4 Foods Never Allowed on The Kaufmann Diet

The goal of the Kaufmann Diet is to restrict foods that might feed a pathogenic yeast or fungal infection; according to Doug Kaufmann, these are far more prevalent than assumed by mainstream medicine and constitute the source of many human health problems.

The second goal of the diet is to restrict foods that might be tainted with mold poisons, known as mycotoxins. These include many different areas of our food supply; many of these foods are common foods that many people eat every day.

The Kaufmann Diet has three phases: Kaufmann 1, Kaufmann 2, and the transition to Maintenance. Each succeeding Phase gets less restrictive and reintroduces certain foods back into the diet.

There are, however, some foods that are recommended to never be reintroduced into the diet.

Corn

According to Dr. Ruth Etzel, corn is “universally contaminated” with mycotoxins, which are fungal poisons. These include poisons like aflatoxin, which is one of the most carcinogenic, naturally-occurring chemicals on earth. This was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Corn, of course, is a foundational element of our food system. From corn syrup to corn starch and even to certain nutrients like vitamin C and citric acid, corn-derived ingredients are pervasive throughout our food system.

We recommend avoiding any type of food containing corn or any derivative thereof; this is a large reason why most processed foods are out when you are on the Kaufmann Diet. This includes corn, itself, corn products (like corn chips, cornbread, etc.) and any processed foods you suspect may have corn-derived ingredients in them.

Yeast

Yeast is commonly used in a variety of foods, such as bread and pizza dough, but you can find it used in other foods as well. Since the goal of the Kaufmann Diet is to eliminate yeast, it recommended that you totally remove it from your diet.

This includes “healthy” foods that contain yeast, such as kombucha teas and nutritional yeast.

Alcohol

Alcohol in any form fits the definition of what a mycotoxin is. Alcohol is a poison––too much can kill you––and it is derived from the fungus, brewer’s yeast.

Not only is alcohol a mycotoxin, many of the foods used to make alcohol, such as certain grains, corn, potatoes, sugar, etc., are likely contaminated with other types of mycotoxins as well, making alcohol particularly suspect when it comes to foods contaminated with mycotoxins.

Even though some practitioners recommend moderate alcohol consumption, we recommend you remove it from your diet completely.

Peanuts

Peanuts are another food commonly contaminated with mycotoxins. Like corn, peanuts should be avoided altogether, including any foods containing peanut-derived ingredients. It’s not just foods like peanut butter that should be avoided either; many fast food restaurants use peanut oil to cook their food. Peanut oil or foods cooked in it should be avoided, as well.