How eating meat may help reverse neurodegenerative diseases

No meat, poor health?

There’s growing evidence that eating meat is important for good health, as many vegans and vegetarians have found out. Many individuals who have given up eating animal protein have found their health deteriorating; once they resumed eating meat, their symptoms resolved, as reported by The Gold Report. In fact, some evidence suggests that serious neurodegenerative diseases such as ALS and Parkinson's may be reversed with a clean diet that generally includes meat.

ALS

Healing ALS, a website dedicated to helping people diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) recover, provides a series of courses and a 47-step plan that people can follow to improve their health. Healthy food is an important part of recovery. In Step 9: Clean Food Part 1, they explain that clean food should be real food, preferably non-GMO and organic when possible. Processed foods are discouraged, but meat and plenty of healthy animal fats are encouraged as foods that are important for healing. Following is a summary of their suggestions for eating a clean, healthy diet:

1. Increase Hydration: Aim to drink at least half an ounce of water per pound of body weight each day. Consider using a Big Berkey gravity-fed filter for clean water. If using reverse osmosis water, be sure to add a mineral supplement like ReMyte or Aussie Minerals to replenish essential nutrients.
2. ‍Choose Real Food: Prioritize non-GMO and organic options. Refer to the “Dirty Dozen” and “Clean Fifteen” lists to know which fruits and vegetables to buy organic. Buying local, freshly picked produce maximizes nutrient content.
3. ‍Opt for Quality Meat: Select grass-fed and grass-finished beef, bison, and lamb for their high nutrient density. Choose organic pasture-raised chickens and eggs, with Omega-3 eggs as a good alternative. Wild-caught smaller fish are preferable to larger fish due to lower toxin levels.
4. ‍Incorporate Healthy Fats: Include coconut oil, MCT oil, avocado oil, olive oil, ghee, and beef tallow in your diet. Current research suggests that clean, grass-fed animal fats are beneficial, especially for those with neurological issues. Aim for a high fat intake (70-90%) for optimal health, avoiding vegetable oils unless organic.
5. Benefit from Meat's Nutritional Benefits: Meat is rich in essential nutrients like B-12, vitamin D, and a balanced copper/zinc ratio. Ensure all meat is grass-fed, organic, and free from hormones and antibiotics. For those with limited appetites, consider ground meat blended with water or broth.
6. Fish Selection: Always choose wild-caught fish, focusing on smaller species like salmon and cod. Avoid farmed fish due to antibiotic use and steer clear of larger fish like shark or swordfish, which can contain higher toxin levels.
7. Vegetables and Fruits: Be mindful of lectins and oxalates. Opt for low-glycemic index vegetables and fruits. Consider food sensitivity testing to identify any sensitivities, and explore low-carb, keto, or carnivore diets for potential health benefits.

Their suggested diet options include ketogenic, paleo, Medical Medium, Wahls, and carnivore diets, stating that ALS reversals have been accomplished with a variety of diets. 

It is important to remember that ALS reversals have used a wide variety of diets and still healed. We do not recommend any particular diet since some people do well on mostly vegetables and some protein, while others do very well on mostly meat. You need to figure out what diet works best for YOUR body. Everyone is different. . . . 

Healing ALS describes the carnivore diet as one that many people with ALS have success with. Because the food in the diet is primarily meat, it can help people figure out which foods they are sensitive to as they add back foods and notice to which ones they adversely react.

A Carnivore diet is a zero carbohydrates. More and more of those diagnosed with ALS are doing a version of the Carnivore diet with good success. Some people are now walking again because they are no longer eating foods they are sensitive to and Carnivore is a “mono” diet, starting with beef only, then adding things to see if they have adverse reactions. . . 

Regarding the Medical Medium diet, which does not include meat, Healing ALS provides this caveat:

Some people find the Medical Medium diet helpful. Others have had bad reactions and feel more meat is necessary. 

They also note that for people who do not eat meat for religious or philosophical reasons, a whole-food, plant-based low-carb diet is often recommended.

Healing ALS also features functional nutritionist Coco Newton's presentation at the 2019 Healing ALS Conference (at the bottom of the linked page). She provides a nuanced approach to diet and nutrition for individuals diagnosed with ALS. In the presentation, she explains that a vegan diet may not provide enough nutrition for ALS patients and one must have enough calories in order for the body to properly utilize protein. Step 10, Clean Food Part 2, includes Newton's presentation on the microbiome.

Parkinson's

Parkinson's, another neurodegenerative disease, is "a brain disorder that causes unintended or uncontrollable movements, such as shaking, stiffness, and difficulty with balance and coordination."

Mimi Morgan, healthy today at 70 years old, spoke with Dr. Anthony Chaffee, in the video below, about how she reversed her Parkinson's with a carnivore diet. Mimi explained that she had been eating vegan and plant-based diets with very little fat in her diet for many years. In her late fifties, her health began failing and she was afraid she would wind up in a nursing home.

Let's say late 50s, I started to get sick, my body started to fail me. I was, uh, plant-based, I was also vegan for about six years, maybe 10 years prior, but still heavily, uh, plant-based and, um, very little fat in my diet, probably for my 20s on, uh, and, and a limited amount of protein that I had in my diet.

My health failed. I was, um, diagnosed with, I had a number of falls and a number of breaks and was soon after diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Two years after that was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and about two and a half years after that I had a stroke . . . I mean I was really deteriorating at this point, on 13 plus medications and little hope for, really, any any kind of a future other than the prospect of, you know, what what nursing home were they going to put me in because I really had trouble functioning.

. . .

About a year and a half in, I was able to get rid of the walker, but I still had to use a cane. I was not able to be really active. I had an epiphany, and soon after that, I met a gentleman who was a former chiropractor. He started to work with me and actually increased my fat intake to 50%. I nearly fell off the chair! That marked the beginning of my journey to heal myself, get off medication, and try to improve my health. It’s been about a three-year journey, and I’m actually doing phenomenal!

With growing evidence of meat’s benefits and the importance of eating clean food, some may rethink what’s on their plates — before they get sick.

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The information contained in this article is for educational and information purposes only and is not intended as health, medical, financial, or legal advice. Always consult a physician, lawyer, or other qualified professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition, health objectives, or legal or financial issues.

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