CANCER DIETS

Be realistic - expect a miracle!

by Walter Last

As a basic concept this diet is predominantly fresh, raw and organic. While it may not be possible to come close to 100% in this, just do your best, while at the same time listening to your intuition and the language of your body. In regard to food selection, use mainly foods high in antioxidants and known to be beneficial to overcome cancer. Also construct your diet so that it is beneficial for your metabolic type, see below.

Diets high in protein, fat and carbohydrate have all been show to be harmful with cancer. This is one reason why restricted diets or cleansing periods are often beneficial. It is also helpful to understand the reason why all food groups seem to be harmful.

The negative effect of carbohydrates is due to the fact that elevated insulin levels tend to accelerate tumor growth, while glucose is also the main energy source of a tumor. Keep glucose and insulin levels low by eating slow-digesting carbohydrates, such as legumes, and restrict sweet food and cereals.

Also be careful with fruits and juices of sweet vegetables. Use these spaced out in small portions, or alternatively with some suitable protein (e.g. spirulina) or unheated fat or oil, such as avocado, flax oil, extra virgin olive oil, raw cream or coconut cream. The worst scenario is a strong insulin response in the presence of fructose (as in fruit, honey or household sugar) while the blood glucose level is high at the same time from starchy food. This provides a strong energy boost to the cancer.

Proteins and fats are mainly harmful because they aggravate an endemic enzyme. The solution is to eat these foods raw, with intact enzymes, or alternatively use plenty of digestive enzyme supplements, or preferably both.

THE BASIC CANCER DIET

This Basic Cancer Diet combines the principles of a general anticancer diet with those of the Budwig Diet.

The Oil-Protein Mix

The original Budwig Diet is based on the “protein-oil mix”, a mixture of 100 grams of low-fat cottage cheese and 40 ml of flaxseed oil; for details see the Recipes at the end of this chapter. The best quark or cottage cheese is from grass-fed animals or organic milk made by natural souring of raw milk or, less beneficial, by fermenting of pasteurized milk. Commercial cottage cheese generally is not organic and not fermented but may be tried as a fourth-rate choice.

Use this amount or a lesser quantity with several meals daily; after sufficient improvement you may reduce this to once a day. When using this mix avoid or minimize any competing oils or fats. In addition it is recommended to add 2 or 3 tablespoons of freshly ground or frozen ground linseed.

If you cannot or do not want to use cottage cheese, you may use the amino acid L-cysteine as an alternative. In this case you may add about 1 gram or one third of a level teaspoon of cysteine powder to a suitable meal together with a teaspoon of lecithin and 1 to 3 tablespoons of flaxseed oil, depending on the size of the meal, also add ground linseed. Always mix the oil well with lecithin and the rest of the meal.

Normally 85% of cysteine is degraded before absorption but in the presence of free fatty acids as from linseed oil, cysteine tends to form a water-soluble combination with fatty acids for better absorption of both molecules. To ensure a higher absorption rate you may also add to the 1 g of cysteine about 500 g of N-Acetyl Cysteine which is not so easily degraded. Alternatively you may also add some cysteine to a small or moderate amount of cottage cheese.
For more detailed information see www.healingcancernaturally.com/budwig_protocol.html.

Restricted Diet

Active cancer is easier to control by eating only raw foods during the day, and have a cooked vegetable meal in the evening. Base this diet on the oil-protein mix, protein powders such as spirulina, chlorella, bee-pollen, ground linseed, and wheat or barley grass powder in addition to fresh fruits, vegetable or grass juice and salads.

Initially use much purple fruit and juices as from beetroot, wheat grass or barley grass. You may also eat, in small, spaced-out amounts, black or purple grapes, blackberries, blueberries, blackcurrants, or drink their juices in small sips. To reduce the insulin response and improve the absorption of fat-soluble antioxidants add small amounts of unheated fats or oils to fruits or juices, such as avocado, coconut oil or linseed oil.

Caution: Seed oils are high in linoleic acid, which is a growth promoter for tumors, partly because of its pro-inflammatory effect, and also because a tumor needs linoleic acid as a vital growth factor. This also applies to the related arachidonic acid in egg yolk, meat and fowl. Commercially processed fats and oils in addition contain pro-inflammatory trans-fatty acid.

