Y’all should know by now, I love a good SHE-RO story. Dr. Terry Wahls, is a real life super woman who harnessed the power of whole foods to heal herself of Multiple Sclerosis, an autoimmune condition that slowly causes degeneration of the body and brain. I’ve been studying brain health lately and have been fascinated with how to eat to protect and boost brain functioning. When she was ill, Dr. Wahls researched until she discovered that B vitamins, sulfur, and antioxidants were key in restoring the optimal function of her brain cells. Dr. Walh’s diet includes meat, but can be adjusted for those of us committed to plant-based living.
In her original diet she includes: 8 oz animal protein: chicken, fish, lamb, beef, shellfish, eggs, etc. and 4oz of vegetable protein. I modified that to 8-10 oz of veggie protein if you are plant-based; and if you are a meat-eater I would at the additional side note that you should strongly consider purchasing organic meat.
Here’s my translation of her diet sans the meat:
5 cups green vegetables and leaves: Kale, collards, mustard greens, turnip greens, cabbage, red cabbage, Chinese cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, radishes, turnips, kohlrabi, bok choy, leaf lettuce, beet greens, spinach, romaine, other greens, turnips/rutabaga
1 cup other sulfur rich vegetables: onions, mushrooms, leeks, shallots, chives, garlic. (Addition to this list: eggs, preferably organic if you are vegetarian.)
3 cups bright colors/color all the way through: beets, tomatoes, peppers, melons, strawberries, other berries, blue potato, black grapes, blueberries, pomegranate, mulberries, elderberries, blackberries, nectarine, peach, plum, etc.
8-10 oz vegetable protein: nuts, seeds, soy milk, almond milk, filbert milk, cashew milk, nut butters, tofu, legumes/beans, quinoa
Fats and oils: olive oil, flax seeds, coconut oil, ghee
Herbs and Spices: salt, pepper, herbs, spices
Sea vegetables: 1 serving daily: .-1/2 tsp. kelp powder, or dried seaweed, or kombu in soup, or nori, etc.
Even if you do not have MS, this diet sounds like an amazing way to thrive. Keeping these guidelines in mind at the very least lets us know what our brain needs to function at its best. I would add to this regimen supplementing with a daily multivitamin, omega-3 fatty acids (DHA & EPA which can be from algae if vegetarian), B12 (especially if vegan), and drinking half your body weight in ounces of water daily. On her hunter-gatherer diet designed to support her brain cells and mitochondria, Dr. Wahls, went from wheel chair bound to biking miles in a relatively short period of time. Watch her amazing TED Talk below to learn more: