Best Bet Diet from movie Living Proof

[savvymavi]

I recently watched the movie Living Proof on Amazon Prime. It’s a documentary of a man who has slowed his disease progression through diet and exercise. It is very powerful, and I’m considering adopting his diet, in addition to already exercising six days a week. Has anyone seen the movie or tried the diet? Just looking for thoughts on it. I figure it can’t hurt, it’s all natural. His website is mshope.com, if anyone is curious about his protocol. Any input is appreciated.

[NHE]

Thanks for letting us know it's finally available.

[ElliotB]

savvymavi what kind of diet are you following now?

I

[savvymavi]

I joined weight watchers exactly a year ago, and lost 50 pounds. This put me out of the obese range, and all of my bloodwork such as cholesterol & A1C is back within normal limits. I did this by eliminating a lot of processed foods, and eating more natural foods. I typically eat eggs, whole grain bread, oatmeal, and fruit for breakfast. For lunch salad with tuna, a salmon burger, or chicken. Fruit with this also. For dinner chicken or fish with veggies or salad. I’ve been eating a lot of legumes, corn, and wheat which are eliminated with the Best Bet Diet. For me the biggest shift to follow his regimen would be eliminating gluten and sugar- I’m not eating much dairy anyway. I try to eat non-GMO & organic when I can afford it. I was diagnosed with RRMS in 2010, and since then have tried every DM drug available. My neuro had to discontinue them all for one reason or another. The most recent being Rituxan. There are no other med options for me, so I’m trying to do as much as I can with diet & exercise.

[ElliotB]

"For me the biggest shift to follow his regimen would be eliminating gluten and sugar"

The elimination of gluten and sugar are likely very important (according to most experts) and could have a big impact on your overall health and are strongly recommended.


I like many things about the Best Bet Diet, you can't go wrong with it! Good diet and exercise are both critical components to improved health for everyone, especially for those of us with MS. Please let us know how you do.

[ElliotB]

I watched the movie. There are numerous great points, especially those about the MS society.

A couple of things to think about:

With regard to the diet he recommends, there is no evidence that it works, as is the case for EVERY MS diet. I find numerous inconsistencies in it. But overall, I think it is one of the better ones presented. Keep in mind that Matt does a tremendous amount of exercise and had the CCSVI procedure done. And that the majority of those with MS have mild cases and do well REGARDLESS of what they do or don't do.

The interview with Dr. Wahls was quite interesting. She is an advocate for eating a lot of vegetables. She is a story in itself, going from being wheel chair bound to having a pretty much normal life. IMHO, her book is a must read. In the movie, you see she grows her own vegetables (don't know if she still does or not, or if she only eats vegetables she grows herself which to me is highly important). Also NOT mentioned by Matt is that her diet is in many ways quite the opposite of his diet. It includes foods he is strongly against and excludes some of the foods Matt recommends. Again, there is no concrete evidence that any MS diet works.

An author of a popular MS diet book was interviewed by Matt towards the end of the movie. And although she is doing reasonably well especially for her age and amount of time she has had MS, she admits not strictly following the diet she presents in her book and recommends we don't 'cheat' on our diets. I couldn't agree more. It is really important NOT to cheat on any program that is working for you.


Someone here on TIMS once described MS as a disease that takes everything from you and then comes back for more. This is very true and we must never give up on any of the protocols we follow and never 'cheat'!

[81Charger]

I also watched the movie and I agree he brings up some really good points. I'm following a swank diet and I also avoid all dairy and eggs. I'm not sure if I should switch to the best bet diet or not. I'm doing fairly well since I've started exercising regularly for the last couple of months. It wouldn't be a huge change but like you said there is no real proof either way.

[ElliotB]

You are correct, your diet and his are very similar. Since you are doing well, it is probably a good idea not to make any changes.

"I'm doing fairly well since I've started exercising regularly for the last couple of months."

Frankly, exercise is probably more important than most diet related issues. Keep it up!

[David1949]

By all means try any diet you like. They can't hurt you... except maybe for starvation. You will probably find that they eliminate most foods you like.
For me the gluten-free part eliminates pizza, spaghetti, sandwiches, macaroni, toast, pancakes, waffles, french toast and most canned soups.
The low saturated fat part eliminates, steak, hamburger, pork, bacon, and eggs
The no dairy part eliminates milk, cheese, and butter.

That's tough to do.

[tzootsi]

David, realize that there are gluten free options for pasta, bread, and pizza. They are all quite good, especially the pasta. Ronzoni makes a gluten free pasta that could pass for the real thing. There are dairy free substitutes for milk and cheese, although the cheese is marginal.