Also cooked food and a diet high in phosphorus and low in calcium and magnesium tend to increase inflammations and pain. Foods high in phosphorus are meat, fish, egg and many seeds. Therefore, avoid or minimize these while the cancer is still active.

The foods with the best phosphorus to calcium ratio are bone-jelly broth, kelp or seaweed, sesame seeds, carob flour (unsweetened), wheat and barley grass juice and powder, goats’ cheese and cottage cheese, vegetables, fruits, almonds, bee pollen, spirulina and chlorella. Use this restricted diet for several weeks or in periods of crisis.

General Principles

You may start the day with a psyllium drink, some fresh juice, ionized water or herb tea, possibly followed by a small amount of fresh fruit. Somewhat later have the oil-protein mix or the protein powder mix, see Recipes.

For lunch try a sprout and vegetable salad, possibly with the oil-protein mix or hummus, goat’s cheese or seed cheese; if the tumor is no longer growing also marinated fish, raw egg yolk or minced meat may be used, egg white may be cooked or beaten. The evening meal may be mainly vegetables, cooked and salads, with fish or legumes. The more advanced the cancer is, the more you may make an effort to use suitable raw food. As things improve you may again increase the amount of cooked food.

The weaker the body, the more should food be in an easily digestible form as juices, broths, sprouted seeds and lactic acid fermented foods. If chewing is difficult then sprouted seeds and raw vegetables may be blended. As cooked foods use mainly vegetables with cancer fighting potential, such as beetroot, onion, asparagus, (red) cabbage, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Have a cooked meal with a vegetable salad or with a fresh juice.

Generally it is preferable to eat mainly vegetables and legumes, and greatly restrict grains and cereals. Less harmful than the gluten grains (wheat, rye, oats and barley) are rice, millet, maize, buckwheat, as well as arrowroot, sago and tapioca. However, use these only when the cancer is under control or in small portions and combined with legumes.

Legumes include lentils, peas and beans, fenugreek and chickpeas or garbanzo beans. Chickpeas in the form of hummus may be used as a flavoring addition to most meals. All seeds are best sprouted, for cooking soak these overnight. If beans cause wind, replace not only the water in which they have been soaked but possibly also the cooking water.

Concentrate on the food flavors while peacefully chewing. Initial weight loss on this diet is normal and mainly due to loss of water; if you need to increase your weight, have a cooked evening meal, including potatoes and other vegetables. At other times try cooked rice, arrowroot, sago or tapioca.

With advanced cancer restrict nuts and other oily seeds except if they have been soaked or sprouted to remove enzyme inhibitors. Brazil nuts being high in selenium, almonds and linseed have special benefits. Preferably sprout almonds and Brazil nuts if they are still viable, otherwise soak, blend or grind them to make almond milk or nut butter. Linseeds do not need to be soaked.

Animal Protein

Generally, those with blood group O fare better with some meat, and generally should avoid or minimize grain products. After sufficient improvement and if the tumor is no longer growing, you may eat again some flesh food, such as marinated fish or seafood, or minced meat or blended fowl. These should be from healthy, organic or uncontaminated sources. Generally the smaller the fish the less polluted they are. Preferably use sea fish rather than farmed fish which are more polluted and often lower in omega-3 fatty acids, large predatory fish are also high in mercury.

Marinating in lemon juice or cider vinegar destroys parasites and makes raw flesh food quite safe to eat. You may neutralize excess acid before eating. You may also use raw minced meat or blend diced chicken or turkey and drink it as a broth.

Use only organic or otherwise safe meat from a reliable source. Avoid meat from a feedlot, or commercial chicken. Also pork is not safe. The safest non-organic red meat is lamb and grass-fed beef. Freezing meat for about 10 days at minus 8°C or colder will kill any tapeworm cysts. Avoid or minimize cooked meat.

SPECIAL FOODS

Here I like to discuss some foods that are of special importance in overcoming cancer. These are coconut oil/milk, cod liver oil, linseed oil, and ground linseed, purple foods, papaya or papaw, spirulina and bee-pollen.

Fats and Oils

Some studies show that high intakes of (heated) fats and oils tend to promote tumor growth. This applies especially to linoleic acid, the main polyunsaturated fatty acid in seed oils, because of its inflammatory tendencies. Omega-3 fatty acids, on the other hand, are anti-inflammatory and inhibit tumor growth. Most recommended is cod liver oil, in addition to linseed oil, ground linseed and possibly extra virgin olive oil. Also the gamma linolenic acid in evening primrose oil is anti-inflammatory.

