cereal grasses to further restrict gluten exposure.

How was Dr Wahls able to return to walking and cycling from being in a wheelchair?

Dr Wahls outlines what she sees as having made the most impact:

1. Neurostimulation – Nov 2007 – plus exercise, increased muscle strength and size and generated growth factors in the brain, which stimulates repair of myelin and grows new connections between brain cells. She says that prepared her brain to do repair work, and the food made it possible for the brain cells to use the growth factors.

2. Rigorous elimination of foods to which blood tests showed she was sensitive.

3. Greatly increased intake of B vitamins, co-enzyme Q, antioxidants, and organic sulphur with specific food choices. This resulted in a big boost of micronutrients.

4. Switched to eating entirely organic food.

5. She focussed on eating food of every colour each day.

6. Entirely eliminated white potatoes, grains etc., so the amount of insulin her body made each day is low.

7. Kept a food / symptom diary and followed a 4 day food rotation.

She is clear for herself that increasing the nutrient content of her diet had a huge impact on her health. For example she eats 700 – 1000 grams kale each day. She says she notices a decline in energy and mental clarity if she doesn’t eat kale for a few days, but not the same decline if she misses supplements.

Here is an abbreviated outline of foods Dr Wahl eats each day:

3 cups of cruciferous and dark greens

3 cups intensely coloured: 1 cup red vegetables / fruit, 1 cup blue black vegetables / fruits, 1 cup yellow/orange vegetable / fruits

3 cups others including: 1 cup mushrooms / onion family (for organic sulphur), and seaweed for iodine and trace minerals.

(Note: 1 cup = raw vegetables chopped = 1/2 cup cooked, an apple sized fruit, or 2 cups leafy greens)

Include spices and herbs.

Omega 3 rich foods, green leaves and animals fed green leaves, wild fish and seafood. And you could add fish oil.

Eat organ meats once per week

Regular bone broth

Fermented foods or a probiotic

What about supplements as well?

Dr Wahls has an outline of beneficial supplements – I suggest you pick up a copy of her book if you’d like more on these. Magnesium is one she recommends – 500 – 800mg per day.

My experiment: This is a brief outline only of some of her recommendations, however my new experiment is to make a point of eating 9 cups of vegetables per day, from the groups she recommends and see what impact if any it has. Note – my current diet is paleo, I do have a little wine and dairy and the occasional rice cracker and chocolate.

Anyone else like to join me? One other effect Dr Wahls noticed is that her doctor comments on how much younger she is looking! (I’d better head off to find some kale)

These videos are fantastic – I highly recommend you watch them: Dr Wahls talks about the diet she uses, and the science supporting it.