But a lot has changed since then.

I went off to medical school, became a physician.

I had a son, and then a daughter.

And I developed a chronic disease for which there is no cure.

In 2000 when I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis,

I turned to the best MS center I could find, the Cleveland clinic.

I saw the very best doctors, received the best care possible.

taking the latest newest drugs.

Still by 2003, my disease had transitioned to secondary progressive MS.

I took the recommended chemoterapy

I got the tilt-recline wheelchair.

I had one with a motor I could drive around.

I took Tysabri. And then CellCept

but continued to become more severely disabled.

My disease had transitioned.

I was afraid that I was going to become bedridden.

I turned to reading the latest research using podmed.gov

I knew that brains afflicted with MS, overtime, shrank.

I therefore went, every night, reading the latest medical research

about the diseases in which brains shrank.

These diseases were Huntington's, Parkison's and Alzheimer's.

I saw that in all three conditions, the mitochondria do not work well,

leading to shrinking brains.

With more searching,

I found studies in which mice's brains and their mytochondria had been protected.

Using fish oil, creatine and co-enzyme Q.

I translated those mouse sized doses into human sized ones

and began my first round of self experimentation.

The rapidity of my declined slowed and I was very grateful.

But I was still declining.

Next I discovered the Institute for Functional Medicine.

And through their continuing medical education course, Neuroprotection,

a functional medicine approach to common and uncommon neurologic syndromes,

I learned more brain cell biology and what I could do to protect mine.

This is some of what I learned.

We have a billion cells in our brains, with ten trillion connections.

All of that connective wiring must be insulated with something called myelin.

And multiple sclerosis damages myelin.

In order to make healthier vast myelin, your brain needs a lot of B vitamins.

In particular vitamin B1, which is thiamine,

B9 which is folate,

B12 which is cobalamin.

It also needs omega-3 fatty acids and iodine.

This is a sinapse.

Those beautiful golden drops are the neurotransmitters.

For your brain to make neurotransmitters,

it needs a lot of sulfur and vitamin B6, which is pyridoxine.

These are mytochondria.

They are so beautiful.

And they are so critical to your lives

because it is the tiny mitochondria in each of our cells

that will manage the energy supply for that cell.

Without your mitochondria,

you'd be no larger than bacteria.

In medical school, I had to memorize countless reactions

involving my mitochondria

but I never learned which compounds my cells could manufacture

and which I needed to consume in order for those reactions to happen properly.

I now know that I need a lot of B vitamins,

sulfur and antioxidants for my mitochondria to thrive.

And so, I added B vitamins,

sulfur and antixidants to my daily regimen.

And then it occurred to me

that I should get my long list of nutrients from food,

that if I did that,

I'd probably get hundreds,

maybe thousands of other compounds

that science had yet to name and identify

but would be helpful to my brain and my mitochondria.

But, I didn't know where they were in the food supply

and neither did the medical text,

nor the food science text with whom I consulted.

But the internet did.

And so... (laughter)

That's really very helpful.

So using it,

I was able to design a food plan

specifically for my brain and my mitochondria.

And now, before I tell you what that food plan is,

we are gonna check in to see what Americans are eating.

I'm gonna start with you guys.

So, I want you to think back to the last twenty four hours

add up all the fruits and vegetables that you've eaten.

Don't include potatoes or corn,

because those are starches.

Now, if you could cover a dinner plate heaped high, raise your hand.

Come on, don't be shy, raise your hands.

Ok, now if you could cover two dinner plates, keep your hands up.

Anyone can have eaten three dinner plates?

Look around, see how few hands are up. Ok?

Now, we are gonna check with another family.

This is from Hungry Planet by Peter Wenzel.

It shows what this American family will eat in the coming week.

Look closely and you are gonna see a lot of processed foods in boxes

jars, and other containers.

This is how most Americans eat,

and this is how most societies eat as they become more affluent.

And it's likely why as societies become more affluent,

their health declines.

This slide is from work done by professor Lauren Cordain.

He is showing the percent of Americans

whose daily intake is below the recommended daily allowance

for a variety of important nutrients.

On the botton half of the slide are the...

you will see that less than half of us

take in enough B vitamins, vitamin C and vitamin A.

Now if you look at the top of the slide,

you will see that two thirds of us do not take in enough calcium,

magnesium, zinc or iodine.

And that eighty percent do not take in enough omega-3 fats.

We, you, are all starving your cells.

We are alive because of complicated chemical reactions.

If you are not providing the building blocks ,

that is the vitamins, minerals, essential fats,

those reactions cannot happen properly.

Leading to the wrong structures being made,

or srtuctures not being made at all.

You set the stage for chronic disease.

This is why our children are born with

jaws that are too small leading to crooked teeth

and smaller brains.

This is why your blood pressures,

your blood vessels become stiff as you age.

