Cable television's "Know The Cure" is the creation of Doug Kaufman, Ph.D., and it serves as a platform for his theory that fungus is the root cause of many diseases. While attending Washington University School of Medicine in 1974, Kaufman noticed that when allergy patients stopped eating certain fungi-and mold-friendly foods, their allergies disappeared. Subsequent research convinced Kaufman that the road to better health involves eliminating fungi -- and the foods they thrive on -- from the body.
Premise
Kaufman's diet principal is not a weight loss program, although some people do lose moderate pounds when they are on it. It is purported to be a better-health program based on the idea that fungi existing in your body feed on sugar, and on carbohydrates that convert to sugar, when you ingest them. If you remove from your diet those foods that fungi thrive on, they will starve, eventually die and, in theory, you will feel like a new person. Kaufman claims that many patients with presumed incurable diseases recovered when on his diet plan because they were actually sick from a fungus infection, not from their diagnosed illnesses. However, there is no scientific evidence to support these claims, and this diet should not be used as a substitute for proper medical treatment.
Phases
Often called the Phase One Diet, there are actually two phases to this plan, according to Jenine Cohoon in "The Lakeshore Guardian." The bulk of the diet consists of the initial phase when you essentially starve the fungi. As you move into Phase Two, you will take a variety of steps to flush the dead fungi from your body, restore probiotics to your system and gradually reintroduce certain "safe" carbohydrates into your eating plan.
Rules
During Phase One, you may only eat foods that are very low in mold, that do not contain sugar and contain only minimal carbohydrates. These include grass-fed beef, fish or poultry, eggs, some nuts, some vegetables, plain yogurt and a series of fruits, including grapefruit, lemons, limes, avocados and green apples. As you starve the fungi in your system, you must add fiber to your diet to move your bowels and get them out of your body. Kaufman recommends psyllium hulls for this purpose. You then move on to repairing the damage the fungi caused and making sure they can't return though antioxidant supplements, probiotics and antifungal agents.
Time Frame
There is no set time frame for Kaufman's diet. He indicates that it is a lifestyle change and should always be maintained to some degree in order to stave off disease. You can move on to Phase Two and begin adding some foods back into your diet after two weeks, but you should not resume your old ways of eating.
Drawbacks
Kaufman warns that as fungi begin to die off, this is apt to make you feel worse rather than better at first. You might experience aches, chills, rashes and even fever. This can last from a few hours to a few days, but will eventually get better.
Warnings
Because Phase One is especially high in protein, Kaufman advises that anyone with kidney disease should either avoid his diet entirely or consult with their physician before undertaking it. The lack of carbohydrates is not appropriate for children, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, or athletes. Further, there is no scientific evidence to support Kaufman's diet program; consult your physician before undertaking it.
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