About this Blog

This blog offers  recipes and tips for those who are following the advice of Professor George Jelinek in Overcoming Multiple Sclerosis, or who are trying to pursue a diet that is helpful in combatting any other autoimmune diseases. 

We ask for readers and users of these recipes to contribute some of their own. There is a Comments tag at the end of each post where you can leave a recipe or make suggestions. We will edit these and add them to the Blog. If you are not interested in eliminating saturated fats and animal proteins from your diet, this BlogPage is not for you.

Here is the list of foods that Professor Jelinek warns us not to eat:

• Meat, including processed meat, salami, sausages, canned meat
• Eggs except for egg whites
• Dairy products; that is, milk, cream, butter, ice cream and cheeses. Low fat milk or yoghurt is not acceptable. Cow’s milk and other dairy products are best avoided altogether.
• Any biscuits, pastries, cakes, muffins, doughnuts or shortening, unless fat-free
• Commercial baked goods
• Prepared mixes
• Snacks like chips, corn chips, party foods
• Margarine, shortening, lard, chocolate, coconut and palm oil. There is some debate about chocolate as it does have some good antioxidants, but most chocolate is also loaded with saturated fat, so it should be avoided. (Cocoa is a natural vegetable product with only a little saturated fat, so the occasional teaspoon in a glass of soy milk is fine.)
• Fried and deep fried foods. It is important not to heat oils if possible. Add virgin oil after cooking. Deep-fried foods, like fish and chips, are bad because the oil used changes its chemical structure when heated in this way.
• Most fast foods (burgers, fried chicken, etc.)
• Most fats and oils

As can be seen, Professor Jelinek asks us to make a dramatic change in our diet. However, there is evidence to support Jelinek’s recommendations. He is not alone in recommending that we learn to eat more plant based foods and stop eating animal products and processed foods. However, the dietary changes he requires are a challenge. If you are the family cook in a household where George’s recommendations are taken seriously, most of your old habits in the kitchen will need to go. New recipes will have to be found and great care in the way food is processed and cooked must be taken. As most of us are addicted to dairy products and meat, the adaptation required will not be easy.

There is evidence to support Jelinek’s conclusion. He is not alone in arguing that there is a connection between the food we eat and the prevalence of serious diseases like multiple sclerosis.  Those who are interested in reviewing the relevant literature should begin by looking at the documentary movie Forks over Knives. George cites significant studies at his WebPage (link here), including the pathbreaking work of Professor R. L. Swank.  As early as 1950, Swank drew attention to the correlation between multiple sclerosis and saturated fat (Am J Med Sci, 1950; 220-421). At the Gawler Retreat, George suggested that we also read the work of Professor T. Colin Campbell and his son Thomas M. Campbell, The China Study (Dallas, TX: Benbella Books, 2006). This important comparative analysis of diets in various parts of the world explores their effect on health, looking particularly at differences between China and the United States.  The authors justifiably claim it is “the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted”.  Among many other important conclusions, it asserts that the consumption of animal-based foods - especially cow’s milk - is associated with a greater risk of autoimmune diseases.