The Wahls Paleo Diet is the diet that turned me around in less than a year. This eating plan has kept me in complete remission from Lyme Disease and co-infections since November 2014. I also treated the Lyme Disease with Stephen Buhner’s Herbal Protocol and had completed an extensive parasite cleanse. My parasite recipe can be found here. You can read about everything else that I did to recover my health here.
My health was terrible when I started the diet. I had been chronically ill for over 20 years and given a CFS/Fibro diagnosis and finally Lyme Disease. I was completely disabled, housebound, overweight, hypothyroid, weak, exhausted, anemic, had debilitating pain, chronic migraines, and horrible digestive issues. I had been eating a protein and fat heavy Paleo Diet with very minimal improvements. Just prior I was a raw foodist, near vegan for over 3 years. Hair tissue mineral analysis revealed many mineral deficiencies, which is not unusual for anyone with chronic infections. My digestion was terrible and I could only eat about 5 foods. I had to go on a cooked food diet for the first 6 months. My stomach burned just from drinking water.
I was looking for a diet that would provide me with all of the recommended daily amounts of vitamins and minerals – a diet that would heal my gut so that I could rebuild my immune system. I wanted every single bite of food to be packed with healing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and essential fatty acids. A diet that would heal my broken biochemistry. I already knew that real food was powerful medicine.
I became instantly drawn to the work of Dr. Terry Wahls, whose nutritional research led her to develop a diet to treat her own secondary progressive Multiple Sclerosis. The disease had left her confined to a tilt recline wheelchair for four years. She had tried many of the conventional drugs for MS available at the time with little success. As a physician-scientist, she created the diet and lifestyle which brought her out of her wheelchair and able to bike 18 miles within 9 months. The Wahls approach of eating the most nutrient-dense real food made sense to me, and I purchased her book “The Wahls Protocol”. Watch Dr. Wahls’ Ted Talk, Minding Your Mitochondria! It is fantastic!
Since I was already eating Paleo (with many dairy “cheats”), the transition wasn’t that difficult. This is a basic outline of what I would be eating each day:
- 3 cups of dark green vegetables – romaine is my preference
- 3 cups intensely colored vegetables: 1 cup red vegetables/fruit, 1 cup blue-black vegetables/fruit, 1 cup yellow/orange vegetables/fruit
- 3 cups of sulfur-rich vegetables: Mushrooms, onions, shallots, garlic, cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts and bok choy
- Seaweed for iodine and trace minerals- I take 6 kelp tablets per day.
- Omega 3 rich foods – Wild fish and seafood, cod liver oil
- Eat organ meats (offal) once per week. (We eat beef liver covered in onions once per week).
- Regular bone broth – We were already making a slow simmer 48-hour beef broth. My new favorite broth is made from chicken feet for lots of collagen.
- Fermented foods or a probiotic – sauerkraut and beet kvass.
So how was I going to eat 9 cups of fruit and vegetables each day? The addition of a green smoothie every single morning would boost my fruit and vegetable intake easily.
Note- Dr. Wahls suggests eliminating eggs for a 30 day period and then re-introducing them if there is no reaction. I stopped eating eggs for about 2 months and added them back without any negative symptoms. I continue to eat pastured eggs almost every day.
My Typical Day
Breakfast/Lunch – 11 am – This first meal is usually one of the following:
1/Super healthy Green Smoothie. In addition, I often have 3 boiled eggs on the side.
2/ Real Food Rebel Soup for Chronic Illness.
3/ Large Salad– A large salad with lots of different greens, carrots, purple cabbage, cucumbers, olives, onions, peppers, slivered beets, jicama, boiled eggs or leftover meat. I top this off with my Easy Salad Dressing Recipe.
Dinner – 5 pm – This is usually a completely cooked meal of grass-fed meat, organic free-range chicken, or wild-caught fish along with lots of cooked sulfur-rich vegetables. I love cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, brussel sprouts. If these are steamed I cover them in butter.
Intermittent Fasting – This eating/fasting schedule is what comes most naturally to me now. I really try not to eat anything in between these meals. I have the most energy and clarity when I stick to this schedule.
Additional supplements that I take with meals – Betaine HCl, digestive enzymes, magnesium, whole food multi-mineral/vitamin, kelp tablets, cod liver oil, desiccated liver pills when I travel, copper or manganese (according to hair tissue results) and moringa in my smoothies.
Within one month of integrating the green smoothies into this diet I began feeling better; I was warmer, less fatigued and my head was clearer. I was hooked! I have never measured out my food but eat until satisfied and try to fulfill many of Dr. Wahls’ dietary suggestions.
Within 6 months I was able to walk five miles, swim daily, begin resistance training, and lost over 20 lbs. Constipation, intestinal pain and chronic infections are no longer a problem.