[ElliotB]

"You will probably find that they eliminate most foods you like"

This is true and for the majority of pwMS who do well overall and food choices possibly don't matter, certainly don't matter as much. BUT for those of us not as fortunate as the majority of the general population and more importantly the MS population like the majority of those on this site, eating healthy is likely a smart decision. Of course, no one knows for sure exactly what healthy is but that is another story.

As far as eliminating gluten. there is ample evidence it is a good idea. While most people can tolerate gluten, not everybody does. In any case, there are somewhat 'healthy' alternatives (gluten free) for all of the 'gluten' foods you list. A gluten free diet is not easy but for most who choose this path, the benefits make it well worthwhile!

"The low saturated fat part eliminates, steak, hamburger, pork, bacon, and eggs"
There are meats (and eggs) very high in good omega 3 fats and low in bad saturated fats. 100% grass fed and finished meats are as healthy as wild caught fatty fish such as salmon, tuna and sardines which are thought to be extremely healthy and included in just about every diet. Keep in mind that farm raised fish and seafood has the same unhealthy fat characteristics as grain fed meats which is what is typically the meat products available at supermarkets. But many supermarkets are now carrying a small selection of grass fed meats. BUT not all meat are 100% grass fed and 100% grass finished. The government allows many meat product to be labelled as grass fed even though they may have been fed grains for several months prior to being harvested. Most animals including fish and other creatures of the sea like shrimp are not meant to consume grains. And it is possible/likely that humans were also not meant to eat grains.

"The no dairy part eliminates milk, cheese, and butter."
Again, there are healthy dairy products that are good alternatives for milk, cheese and butter made from grass fed cows that are high in omega 3 fats. But beware these are still high in calcium and if you are taking high doses of vitamin D3, you still need to restrict your intake of these.


For anyone who has a major illness, it only makes sense to eat as healthy as possible. But again, no one knows for sure exactly what healthy is.

[David1949]

I'm not arguing against any of the MS diets. I've tried most of them. I'm just pointing out that they are difficult to stick with.
My wife found a gluten-free spaghetti which is pretty good. But the gluten-free pizza we tried was not quite as tasty as cardboard.

I don't think the diets worked for me. I have the primary progressive form of MS so maybe that's why. I was hoping to see some improvement in my condition. That didn't happen. It's possible that the diets did stop or delay the progression of disability, but that would be difficult to detect because the progression has been slow in my case.

The Wahls Protocol was appealing to me because she went from severely disabled to normal or at least near normal. But after 6 months on the diet I saw no change whatsoever. So i gave up on it.

[NHE]

Of course, no one knows for sure exactly what healthy is but that is another story.

Really?

Unhealthy: Big Mac & fries

Healthy: Veggy saute (onion, zucchini, tomato & red bell pepper) served over brown rice with steamed broccoli

[Jaded]

Oh goodness David, you did 6 months and gave up? It's a huge change, I applaud you for that. And I agree about the gluten-free pizza being cardboard-like!

I haven't seen the movie. One thing I do know is that for those who are able. keep up the exercise. Never step back because as soon as you do, it's hard to get back to where you were. (Big note to self).

[ElliotB]

"Of course, no one knows for sure exactly what healthy is but that is another story"

Lets see, some diets say don't eat meat or severely limit it, other diets say eat mainly meat (grass fed of course). And other say eat other things. Each offers a different approach. YET sll the diets seem to work for some but not for all. Amazingly NONE of the MS diets have had clinical trials done (I think the reason why is somewhat obvious). So, yes, at this point no one knows for sure exactly what is healthy. And yes, we do know that some specific foods are bad for us. And it is likely that many foods we think are good for us are not.

The fact is, it is thought (pretty certain) that human beings evolved eating meats. And specifically that the fats in the meats (omega 3 fatty acids) caused the rapid acceleration of brain development. You probably did't know that the brain is composed mainly of fat. In fact the human brain is nearly 60 percent fat. And essential fatty acids found in grass fed meats are essential for good brain health. In fact, fatty acids are among the most crucial molecules that determine your brain's integrity and ability to perform. Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are required for maintenance of optimal health but they can not synthesized by the body and must be obtained from dietary sources. Carrot and lettuce don't have EFAs. And while there are limited sources of EFAs in plant based foods, the vast majority of foods that are high in EFAs come from animals, specifically grass fed meats and wild caught fatty fishes/many sea foods.