When Good Foods Go Bad

When people begin the Kaufmann Diet, it is evident why many of the foods are eliminated. Surely it makes sense to eliminate many of the processed foods, foods high in sugar and simple carbs, and otherwise unhealthy fare that comprise the bulk of so many people’s diets. It is obvious that these foods have negative health consequences and should be avoided entirely. 

There are other foods, though, that the Kaufmann Diet eliminates that give people pause; these include foods like whole grains, corn, peanuts, certain fruits, and many other foods that people otherwise believe are healthy. 

To understand why some of these foods are not included on the Kaufmann Diet, we need to look a little closer at fungi. 

Fungi comprise many species of organisms, from molds, to yeasts, to mushrooms and many more. 

Certain species of these organisms often infest certain foods. But if infesting foods isn’t enough, these fungi go on in certain circumstances to produce poisons known as mycotoxins. 

Mycotoxins are some of the most poisonous, naturally occurring substances on earth. Many of these can wind up in our food; foods like grains, corn, peanuts and other foods are particularly susceptible. Many of these foods underpin our entire processed food system, meaning there is the potential for mycotoxins to show up many places in the food supply many people wouldn’t expect.

So while foods like whole grain may contain fiber, they may also contain poisons known to wreak havoc on our health. There are other foods like tea, or red wine––with all their purported health benefits––these are known to be at risk for contamination with mold poisons. 

Fungi can also infect humans. These infections can range from the annoying to the life-threatening. Often though, they go undetected––perhaps causing difficult to diagnose health problems. 

So there are other foods, like certain fruits, which fall under a different category. While they may not be at risk for mycotoxins, foods like bananas, oranges and melons––the sweeter varieties of fruits––contain high amounts of fructose, or fruit sugar. Sugar is the preferred fuel of these pathogenic fungal infections. There is even some evidence they can manipulate their hosts to crave more and more sugar. 

Yes, of course these foods contain many vitamins and minerals that are beneficial for health. They also contain fiber that offsets the dreaded insulin spike associated with sugar consumption. But the amount of sugar inherent in these fruits, regardless of the insulin spike, might contribute to a pathogenic fungal infection. 

The Kaufmann Diet is designed to eliminate pathogenic yeasts inside the body, which might be a more common problem than people realize. These underlying fungal problems can contribute to a host of other problems in the body, many of them difficult to diagnose. In the absence of sugar, though, yeasts seem to starve and many health symptoms seem to resolve. 

With this in mind, the Kaufmann Diet eliminates many otherwise healthy foods which may be less than beneficial if you do have any underlying fungal problem. These include certain fruits, potatoes, and other foods high in simple carbohydrates.

While it may seem odd that so many otherwise healthy foods are eliminated from the diet, these are eliminated with the knowledge that they might contribute to often overlooked health problems which can have profound consequences. 

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