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What is the best way to approach a new way of eating? What is the big deal with The Wahls Protocol and what does it have to do with fibromyalgia? For today’s Fibro Live show, I will be discussing The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life with special guest, Melissa Talwar, founder of The International Support Fibromyalgia Network.

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Eating to heal chronic autoimmune conditions with #TheWahlsProtocol on #FibroLive! Share on X

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Today we’re talking about The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life written and developed by Dr. Terry Wahls. With me is Melissa Talwar, founder of The International Support Fibromyalgia Network. Not only has Melissa been using the recipes from Cooking for Life, she also a lot of insight into The Wahls Protocol.

The Wahls Protocol

The Wahls Protocol is an interesting and intriguing topic. It has helped me understand my body on the cellular level more than any other book. It dives into how the body works and how important the mitochondria is to the body.

From Dr. Terry Wahls’ website:

“An integrative approach to healing chronic auto-immune conditions by a doctor, researcher, and sufferer of progressive multiple sclerosis whose TEDx talk is already a web sensation.

Like many physicians, Dr. Terry Wahls focused on treating her patients’ ailments with drugs or surgical procedures—until she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2000. Within three years, her back and stomach muscles had weakened to the point where she needed a tilt-recline wheelchair. Conventional medical treatments were failing her, and she feared that she would be bedridden for the rest of her life.

Dr. Wahls began studying the latest research on autoimmune disease and brain biology, and decided to get her vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fatty acids from the food she ate rather than pills and supplements. Dr. Wahls adopted the nutrient-rich paleo diet, gradually refining and integrating it into a regimen of neuromuscular stimulation. First, she walked slowly, then steadily, and then she biked eighteen miles in a single day. In November 2011, Dr. Wahls shared her remarkable recovery in a TEDx talk that immediately went viral. Now, in The Wahls Protocol, she shares the details of the protocol that allowed her to reverse many of her symptoms, get back to her life, and embark on a new mission: to share the Wahls Protocol with others suffering from the ravages of multiple sclerosis and other autoimmune conditions.”

The Wahls Protocol Cooking for Life

Cooking for Life is a complimentary cookbook to The Wahls Protocol. It’s filled with delicious, easy to make recipes and each recipe is tailored to match whichever level of the Protocol you are following: Wahls Diet (Level 1), Wahls Paleo (Level 2), or Wahls Paleo Plus (Level 3). The cookbook also has basic templates for each category of food, basic kitchen essentials, resources, and more.

Include the entire family

No matter which level of the Protocol you are following, you can include your entire family – yep, even the kiddos! To avoid overwhelming you and your family with a new way of eating, ease into it with baby steps. Include a new recipe for one dish at one meal then gradually include more recipes for each meal.

Get the kids involved with the new way of eating!

Ways include:

Ask them to help with picking out the produce and tell them the names of the fruits and vegetables you see.
Invite them into the kitchen with you to prepare a dish or meal. This help them feel more confident, involved, and independent.
Grow vegetables with them in a container garden, raise garden, or traditional garden. This will give them a sense of pride of what they are accomplishing and teach them the importance of food.
Involve them with the meal planning and get their inputs on what to eat.
Don’t force a new food on them. Simply place it on their plate and leave it up to them to eat it or not. Remember, kids are stubborn and want to be independent thinkers. They will be more open to trying new foods if they feel it’s their choice rather than it being forced on them.