This is my very first hair analysis from December 2011. I was housebound at this time and extremely sick. My mineral levels were almost nonexistent. I was a near vegan and raw foodist from 2009 – 2012.
The results of my hair tissue mineral analysis were much improved after one year on this diet. If you click on the test it will enlarge. The levels on the bottom show the results from Sept/2014. The upper value shows the most current levels taken Aug/2015. You can see how several minerals have improved in only 11 months. My mineral levels are now within the acceptable range.
Here is my most recent hair test from August 28, 2019
Although this test is good it might have been a little different had I not backpacked for a month in Peru. I completed the 4 day Inca Trail and climbed Rainbow Mountain. Physically challenging to say the least and my adrenals were screaming for weeks afterward. I’m sure I burned through a lot of minerals. Currently, I am working on boosting levels and trying to get manganese a bit higher. My thyroid function has improved and body temperature is normal since incorporating this way of eating. My hair, skin and nails have greatly improved. My last blood results showed an excellent red blood cell count and ferritin levels. Prior to this, I had struggled with anemia my entire life.
Initially, I went from 165 lbs to 115 lbs. The second picture was taken in 2015. My weight stays steady now between 120 and 125lbs. This weight is a good one for me at 5’4″.
Today!
There is no doubt that I am now enjoying the best health and shape of my entire life. I have had 5 years of amazing health. At age 57 I hike, swim, bike, carry all of my groceries home by hand and lift weights. In 3 weeks I will be climbing volcanoes in Guatemala. I am so grateful to Dr. Wahls, for sharing this diet with us! It is exciting to heal and regain my health using nutrient-dense real food and other natural therapies. I love eating this way and hope to for the rest of my life. Go ahead and give this a try! You have nothing to lose except for some extra pounds, toxins and illness!
My passion lies in helping others with similar health issues. If you would like a little extra help, I offer nutritional therapy consultations and hair tissue mineral analysis for a fee. Please go to this page for a list of my rates and to book an appointment for health coaching.
12 Myths I Ignored to Reverse 20 Years of Chronic Illness
Dealing With Die-Off Reactions From Lyme, Parasites and Chronic Infections
10 Reasons You Can’t Get Rid Of Lyme, Parasites, Candida and Other Co-Infections
Blessings and Best of Health!
Brenda♥
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you mentioned you were doing the paleo diet for a while before going to wahls diet. aren’t they basically the same thing?
They are both Paleo but I switched over to a more vegetable heavy Wahls Paleo. My diet before Wahls was more protein and fat centered. The green smoothies made a big difference after only a day or two. I really needed the infusion of vitamins and minerals that the smoothies have. I was very potassium deficient.
Hello,
I wanted to know how much animal proteins will be good (you wrote the amount for the veggies but not for the fish and meat) if I want to follow the Wahls protocol ?
Is it like in the “regular” paleo, 1g/kg weight ?
Thank you for your help 🙂
Hi Beedoo- I eat around 8 – 10 oz of protein per day. I am 120 lbs and this amount seems to work well for me. I would suggest that you buy the book as there is a lot of great info in it. Dr. Wahls does a great job of explaining the diet and is easy to understand. Also it is very important to eat enough good fat every day as well.
Best of health!
Hi Brenda, just got my Hair Mineral results back and I was quite pleased with the improvements since 2 years ago. I have changed my diet tremendously and incorporated the Wahls diet also. Some areas of concern for me since I’m Menopausal are Calcium loss. Dr. Wahls suggests supplementing with synthetic Calcium. I also know that eating too much protein is hard of the kidneys and strips the body of calcium. I was given the term , “SLOW METABOLIZER” in my mineral work-up. The report suggests I eat more meat which to me doesn’t make since if meat is harder to digest. It also states to cut our carbohydrates, and fats with not taking calcium or Vitamin D3. Now I’m really confused ! I have not eaten any sugar or simple carbs now for over a year, mostly to help with eliminating parasites. Still on Buhner Protocol, toughing it out in month 4, labs just came back with elevated monocytes and eosinophil’s. Can you elaborate on these suggestions and why they want me to not eat fat? Not even healthy fat like avacados, fish , coconut , lean grass-fed meats?
Thanks so much, Renee Turula OR
Renee – It is best to ask whoever did your hair analysis since they have your full report. I will respond based on my own experience. I too was a slow metabolizer and unable to process a lot of added fat to the diet. Fat slowed me down when I was sick and slow to begin with. I still ate eggs, meat, liver, avocados etc. I am also intolerant to coconut products. This I discovered after researching the blood type diet. I skimmed the fat off of my bone broth and couldn’t handle lots of added butter to meals etc.
Animal protein has been very beneficial for me. I eat about 9 oz per day now. It is actually easy to digest. Your hair test would have suggested either a digestive enzyme or hcl with meals. This will help a lot.