Preferably add some lecithin to oily or fatty food, and emulsify any directly taken oil or fatty food as described below for cod liver oil. Keep unheated fats and oils refrigerated, place a bottle of solidified olive oil or coconut oil for a few minutes in water to liquefy. Preferably add lipase to any oils or heated fats (see Cancer Nutrients).

Coconut: Some of the fatty acids in coconut (caprylic, capric, lauric) have been shown to be very effective anti-microbial agents, being especially effective against fungi and viruses. For this reason, even some heat-treated commercial coconut oil is beneficial. I have not been able to find a commercial source of unheated coconut oil. Even coconut oil advertised as ‘traditionally pressed, unrefined and organic virgin coconut oil’ has been heated.

It is even better making your own coconut cream or milk by pressing pieces of coconut flesh through a juice extractor. Alternatively, you may blend coconut flesh in a blender with the addition of some warm water, strain and press by hand, keep refrigerated. You may open coconuts with an ax, and remove the flesh with a big screwdriver. Another possibility is to remove the liquid through a hole and freeze the coconut overnight. This tends to separate the flesh from the shell. Coconut cream or milk, even more so than coconut oil, is also good for topical application on any cancer-related skin problems.

Cod liver oil is highly beneficial, partly for its omega-3 fatty acids and partly for its high content of vitamins A and D. Use only cold-pressed cod liver oil, preferably produced or bottled under nitrogen and kept in the dark and refrigerated. With this, it has a mild smell and taste; otherwise it is rancid and not good. When starting a new bottle squeeze several capsules of vitamin E oil into it. Use a tablespoonful once or twice a day, best emulsified with lecithin (e.g. swish in the mouth or shake in a jar together with some lecithin and juice). With signs of fat malabsorption (fatty stool, difficulty gaining weight, poor night vision) frequently rub cod liver oil into the skin.

Linseed oil or 'flax seed' oil must be as fresh as possible, and preferably refrigerated, even in the shop before purchase. Also see that there is still a long 'use by' date. It should be manufactured below 40 - 45°C, flushed with nitrogen and protected from light as in brown bottles. The reason for all this care is that the oil oxidizes rapidly on exposure to air, light and heat. When rancid it has a bitter taste. Use up to 2 tablespoons a day; never heat the oil. Add to cooked food after cooling. Use less if it causes problems. When opening a new bottle add some vitamin E from a capsule at a rate of about 2 mg per ml of oil. When starting a large bottle immediately fill into several small bottles and always keep refrigerated or for longer storage even frozen.

Ground linseed may be used instead of or in addition to linseed oil. It is cheaper and often safer than linseed oil, as it is protected from oxidation until it is ground. It contains about 35% linseed oil, and is also recommended to improve bowel activity. Preferably buy whole linseed and grind it yourself in a coffee grinder immediately before use. Refrigerate or better freeze what you do not use immediately. Mix about 1-2 tablespoons, 2-3 times daily with meals or juices. Two to three heaped tablespoonfuls of ground linseed contain one tablespoon of oil.

Purple Foods

Beetroot or red beet, black or purple grapes and grape seed extract, blackberries, blueberries, red cabbage as well as purple onions belong to the important group of purple foods. They all contain highly unsaturated compounds in the group of Proanthocyanidins (PACs or OPCs), which are strong antioxidants. Closely related to PAC's are the catechins in green tea and the flavonoids and bioflavonoids (biologically active flavonoids) that are responsible for the scarlet, blue and purple colors of flowers and fruits.

In addition to their protective antioxidant activity, and probably more important with cancer, these substances can normalize the energy metabolism of cancer cells by replacing oxygen as an electron acceptor. This makes cancer cells less malignant.

As red beets are an important part of this diet, it is advisable to plan ahead in regions where supply is seasonal. Stock up when they are plentiful. In a cold climate cover the beets with slightly moist sand or saw dust. Keep the tops exposed in a cool but frost-free position. Use any re-growing leaves. Try different lots under different conditions, inspect from time to time. In warm climates you may let the beets continue to grow in sandy soil in a shady place. They easily re-grow leaves and remain healthier than stored in a refrigerator but inspect frequently. Alternatively, you may freeze a large amount of the juice.

