Fruit and Kaufmann 1

The Kaufmann 1 Diet was designed with a couple things in mind. Foods that would do nothing to feed any sort of pathogenic fungal infection were to be encouraged. These foods included organic grass fed, wild caught or pastured meats. Vegetables were encouraged, as were nuts and seeds. What about fruit? Fruits were limited to the tart variety: lemons, limes, grapefruit, berries, avocados, tomatoes, etc.

Unquestionably excluded were grains, corn, potatoes, sugar, and alcohol. These foods were all excluded for specific reasons. Grains and corn, according to Dr. Ruth Etzel MD, are commonly and universally contaminated with mycotoxins, respectively. Also, grains and corn are extremely high in carbohydrates; when broken down, these foods convert very quickly to sugar. Sugar is fungi’s food of choice, and if you have any sort of pathogenic fungal infection, consuming copious amounts of sugar will do nothing to stop its proliferation. Potatoes are similar to grains and corn in this way; they are broken down very quickly into sugar. Sugar is an obvious culprit. Alcohol is, itself, a mycotoxin – it is a byproduct of yeast fermenting sugar.All of these foods were obvious candidates to be excluded from a diet designed to fight pathogenic yeasts. However, the limited number of fruits often confuse first time adherents to Kaufmann 1. What is so bad about consuming copious amounts of fruit? Many assume fruits to be healthy; after all, fruits are all natural and packed with vitamins and minerals. Most fruits contain high amounts of certain vitamins and trace minerals. In addition to many of these nutrients being anti fungal, they perform vital tasks inside the body that promote health and wellness. Not only that, most fruit is delicious. They seem like great candidates to be included in a health-promoting diet. In a diet designed to starve fungi, consuming the most limited amount of sugar is key. The problem with many fruits is that they are high sugar. Despite all their health-promoting nutrients, the presence of fructose is a disqualifying factor for Kaufmann 1 eating. Fungi simply thrive on sugar – limiting their supply of if it is a critical strategy for eliminating them. The fruits that are included on Kaufmann 1 meet the criteria for being health promoting and unfriendly to pathogenic fungi. (A note on berries: conventionally raised berries have a tendency to grow mold on them. Most wild picked berries are extremely resistant to mold and fungi – modern farming and harvesting techniques have done a number on the nutritional value of foods, berries not excluded. Be sure to try to find wild, organic berries at your local health food store. These will give you the maximum amount of health benefit.)

Check out our bookstore; contained within all the books is a comprehensive list of all the fruits available on the Kaufmann 1, Kaufmann 2 and Life Phase diets. You will notice that the amount of fruits allowed becomes greater on each tier of the diet. This is because gradually your body has rid itself of pathogenic yeast, and consuming greater amounts of fruit presents less of a threat. If consuming fruit causes any sort of symptom to return, you’ll know what to limit in your own diet.

Please see our most recent article about Fruit and the Kaufmann Diet: The Kaufmann Diet and Fruit: What to avoid; What to include

Learn more about the Kaufmann Diet: Getting Started