Dr. Roy Swank, over 60 years ago, began the process that created one of today’s most popular diets for those with Multiple Sclerosis. I personally do not use this diet, but many swear by it as their savior for avoiding devastating MS symptoms. This diet was studied over a 50 year span with hundreds of patients involved. Living proof of its success is many patients, who were some of the first to participate in the study, have been completely independent and symptom free for over 50 years.

Swank’s method is based on foods with low fat, low saturated fat, non fat dairy, and limited red and fatty meats (there is no pork or red meat allowed in the first year of the diet). There is also a heavy influence of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. Other stipulations are included such as no mayonnaise, limited alcohol consumption, and avoid most caffeine. Nuts are a good food source for this diet, not to mention the added benefits of other protein rich foods like turkey, shellfish, and white fish. Outside of traditional food sources there are also a multitude of vitamins and supplements that are required for this diet to take on its maximum benefit.

The increasing rate of MS patients being diagnosed caused Swank to correlate this with the increasing amount of processed and fatty foods that people had been eating. Today there are staggering numbers of people eating very unhealthy food, even with all of the nutrition and health studies that have exemplified the health risks associated with eating these foods.

As with all diets revolving around an MS symptom free lifestyle, the Swank Diet should be complemented with a heavy regimen of mental health. Along with the healthy foods, rest, a low stress lifestyle, regular exercise, and an optimistic attitude are needed for the Swank diet to reach its fullest potential.

There is an entire chapter in my book, MS Living Symptom Free, which reviews several different diets that help dilute the symptoms of MS. Aside from the specific diets, I include a multitude of different foods that specifically support living symptom free of Multiple Sclerosis.