Most of the color in purple onions is in the outer skin. Utilize these for making a tea. Also ingest the skins of grapes and as much as possible the outside of beets. Skins are usually more highly pigmented than the insides. Small beets often have much deeper color than large roots; therefore buy mainly small ones. Use plenty of purple food not only with the normal cancer diet but also with any cleansing diet. The original recommendations for successful cancer treatment mention either 1 kg of beetroot or black or purple grapes a day or 750 ml of commercial juice of such grapes. Other things being equal, select the beetroot, grapes or grape juice with the darkest color.

Papaya/Papaw

Papaw is an excellent source of proteolytic enzymes to digest tumors and other unhealthy tissue. The papain is highest in the white sap and skin of green papaw. However, to make it more palatable it is best to use mainly mature green papaw that just turns yellow inside. Preferably use with skin. It may be grated or juiced and the pulp used as well, or you may make it into a 'smoothie', see Recipes. If available use half a papaw twice a day during critical periods. Green papaw keeps well and can be easily shipped across the country and refrigerated. If available, you may also use pieces of fresh and raw papaw leaf or (male) flowers or buds as digestive aid.

Spirulina and Bee Pollen

Spirulina and bee pollen are commonly regarded as food supplements. However, I recommend using them in larger amounts as foods. They contain easily digestible, high-quality proteins, rich in essential nutrients but low in pro-inflammatory phosphorus. If you do not like the taste of spirulina, start adding it in very small and gradually increasing amounts to grape juice and other juices. Also the sweetness of pollen makes the spirulina more palatable. The protein content of spirulina is 60 to 70%, while pollen has about 25%. Spirulina contains about three times more vitamin B12 than liver.

Sprouted Seeds

Sprouted seeds and young shoots such as wheat grass provide a higher degree of vitality and rejuvenation than other foods. Recently inositol, sometimes in combination with inositol hexaphosphate or phytic acid, has been used in cancer therapy. It slows the growth of cancer cells, prevents formation of blood vessels in a tumor, and may cause cancer cell death. Seeds are high in phytates or minerals bound to phytic acid. These are not available in cooked seeds. During sprouting phytic acid is converted into inositol, while minerals are set free and can now be absorbed.

I recommend sprouted seeds as a mainstay of a good diet as well as for cancer control. Most commonly used for sprouting are legumes such as lentils, peas, mung beans, fenugreek and chickpeas but also almonds, peanuts and sunflower kernels may be spouted. Sunflower and buckwheat seeds make a tasty salad when grown in seed boxes and cut close to the soil when 5-10 cm/2-4 inches high.

Alfalfa sprouts are high in a detergent-like saponin that may damage the intestinal wall in sensitive individuals. They have been shown to aggravate autoimmune diseases and possibly cancer. For others they may be a good food after allergy testing. Alfalfa sprouts should be exposed to light after leaves have emerged while other sprouts usually taste better before leaves develop. Alfalfa seeds easily rot in wet conditions. They are best sprouted in an upturned jar covered with muslin held in place with a strong rubber.

It is important to use seeds with a high germination power. Buy a small quantity for testing and if they sprout well buy a larger quantity from the same source and keep them in an airtight container. Lentils and mung beans are easy to start with. Just soak the seeds overnight and then rinse several times a day, drain well, spread out lightly and keep covered. Wash well again just before eating to remove any bacteria and fungi. If seeds are of poor quality and start rotting easily, use them when the germs just start to appear, otherwise wait until they are up to one inch long, which is usually within three days. Different compatible seeds may be germinated together.

Mung beans may retain hard pieces after soaking that can damage the teeth. This can be avoided by pouring some boiling water over the seeds initially and letting them soak in the cooling water. Peas and lentils, on the other hand, like it cool and sprouts easily deteriorate in hot conditions. Sprouted seeds may be refrigerated in a closed container after they have reached the desired length. Individuals who are rather sensitive to fungi and microbes may wash sprouted seeds in diluted hydrogen peroxide shortly before use. If you have difficulty chewing or if sprouted seeds cause much wind, try using them as part of your fresh juice.

If seeds do not sprout well, the cause may be as follows:

•  Seeds may not be not viable - too old or poor storage
•  Temperature during sprouting is too high or too low
•  Seeds are kept too dry or too wet during sprouting

Experiment and adjust conditions.