Wahls Diet works well for me. If you are wanting extra calcium eat sardines. The leafy greens have a lot of calcium as well. You could also add in a whole food supplement. I take a daily from MegaFood. I too am menopausal and am just breezing through all of it. I have tremendous energy and just keep eating really well.
I find the hair tests are really helpful. I never experienced a big shift until I was on Wahls for a full year.
You are still early on with Buhner’s. I found once my body was relieved of the daily infectious battle it was able to heal itself. I am now building muscle and feel amazing. This all takes time though. I just keep eating really well and taking very good care of myself.
Best Always!
Hi Brenda, thanks for your response. I am going to make a few adjustments and talk to my practitioner tomorrow about some of these issues. I have lost my iron level by half since last mineral study two years ago. I have also doubled my arsenic value since 2 years ago which is very alarming to me. I have been having rib pain and lung issues along with right sided liver and right shoulder discomfort. I am seeing an Acupuncturist who said its my heart. My calcium levels are ok but strongly believe the amount of meat I eat is making me too acidic and gassy. Also, leaching calcium from my bones to compensate for being too acidic with infections and inflammation.
Any thoughts on the arsenic? My Boron doubled since my last analysis, at least boron is good for me. I believe I am intolerant to coconut also, makes me gassy after eating. I am Blood Type B positive. Same thing with chicken, gassy after it too. Amazing how after you clean yourself out your body will let you know what has been the problem all along.
So glad you are just getting better and feeling amazing! I follow all you advise and trust your tried and true dedication.
Blessings, Renee
Hi Renee – I also had elevated arsenic levels about 6 months into Buhner’s and taking the parasite herbs. Many herbs today are high in arsenic. Although my level was elevated it still wasn’t high enough to cause alarm.
I am also Blood Type B positive. Chicken is not ideal for me although I am eating more of it here in Mexico and doing fine on it. Coconut milk and water cause me a lot of inflammation. I avoid these completely.
I never really worried about eating 9oz of animal protein per day. I need at least this amount as I am building muscle and doing lots of exercise each day. About 2 hours now.
Calcium levels are regulated by magnesium. I still take 500mg of magnesium each day. I was anemic until I treated the babesia. My last blood test finally showed normal RBC and Ferritin levels after a lifetime problem with anemia. I do know that heart irregularities can be caused from a mag deficiency. All of my heart issues have been eliminated. Best to work with a practitioner to find out what the heart issues are.
Once I eliminated the chronic infections my body just began to repair itself. It no longer had the constant drain of infections and my energy just took off. I was so deconditioned and now I am in the best physical condition of my entire life.
Blessings!
Brenda it would not be a normal week without a question from me! Anyway, regarding kelp …. Did you take it in divided doses thru out day or all at once? Do you think adding the kelp was a big game changer for your thyroid? I have all the hypo symptoms badly as well but I don’t have irregular hormone levels when I test, even by functional med standards. I KNOW tho I have a thyroid prob bc my hands and feet are so cold or hot, etc., plus I have a small goiter and couple nodules. Meds make me feel even worse tho. So starting with the kelp. Hoping this will give me continued improvement over the next year. But did wonder if I should take them twice or even three times a day, or if all at once was better approach. Thanks so much!!!!!!!
Snowgirl,
I take the kelp twice per day with meals. It took about a month or so to notice a small reduction with hypothyroid symptoms. Yes I do feel that the kelp has made all of the difference for me. I still take it every single day. You could work with a Naturopath if this makes you feel better. The Wahls Paleo and other supplements like fish oil all helped me. It is not about just one or two supplements but the combination of everything that I have done.
Blessings!
Hi Brenda … Can you recommend a decent multi vitamin? Again thank you!!!!!!!!
Snowgirl – I like the whole food multi-vitamins from MegaFood. They have quite a few different types based on your age group. I also take fish oil, kelp, dessicated liver, moringa in my smoothies and lots of magnesium.
You are welcome!
How did 3 meals a day make you full? I am quite thin, so it is a concern. I Know with blood sugar issues they say to eat every few hours(small meals).
thanks,
Kevin
And also…if you have gut issues then taking all those raw veggies or even cooked is a waste.
Kevin – I used digestive enzymes with all meals and the green smoothies are an easy to digest form of vegetables. I ate 6 – 9 cups of veg every day.
Brenda
Kevin – The trick with Paleo is to eat enough good fat. Fat is very satisfying. When carbs are reduced than fat and protein must be increased. Just do your best and get those green smoothies in.
xoxB
Dear Brenda,
Where did you go to get your hair mineral analysis? I was considering Great Plains but I don’t know if they’re reliable and they are an online service.
Thanks!
I do my own hair testing through Trace elements lab. I think they are the best. Make sure you order the full report with diet recommendations.