Some ideas for Foods You Can Eat on the Budwig Diet

One of the biggest surprises for people starting the Budwig Diet is just how much they can eat.

If you’re coming from a more traditional Western diet, the Budwig Diet may seem rather restrictive at first. In reality, only a relatively small number of foods are excluded.  The diet encourages you to eat a much wider variety of foods than you were eating before.

This isn’t a complete list of every permitted food, but it gives you a good idea of the types of foods that form the basis of the Budwig Diet. Eat a wide variety rather than relying on just a few foods. The foods you include are just as important as those you avoid.

Grains and Cereals

• Amaranth
• Barley (whole grain)
• Brown rice
• Buckwheat
• Millet
• Oats
• Quinoa
• Rye
• Spelt
• Whole wheat
• Wholemeal bread (a little)

Vegetables

Choose a wide variety of naturally grown vegetables.

• Leafy vegetables
• Root vegetables
• Stems and shoots
• Brassicas
• Potatoes
• Fresh herbs
• Vegetable stock

Raw salads are excellent, but vegetables can also be lightly cooked. Dr Budwig mentions boiling, although steaming is equally suitable.

Fruit

Fresh fruit of all kinds.

Pulses

• Beans
• Peas
• Lentils
• Chickpeas
• Fresh and dried pulses
• Beansprouts

Nuts and Seeds

• Whole flaxseed (linseed)
• Sprouted seeds
• Nuts
• Pumpkin seed oil
• Pumpkin seeds
• Sunflower seeds

Fermented Foods

• Sauerkraut
• Sauerkraut juice
• Fermented pickles
• Lacto-fermented vegetables
• Traditionally fermented soy products
• Traditionally fermented soy sauce

Dairy Foods

Dr Johanna Budwig specifically recommended several cheeses. It is important that these are traditionally-made rather than the plastic-wrapped, rubbery supermarket versions.  Only to be eaten in small amounts.

• Brie
• Camembert
• Cheddar
• Emmental
• Goat’s cheese
• Gouda
• Jarlsberg

These cheeses are good sources of vitamin K₂. Choose cheese from naturally grass-fed animals whenever possible. Around 50 g per day is generally recommended, preferably at breakfast or lunch.

Quark

Cottage cheese

Strained Greek yoghurt

These are essential foods because they are used to prepare Budwig Cream.

Oils

• Cold-pressed flaxseed (linseed) oil
• Extra virgin organic coconut oil (for making Oleolux)

Drinks

• Green tea (freely)
• Black tea (occasionally, without milk or sugar; a little honey is acceptable)
• Wine or Champagne (up to one glass a day)
• Herbal tea
• Freshly squeezed juices. These should have some ground flaxseed added to mitigate the fruit sugars

Other Foods

• Raw honey
• Nutritional yeast (yeast flakes)
• Herbs
• Spices

Nutritional yeast has a pleasant, cheese-like flavour and should not be confused with brewer’s yeast tablets or yeast supplements.

A Note on Whole Grains

The Budwig Diet traditionally includes whole grains such as wheat, oats, rye, barley, spelt and rice.

However, there is increasing discussion about the possible health effects of modern grains. If this interests you, Loren Cordain’s Wheat: Humanity’s Double-Edged Sword is worth reading as background. Eating wholegrains in a high fibre diet are usually tolerated better. Some people will find they do better on some grains than others.

Grains are more a “fill you up if still hungry” food than a staple on this diet.

Remember that this is only an introduction to the foods permitted on the Budwig Diet. Once you begin preparing Budwig meals, you’ll quickly discover there is far more variety than most people expect.

My Experience with Hebe

Hebe, my dear old Springer Spaniel, had been fed mainly raw food together with a little Flax Farm cold-pressed flaxseed oil for about six years. I originally gave him the oil to help with stiffness in his spine and joints, and it certainly improved him.He was still charging around on long ten-mile walks at sixteen and would come out working at seventeen. At 18 he began to slow down  a bit and developed several growths, at least one of which I did not like the look of.

The vet agreed that, at his advanced age, if the growths were not bothering him, there was little point in operating and didn’tthink drugs would be fair at his age because one can never know whether an animal is suffering unpleasant side effects.  The vet agreed.

Why I Chose the Budwig Diet

The Budwig Diet was developed by Dr Johanna Budwig in the 1950s. It remains popular as a holistic nutritional approach because it aims to support the whole body rather than simply address individual symptoms.

I had seen encouraging results in people who followed the Budwig Diet and had used it myself. I knew it was both practical and enjoyable, which gave me confidence in its principles.

Although Dr Budwig did not develop a version specifically for dogs, several of my customers had adapted it successfully for their own dogs. That, together with my own experience, convinced me it was the right approach for Hebe.

The human Budwig Diet is vegetarian and includes vegetable juices, salads and green tea. I did not feel that the full human version was appropriate for an elderly dog. Instead, I adapted it while keeping as closely as possible to Dr Budwig’s core principles.

Principles of the Budwig Diet for Dogs

• Plenty of omega-3 from flaxseed oil, thoroughly blended with dairy rich in sulphur-containing amino acids.
• One or two portions of the Budwig mixture each day.
• Stable blood sugar by avoiding refined carbs and using high-fibre ground flaxseed.
• Plenty of antioxidants.
• Adequate vitamins and minerals.
• Support for gut health and a healthy microbiome.
• Exclusion of all processed foods
• Reduced stress.
• Appropriate daily exercise.

Hebe’s Version of the Budwig Diet

To try to slow the development of the tumours, I decided to put Hebe on a dog-friendly version of the Budwig diet. He was eighteen when he started.