Metabolic Type

Combine the recommendations of this cancer diet with the requirements for your metabolic type as outlined in Chapter 5 of Healing Foods. As a quick guide for your metabolic requirements, or if you have difficulties determining this from Chapter 5, you may assume the following relationship between blood groups and metabolic types:

Blood group O is the oldest blood group. It originated in the hunter-gatherer area and corresponds to the non-vegetarian type with high protein and fat requirements. Group A resembles most closely the seed-eating vegetarian type, while B is the lacto-vegetarian type and closest to the balanced metabolic type. Blood group AB has the characteristics of A as well as B.

RECIPES

Only a few possibilities can be mentioned here. Be imaginative and experiment yourself. Use a lot of herbs and spices, including caraway, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, coriander, fennel, ginger marjoram and turmeric. Also add a teaspoon of lecithin granules to all meals.

Acid Food

Food acids, such as in cider vinegar, citrus fruits and other acid fruits and tomatoes are usually beneficial for individuals with an insensitive body and raised blood pressure. However, fruit acids cause problems for those with a sensitive body and low blood pressure. The main reason for this is an inefficient metabolism that causes the body to become overacid and mineral deficient. The main problem is not the ingesting of fruit acids but rather the mineral deficiency caused by the overacidity. In neutralized form, fruit acids can be used to re-mineralize and alkalize the body, and in this way are highly recommended. For details of neutralizing fruit acids see Remedies.

BAKING

The best method for baking is one in which enzymes remain alive. This means heating to less than 500C/1200 F. Furthermore, it is preferable to start from whole, soaked or sprouted seeds rather than from commercial flours. The only practical solution I have found so far is baking with rice. After blending soaked or sprouted rice, the dough continues to absorb water and so becomes firm almost without any heat. I have not found this property in any other grain. You may have to experiment with different varieties of rice to find a good sprouting one.

Soak brown rice overnight. If it is viable, rinse for two or three days until sprouts appear; otherwise use after soaking. Wash well and blend with a minimum of water. If the blended rice does not have the consistency of a paste add some rice or buckwheat flour, or strain off excess water. Lightly cover a tray with some rice flour or baking paper and spread the paste out flat. Preferably leave in the sun or otherwise a warm place, but it continues to solidify even if refrigerated. This may take several hours or until the next day.

You may experiment with various additions, such as kelp powder, fennel or other spices, and acidophilus culture or a sourdough starter if you want to try baking a more conventionally shaped loaf. The addition of any other kind of soaked or sprouted seed will make it more difficult for the dough to harden. However, buckwheat flour helps to bind the bread together.

Blended Chicken or Turkey

Raw chicken or turkey may be minced or blended. You may cut most of the meat from the bones and blend them with bone broth or other suitable liquid. You may flavor this with any herbs or spices, onion and tomato, and drink it as broth, slightly warmed if you prefer. Any stringy parts may be used for the bone broth.

Bone Broth

Use the soft bones of fowl, or bones and heads of fish. Add one or several tablespoons of vinegar, depending on the amount of bones. Simmer with sufficient water in a covered glass (preferred) or enamelled container for at least 3 hours, or until the bones become brittle and the liquid is nearly neutral. Replenish water and vinegar as required. Strain the broth and refrigerate or freeze in small containers. Frequently add bone broth to meals; especially to vegetable salads - it is an excellent source of gelatine and calcium. If you made the bone broth too acid, add an alkaliser until it becomes neutral. Do not cook acid food in stainless steel (or aluminium) pots.

Hommus

Soak chickpeas overnight or try to sprout. Puree in a blender. Mix with extra virgin olive oil, lecithin, lemon juice, cayenne and a wide range of herbs and spices. Use as an addition to salads. If used as a cooked food, you may cook the soaked chickpeas before blending.

Cottage Cheese

If you have the possibility to buy organic or grass-fed raw milk of any type of animal, you may make your own traditional cottage cheese or quark as follows: Remove most of the cream from the top (e.g. separate in a clear inverted plastic bottle without bottom). Keep the milk in a warm place in a covered bowl until it has curdled and the whey separated from the curd. This may take two days but less time if you add whey from a previous lot as a starter. Pour into a large strainer, let drip overnight, and then refrigerate.

You can mix organic or biodynamic low-fat yogurt with warm water to make it runny, and then let ferment again in a warm place overnight. When it is rather sour this indicates that most of the lactose has been converted to lactic acid, and it will have separated into whey and curd. Now you can strain and refrigerate, if the curd tastes too acid you may add more water and strain it again. Alternatively you may neutralize overacid products by mixing with some dolomite powder or just sodium bicarbonate.

