How Much Alcohol is “OK”?

Often times, when beginning the Kaufmann 1 Diet, people want to know how much of the foods they are accustom to consuming they can still consume while on the Kaufmann 1 Diet. The real question they are asking is, “How little can I change while still accomplishing my health goals?”

Unfortunately for us all, that is not how real change works, especially when it comes to dietary changes and subsequent health benefits. Particularly, on the Kaufmann 1 Diet, you are virtually changing everything about the way you eat, if you eat what most people eat on a daily basis. By eliminating many foods, you are attempting to accomplish two things. First, you are trying to eliminate foods that may contribute to a fungal infection, and you are trying to eliminate foods that are commonly contaminated with mycotoxins, or fungal poisons. By completely eliminating these foods, you are putting yourself in the best position to eliminate pathogenic fungi inside the body and lessen your exposure to toxic fungal byproducts.

By eliminating any and all alcohol containing drinks, you are helping yourself accomplish both of these goals.

Many people enjoy unwinding with a drink or two every night. Many people enjoy drinking in social situations. Many people enjoy alcohol beyond either of those two situations, to a degree that is unhealthy by any standard. Naturally, giving up alcohol and the associated social component of drinking is difficult for many people. Alcohol is simply a mainstay for many people in our culture today, a large part of their social life. Many will even argue that regularly drinking alcohol in moderation may have some benefits for health.

There are a few problems with this, at least from the Fungus Link to Disease Theory perspective. First alcohol, itself, is a mycotoxin, or a poisonous (enough alcohol can poison you) byproduct of the fermentation associated with brewer’s yeast (a fungi). Secondly, alcohol is often made with products, whether they be grains, sugar, or other foods, that have the potential of being contaminated with mycotoxins. Finally, once inside the body, alcohol is processed into sugar, pathogenic fungi’s food of choice. If you regularly consume alcohol, you are giving any sort of pathogenic fungal infection it’s preferred fuel source.

This is why alcohol, like grains, corn or peanuts, is unilaterally disallowed on the Kaufmann 1 Diet. It is not even recommended in moderation.

It is important to remember that part of the Kaufmann 1 Diet is about breaking addictions to foods that many people feel they can not live without. Giving up alcohol is difficult for many. But following a period without alcohol, many people report feeling much better with more energy and clearer thoughts than before they gave it up. Give it a try and see how you feel.