Within days, it was like changing his batteries. Other people noticed the difference too. At nineteen years and three months, only nine months short of twenty, he was still looking good, went most places at a smart trot, loved retrieving and could still do that at a canter.

His coat looked good. He had always been extremely active and demanding, following me from room to room and getting under my feet, and I was pleased to say that he remained mischievous, energetic and very much himself.

When I took him to the vet for a check-up at nineteen, she was amazed that a dog with such a massive heart murmur still had good colour in his gums and a strong, slow, steady heartbeat. His blood tests showed normal kidney function, liver function and blood sugar levels.

 

Postscript

Hebe went on to reach twenty. He remained bright, active and very much the mischievous Hebe until the end.

Then a gastric bug spread through the local dogs. The younger dogs recovered after a few days, but it took too much out of Hebe. When life was no longer enjoyable for him, I made the heartbreaking decision to let him go.

I had owned him for eighteen and a half years. He had been a true friend and was completely irreplaceable.

 

 

Further Reading

• Nikki’s Story: A Healing Journey is an account by a dog owner describing how the Budwig diet was used as part of a dog’s cancer care.  Read Nikki’s Story: A Healing Journey.
• Budwig Diet for Dogs with detailed diet information.

Vitamin D3: Sunshine First, Supplements When Needed

Johanna Budwig regarded vitamin D, the sunshine vitamin, as an important part of supporting the body during inflammatory conditions and serious illness, including cancer. That’s why regular sunbathing formed part of the original Budwig Protocol.

More Important Than Ever

When Budwig developed her protocol, people naturally spent far more time outdoors. Today, many of us work indoors, travel by car, exercise inside and deliberately avoid the sun. As a result, vitamin D deficiency has become increasingly common.

This is especially true in northern countries such as the UK, where sunlight is limited for much of the year, and for people with darker skin, who naturally require more sunlight to produce the same amount of vitamin D.

Sunshine: Nature’s Source of Vitamin D

When the sun’s rays hit our skin, they convert a cholesterol compound into cholecalciferol (vitamin D3) So, when Johanna Budwig recommended sunbathing, she didn’t mean lying in the sun for hours. She meant spending a short time outdoors each day with bare skin exposed before applying sunscreen or covering up. In winter, this may be just your face and hands. In spring and summer, a few minutes is often enough for your body to begin producing vitamin D. The aim is simple: enough sunshine to make vitamin D—never enough to burn.

Vitamin D: More Than a Vitamin

Despite its name, vitamin D behaves more like a hormone than a vitamin. Almost every cell in the body has vitamin D receptors, allowing it to influence many essential functions.

Vitamin D helps the body:

• Absorb calcium and phosphorus from food.
• Build and maintain strong bones and teeth.
• Regulate calcium balance through the kidneys.
• Support a balanced immune response.
• Influence normal cell growth and repair.
• Support healthy nerve signalling and muscle function, including the heart.

Know Your Vitamin D Level

Many people assume they have enough vitamin D, but deficiency is common. A simple blood test can measure your vitamin D status and help you and your healthcare practitioner decide whether you need more sunshine, dietary changes or supplementation.

When Sunshine Isn’t Enough

The Budwig approach is always sunshine first. However, from around October to March in the UK, the sun’s UVB rays are too weak for the skin to produce meaningful amounts of vitamin D. If you spend little time outdoors, have darker skin, keep your skin covered, or it’s winter, a vitamin D3 supplement can help maintain healthy vitamin D levels until regular sunshine returns.

Vitamin D3 was one of the very few supplements Johanna Budwig recommended—not as a replacement for sunshine, but as a practical way to support vitamin D levels when nature cannot provide enough.

Kelp & Seaweed

Because iodine is in such short supply in the average UK diet, adding a little seaweed is one of the simplest and most natural ways to increase your intake. As a bonus, seaweed is also rich in many other essential minerals and trace elements.

Seaweed has been a staple food in many coastal cultures for centuries. Strangely, despite living on an island surrounded by the sea, we eat very little of it in the UK.

Minerals naturally

Seaweeds naturally absorb minerals from seawater as they grow, concentrating a remarkable range of nutrients. When eaten as part of a balanced diet, they provide iodine and other minerals in a whole-food form, together with the natural compounds that accompany them. Just a small sprinkle over vegetables, soups or salads can add valuable minerals to your meals.

Unlike iodised table salt, seaweed provides iodine without encouraging a higher salt intake, whilst also supplying many other minerals at the same time.

Add a Little Seaweed to Your Diet

A small amount goes a long way. Sprinkle dried kelp, dulse or other seaweeds over your food, or add them to soups, stews and stocks. If you don’t enjoy the taste or can’t easily find seaweed, good-quality kelp or seaweed tablets and capsules are a convenient alternative. Choose products that are carefully tested for purity and contaminants, or certified organic where possible.

Minerals Found in Seaweed

Seaweed provides a wide range of essential minerals, including:

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Potassium
• Sodium
• Phosphorus
• Sulphur
• Chloride

Trace Minerals

Seaweed is also one of nature’s richest sources of important trace minerals, including:

• Iodine – the best natural food source of iodine, essential for healthy thyroid function and hormone production.
• Iron – supports the formation of healthy red blood cells and oxygen transport.
• Zinc – contributes to normal immune function, wound healing and enzyme activity.
• Manganese – supports normal metabolism and antioxidant enzymes.
• Copper – helps with energy production, connective tissue and iron metabolism.
• Selenium – works with iodine to support healthy thyroid function and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

Seaweed also contains small amounts of many other naturally occurring trace elements found in seawater, contributing to its reputation as one of the most mineral-rich foods available.