Alternatively you may use skim milk or milk powder of any type of animal. Remove any fat, add starter culture, and keep warm until curd and whey have separated, then strain and refrigerate. Use part of the whey as starter for the next lot and discard the rest. The longer you ferment it the less lactose remains.

You may also improve commercial low-fat cottage cheese in the same way by adding sufficient water, a probiotic culture, keep warm overnight and then strain and refrigerate. This reduces chemical additives and the lactose content, and at the same time improves its healing potential.

Liver Juice

Raw liver juice is the most nutrient-rich food. Use only organic liver, lambs fry or liver of other free-range animals. Blend with sufficient water, strain and freeze in small ice cube containers. Drink one cube daily dissolved in fresh juice.

Marinated Fish

Dice the fish and cover with lemon juice or diluted cider vinegar. Refrigerate overnight and add onion, herbs and spices. If you find it too acid to eat, neutralize it partially with potassium bicarbonate.

Minced Meat

Use only fine lean mince from lamb or organic meat; do not use anything from a feedlot. Keep larger amounts frozen in meal-size portions. You may flavor a portion with chopped or grated onion, radish, ginger and tomato, use chili, and squeeze some lemon or limejuice over it. If possible expose previously frozen or refrigerated food for several minutes to sunshine before eating.

Oil-Protein Mix

The basic oil-protein mix consists of 100 grams of low-fat cottage cheese and 40 ml of flaxseed oil. Stir or blend well with a small amount of liquid (ferment) and a teaspoon of lecithin until the oil is no longer visible. Very suitable is a small hand-held electric mixer. This basic mix may be added to other food, such as a sprout or vegetable or fruit salad, or cooked vegetables, or it may be flavored with berries or chopped pawpaw or grated apple. Also 2 or 3 tablespoons of freshly ground or frozen linseed may be added.

Raw Egg

Eggs eaten raw must be fresh, organic and free-range. Swallowing an egg with yolk and white intact can cause indigestion in individuals with a weak digestive system. Raw egg is much easier to digest if it is well mixed with other food or drink. Alternatively you may beat the white (add a pinch of salt) and then mix the yolk back into it. You can easily detect how fresh an egg is by immersing it in water. If it lies flat on the bottom, it is very fresh. The older it is the more will the blunt end rise; if it floats up then it is rotten.

Seed Milk

Soak almonds for 24 hours or sunflower kernels overnight. Replace the water, or use juice or herb tea and blend the soaked seeds in an electric blender. Press them through a strainer. You may either drink the liquid immediately or refrigerate it. You may add the residue to your breakfast (possibly remove most almond skins before blending).

A better way is to wait until the seeds start sprouting. This removes any enzyme inhibitors and provides natural sweetness and enzymes to the milk. In this way you may also use much cheaper unhulled sunflower or pumpkin seeds for making milk. You may also make rice milk by soaking, sprouting, blending and straining brown rice.

Seed Yogurt or Seed Cheese

Soak oily seeds such as almonds, nuts, sesame, pumpkin or sunflower seeds for 8-12 hours. Puree in an electric blender with the addition of a culture of acidophilus or mixed lacto-bacteria. Keep in a warm place for several hours until it solidifies like yogurt or the desired degree of acidity develops. Refrigerate and preferably use within 3 days. If it is too sour or if curd and whey have separated, just strain and discard the whey, possibly even rinse the curd. You may use seed yoghurt as part of a salad dressing or for flavouring meals. The more sensitive you are, the less sour it should be when you use it. If it smells or tastes bad, discard it.

Smoothie

Mix in a blender mature green papaw (skin, seeds and flesh), banana, any fruit in season, possibly a raw egg, and a suitable liquid such as fruit juice or vegetable juice, seed milk or yogurt. After blending you may fortify it as described for the spirulina-pollen-linseed mix.

Spirulina-Pollen-Linseed Mix

I recommend this as a basic snack or meal. Mix one part of spirulina and two or three parts each of pollen and ground linseed with a suitable liquid. This may be seed milk, seed yogurt or milk yogurt, fresh vegetable juice or grape juice, smoothie made with raw egg, papaw, banana or other fruit. You may add lecithin granules, linseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil, and suitable powders (e.g. slippery elm, selenium yeast or kelp) or crushed tablets. You may make the consistency so that you can drink it, or like porridge to eat with a spoon.

