Best Foods for Multiple Sclerosis: A Conversation with Chef Kirk Williams

About one million Americans have multiple sclerosis (MS), an autoimmune disease that affects the brain and central nervous system. There’s no cure for MS, but there are various things you can do to reduce uncomfortable symptoms and improve your quality of life.

Two crucial (but often overlooked) components of MS management are diet and nutrition. To learn more about these topics, we reached out to Kirk Williams, a professional chef who also has MS.

“Living with Multiple Sclerosis can be very challenging,” Williams said. “But making healthy dietary choices early on and continuing to adhere to them may give a person some advantage in coping with the difficulty.”

Multiple Sclerosis and Diet: What’s the link?

Being diagnosed with a chronic illness, like MS, is life-changing. In the days and weeks after, It’s normal to worry and wonder what the future will look like, but that doesn’t mean you can’t be proactive. Investing in your health and wellness is an important first step –– and that starts with diet and nutrition.

“There’s no scientific medical evidence that someone’s diet can specifically help or worsen the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. And, there’s no specific connection between nutrition and potential flare-ups,” Williams said. “But it has been stated that a well-balanced, nutrient-rich diet can be beneficial for health and life enjoyment.”

What type of diet should someone with MS eat?

Williams says that there’s not one specific diet that people with MS should follow, but he emphasizes the importance of healthy eating.

“My diet has changed since my diagnosis in that I try to eat a much more plant-based and seafood-rich diet with far less of the red meat and starches that I grew up eating in Ohio,” Williams said. “I wish I had begun this eating habit much earlier in my life.”

As a professional chef, Williams had a good idea of where to start, but he did plenty of research too. 

“Most experts on the subject of MS suggest eating a well-balanced diet that contains nutrient-rich vegetables, whole grains, omega-3 oils (i.e., fatty fish, such as salmon or mackerel), and brightly colored fruits rich in anti-oxidants (such as blueberries).”

When it comes to seasoning, include “herbs and spices, such as cayenne pepper, garlic, ginger, and turmeric. These ingredients help eliminate free radicals and are anti-inflammatory.” Williams also recommends consuming “lacto fermented items to facilitate good gut health such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and giardiniera.”

What are some MS-friendly ingredients to include in snacks and meals?

When preparing MS-friendly snacks and meals, there are hundreds of ingredients to choose from. Here are several of William’s favorites that he highly recommends:

1) Kale

Kale is loaded with anti-inflammatory nutrients like Vitamins A, K, and C. It’s incredibly versatile and can be incorporated into soups, salads, and smoothies.

2) Gailan

Gailan, or Chinese broccoli, is another must-have item. “It’s great steamed or stir-fried, and it’s the main ingredient in Thai Pad See Ew,” Williams said. “Usually, I just freestyle creating a dish with what I have on hand, but I did follow the recipe from Hot Thai Kitchen.

3) Tree nuts

Tree nuts are loaded with vitamins, minerals, and nutrients. “Eat tree nuts as a snack,” Williams said. “Or use them in cooking to enhance the flavors and textures of your dishes.”

4) Bragg Liquid Aminos

Love the taste of soy sauce, but need to cut back on sodium? “Bragg Liquid Aminos make any dish more delicious,” said Williams.

5) Mushrooms

Like many of the other ingredients on this list, mushrooms contain anti-inflammatory properties. “I would recommend almost any type of mushroom,” Williams said. “They’re so versatile and nutrient-rich.”

6) Cabbage

Did you know that one cup of cabbage contains folate, manganese, potassium, vitamin C, and fiber? It even contains micronutrients, like vitamin A and iron.  “I like thinly sliced green or purple cabbage when making homemade kraut,” Williams said. “But I pick up napa cabbage to make kimchi.”

7) Spinach

“Popeye knew what he was talking about,” Williams said. “It’s great raw in smoothies or as a salad, steamed, sautéed, guaranteed to keep you strong to the finish.”

Can you recommend any other cooking-related resources for people with MS?

“I’m not a very avid Youtube watcher regarding MS cooking per se, but I do enjoy finding chefs that can give new ideas for recipes that expand on fresh ways of preparing greens and vegetables to keep them enticing so they’re not always the same dish,” Williams said.

“There’s also a medical doctor who has MS and has made videos about her diet. She was essentially able to reverse her MS symptoms and stop using a wheelchair. Her name is Dr. Terry Wahls and she has videos about her transformation and progress.”

“I did purchase her recipe book, but never fully delved into the whole thing. I like some of the ideas certainly but felt more restrictive than I was willing to go. Maybe i’ll give it another try. Cool TED Talk and story though.”

A huge thank you to Chef Williams for taking the time to answer our questions about MS and nutrition. You can check out the TED Talk that he mentioned here.