This is why one in three American children

or one in two, if Afroamerican or Hispanic

will become diabetic and obese as children or young adults.

This is why if you go to our schools

every year we have more and more children with severe brain problems

and severe behavior problems.

But, it does not have to be this way.

For two and a half million years, humans ate what we could gather and hunt.

They were called foragers, also known as hunter-gatherers.

That hunter-gatherer diet, that paleo diet,

consists of leaves, roots, berries, meat and fish.

It's locally obtained fresh in season, and, of course, organic.

The Inuits in the far north ate very differently than

the Africans on the savanah.

And yet, when scientists have analyzed these hunter-gatherer diets,

they exceed the recommended daily allowance

two to ten fold, depending on the nutrient.

These ancient people know more

about eating for optimal health and vitality

than we physicians and we scientists.

The hunter-gatherer diet has more nutrition

than the American Heart Association diet

more nutrition than the American Diabetes Association diet

and more nutrition than the USDA food pyramid diet.

I therefore started with a hunter-gatherer diet,

I used those concepts

but I structured it, to be sure I was getting the nutrition,

the vitamins, minerals,

nutrients that I identified as critical to my brain cells and my mitochondria.

That diet is this: three cups of green leaves

three cups of sulfur rich vegetables

three cups of bright color

grass-fed meat, organ meat and seaweed.

Three cups is a dinner plate heaped high.

I start with greens,

because they are rich in B vitamins,

vitamins A, C, K and minerals.

And those are two types of kale.

Kale has the most nutrition per calorie of any plant.

The B vitamins will protect your brain cells and mitochondria.

Vitamins A and C support your immune cells.

Vitamin K keeps your blood vessels and bones healthy.

And minerals are co-factors for hundreds of different enzymes in your bodies.

Plus: having a plateful of daily greens

will dramaticly lower your risk of cataracts and macular degeneration,

a leading cause of blindness in the U.S.

So, have more kale, more parsely, more cooked greens.

Have more smoothies and greens.

Have dehydrated kale chips

which are so delicious my teenage daughter and her friends love them.

I want you to have 3 cups,

a plateful of sulfur-rich vegetables every day.

Your brain and your mitochondria need sulfur.

Your liver and kidney need sulfur

so they can remove toxins from your blood stream.

The cabbage family is rich in sulfur.

That includes cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts,

turnips, rutabagas, radishes, and kale.

The onion family is also rich in sulfur.

Onions, garlic, leeks, chives, shallots and so are mushrooms and asparagus.

I also want you to have a plate, 3 cups,

preferably 3 different colors every single day.

Colors are flavonoids and polyphenols.

These are potent anti-oxidants that will

support your retina, your mitachondria,

your brain cells and the removal of toxins.

You can get your colors from vegetables

like beets, carrots, peppers, red cabbage...

or you can get them from berries

and brightly colored fruits like peaches and oranges.

I want you to have high-quality proteine

that is rich in Omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids are very important to insulate that wiring in your brain.

It's also critical for the development of your jaws

You can have straight teeth and a larger brain.

Therefore have wild fish, in particular salmon and herring.

Also have grass-fed meat every day.

Our ancient societies all valued organ meat.

And organ meats are concentrated sources of vitamins, minerals and co-enzyme Q.

They are particulary potent at supporting your mitochondria.

Therefore have organ meats like

liver and onions, heart, tongue, gizzard, sweetbreads once a week.

The ancients would travel great distances

or trade to ensure access to seaweed.

Seaweed is a rich source of iodine and selenium.

Your brain needs iodine

to make myelin the insulation for the wiring.

It also needs iodine to move toxins

in particular mercury, lead and heavy metals.

And adequate iodine lowers your risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer.

Studies have shown that 80% of Americans have a relatively low iodine.

Therefore have seaweed at least once a week

to ensure and maintain adequate iodine levels.

Most Americans can't imagine eating 9 cups,

3 plate fulls of vegetables and berries every day, but...

if you'll commit to having 9 cups

of these incredibly healthy, wonderful for you,

vegetables and berries every day,

before you have grain, potatoes, dairy,

you will have dramaticly increased the vitamin/mineral content of your diet.

Plus: you will have dramatically lowered the risk of food allergies.

Food allergies and food sensivities are far more common than we realize.

They are difficult to diagnose and in particular,

sensivity to gluten, the protein in wheat, rye and barley,

and to dairy, the protein, the casein protein in dairy,

is associated with a wide variety of health problems,

including, but not limited to:

eczema, asthma, allergies, infertility, irritable bowel,

fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue, arthritis, chronic headache,

neurological problems and behavior problems.

Yes, it will cost more to eat these beautiful vegetables and berries,

but I assure you, you are going to pay the price.

You will pay the price now for food that

restores your health and vitality,

or you pay the price for doctor's visits,

prescription drugs, surgeries, missed time from work,

early retirement and nursing home care.