Sweet Vegetables

Cook sliced or diced beetroot and carrot in just a small amount of water, which should nearly have evaporated by the end of cooking. Some time later add vegetables with a shorter cooking time, such as pumpkin and onion and finally, tomato. After serving, flavor with linseed oil and herbs and spices.

Yogurt

It is essential to repopulate the intestines with beneficial lactobacilli, especially L. acidophilus in the small intestines and bifido bacteria in the large intestines. Instead of or in addition to using high-potency acidophilus/bifido capsules or powders, you may use a self-made ferment or yogurt. This may be made from fresh unpasteurised cows' milk, goats' milk, almond milk, rice milk, or a mixture of ingredients based on pollen and honey. Select these according to your blood type and availability. I do not recommend commercial soymilk.

To make yogurt based on pollen and honey add to one liter of (energized) water and starter 10 teaspoons of pollen, 2 or 3 tsp of raw honey, 1 tsp of kelp powder and possibly spirulina or chlorella. As with rice yogurt, this does not set and is used when it starts frothing and tastes somewhat acid. Sensitive individuals may neutralize the yogurt.

As initial starter use either 1 teaspoon each of powdered acidophilus and bifido cultures, or a mixed culture of these or high-potency capsules or commercial yogurt containing these bacteria. Do not use commercial yogurt or starter with only bulgaricus and thermophilus bacteria. Subsequently use up to a cupful of the previous batch as starter; preferably use any liquid or whey as it contains the most bacteria. The more starter you use and the warmer you keep it, the sooner will the yogurt be ready.

If you do not have a yogurt maker, mix half a liter or 2 - 3 cupfuls of any type of milk or pollen-honey liquid with a cupful of starter and keep in a jar standing in a container with initially hot tap water. It usually takes only a few hours to set. With powdered cultures it may take 6-10 hours. In cold weather renew the hot water every hour or keep the jar in a warm place. Refrigerate the yogurt when it just starts setting, as it continues to become firmer and more acid during storage. If it is too sour, use less of the whey as the next starter, and eat only the strained curd or neutralize the acid. Use about half a liter of yogurt daily.

RESTRICTED FOOD

The foods most commonly causing health problems in our society should initially be avoided and after remission used only sparingly. Hidden food allergies and sensitivities are widespread, and using problem foods habitually may prevent recovery. Therefore, adopt initially a low allergy diet until proper allergy testing can conveniently be done after remission.

Initially avoid completely and later minimize:

•  Wheat and other gluten grains or cereals - oats, rye, barley
•  Cows' milk products (except as explained for yogurt making)
•  Commercially processed foods with added chemicals
•  Alcohol, tobacco and other drugs
•  Heated fats, oils, fried food, cooked meat
•  Salt and salted food or food high in sodium
•  Sweetened food, commercial fruit juices and soft drinks
•  Tinned food, frozen vegetables, dried fruit
•  Soy products except if traditionally fermented such as miso
•  Food cooked with microwave or heated to more than 100°C
•  Leftover food from a previous meal

Do not cook food in aluminum and minimize cooking in stainless steel. The nickel leaching out may impair the immune system. Preferably cook in ceramic or glass, otherwise enamel. Do not discard any cooking water from vegetables; drink it instead. Eat your food, but especially vegetables, as soon as possible after a short cooking time; try to minimize steam or fumes escaping from cooking food. The least harmful gluten product is organic sourdough bread made with rye or spelt.

Avoid chlorinated and fluoridated water for drinking and cooking. Filter such water. However, most filters do not remove fluoride. Therefore, if your water is fluoridated, use either reverse-osmosis, distilled water, rain water, bore water or bottled water. Even bore water in farming districts needs to be filtered, as it commonly contains carcinogenic pesticide residues. Commercial reconstituted fruit juice and other commercial liquids may contain fluoridated water.

For allergy testing add one new food at a time, closely watch for deterioration or reactions such as pains or discomfort, and also take the pulse for a full minute before and 45 minutes after the meal. A higher than usual rise in the pulse rate after a normal meal may indicate an allergy. Keep a diary about all tests and reactions. For more information on allergy testing see Healing Foods.

