In Wahls Warriors

By J.T.

Lessons learned from Dr. Terry Wahls

My child suffers from a neurological disorder, and the TED talk by Dr. Terry Wahls was inspiring and life-changing for my family. Dr. Wahls captivated the audience with her experience and pictures, while her words kept you wanting to hear more.

Dr. Wahls’ pictures began with her children, and then she tells the audience that, after the birth of her second child, she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis. She showed pictures of her body degenerating through the course of the disease. The tone of her voice and the words she used were pointed and convincing – she was not giving up. Dr. Wahls is a fighter and she found a way to reverse the effects of her disease through diet.

She began researching ways to protect and heal her body through nature. She learned from our ancestors and used food to regenerate her brain and myelin. She healed and sustains her body using three heaping plates of fresh fruits and vegetables accompanied by daily servings of fresh fish and grass- fed protein.

There have been lots of studies regarding diet and autism. It is difficult to know who to believe and how best to apply it to my child and our family. It seems the most popular dietary restrictions for autistic families is to follow a gluten- and/or casein-free diet, which is extremely difficult to follow unless the entire family is willing to make this change. In addition to autism, my son is a vegetarian by his own choice, which brings even more challenges. As a young child, his vegetarianism has turned him into an extremely selective eater, mostly turning to carbs (pasta, pizza, etc) as many young children do.

We have been incorporating green smoothies into our daily diets, and after I watched the TED talk, I have a new conviction related to our diets. We have replaced spinach in our smoothies with kale. I have bulked up the Omega 3’s using golden flax seed and have really focused on getting the equivalent of three heaping plates of bright fruits and vegetables into our diets daily. I absolutely love Dr. Wahls’ comment regarding the cost of healthy food, that you can pay more for the food now or pay in the future with high medical bills and perhaps long-term nursing care.

Recommended Posts

Start typing and press Enter to search