Warning: A higher than usual amount of lactose intake with the Budwig Diet may cause an increased tendency to colds and mucus congestion. If you notice this then dissolve your fermented cottage cheese again in water to make a thin slurry, and after letting it settle (in the refrigerator) overnight , remove the clear liquid on top and strain the rest. This will eliminate almost all remaining lactose.

JUICES

Have your fluid intake as ionized water, juices and herb teas that help to overcome cancer. Of most benefit are the fresh juices of cereal grass and other young grasses, young edible weeds and flowers (e.g. the petals of male pumpkin flowers, blossoms of Impatiens and many others), beetroot, carrot, parsley, celery, beetroot leaves and other vegetables. Apple or other fruit may used to flavor the juice. For healing cancer I regard the vitality of the juice, its bio-energy or life-force, as even more important than its biochemical composition. The life-force is highest in embryonic or young and vigorously growing leaves or plants. This applies especially to young grasses but you may also juice other young plants, such as sunflower or buckwheat when they are 5 to 10 cm high (or use them in a salad).

Drink most of your fluids before breakfast and 30-60 minutes before other meals. Have about up to 1 liter of juices daily. Preferably mix green juice (grass, parsley, celery, weeds) with sweet juice from root vegetables (beetroot, carrot). Start with small amounts and increase gradually as you may initially experience nausea or other cleansing reactions. Drink juice immediately but spaced out in slow sips. Try flavoring juices with ginger and bee-pollen. You may also add some olive oil and lecithin to slow the absorption or drink part of the juice before and the rest after a meal.

Dr Gerson and other therapists found that patients in serious conditions did not respond so well when juices were extracted with centrifugal juicers, as these generated electric charges that inactivated the enzymes. Low-speed juicers produce higher quality juice than high-speed juicers. Look for a RPM (revolutions per minute) of about 100 or less. The bigger twin-gear juicers or dearer but may produce juice twice as fast as the smaller single auger juicers.

If you cannot afford a low RPM juicer or until you get one, you may use a blender (preferably with glass top). Use thin slices of root vegetables and short cuts of grass; possibly add vitamin C powder to reduce oxidation, press through a strainer. Alternatively, you may put grass or vegetables twice through a mincer and press the juice out by hand as with cheesecloth. This should be well rinsed afterwards and washed at the end of the day.

If you juice several times during the day it is sufficient to clean the juicer once a day after the last use. At other times detach the juicer attachment from the motor unit and keep it in the refrigerator. More juice can usually be extracted if you press the pulp a second time and add some water to the beetroot pulp. If you have a problem absorbing fats, add some lecithin to the juice to improve absorption of beta-carotene. If it is not convenient to juice every day, you may freeze juice for later use in small plastic containers (glass may break during freezing).

Growing Grass

Experiment with growing wheat as well as barley grass as they taste very different. I prefer to grow a mixture of both in the same plot. Wheat grass or barley grass may be grown in garden beds or in seed boxes that you may keep on a veranda or even in a room close to the window. Use well-mineralized and compost-enriched soil, soak the seeds overnight and sow quite closely, seeds almost touching each other. (Beware of buying seeds of any sort prepared for sowing with a pesticide coating). Cover thinly with soil or just wet newspaper. However, if mold is a problem, sow more sparsely and possibly add hydrogen peroxide or Condy's crystals (potassium permanganate) to the irrigation water.

Cut the grass for extraction when it is 10-20 cm or 4-8 inches high. Also the first re-growth is usually still good. You may also cut some grass finely into salads or chew it and discard the residue. I also grow ryegrass, a perennial grass used by farmers for pasture and sown from ryegrass seeds, not from rye kernels. Ryegrass grows better in cooler and dryer conditions. It does not need frequent replanting like cereal grasses but grows much more slowly than wheat and is sown more sparsely.

You may even use chemical-free lawn or pasture grasses; just make a taste test and select palatable varieties. Lawn grasses are more fibrous and yield about 60% juice compared to up to 80% for cereal and ryegrass. They cause a greater strain on the juicer. Preferably mix them with less fibrous vegetables. Of greatest importance is the vitality or life-force of the juice. This is generally highest in fresh young leaves and shoots growing organically in mineral-rich soil. Good products to mineralize the soil are rock dust, especially volcanic rock dust, seaweed and sea-minerals.

Preferably eat fruit whole instead of extracting the juice, except when on a citrus juice fast with mainly lemon and grapefruit, these are good to improve liver functions.