Dr Johanna Budwig: a Leading 20th Century Dietary Fats Scientist
Dr Johanna Budwig (30 September 1908 – 19 May 2003) was a German biochemist whose work focused on dietary fats. She was one of the first scientists to recognise that different fatty acids play different roles in the body and have important effects on health. During the 1950s she was among the first to recognise both the importance of omega-3 fatty acids and the dangers of industrially produced trans fats, many years before they became widely recognised.
From the early 1950s she developed a protocol designed to improve general health and to help people with a wide variety of conditions, including arthritis, cancer, diabetes, heart disease, hormonal imbalance and multiple sclerosis. The Budwig Diet has remained popular ever since and is probably best known as an alternative approach used by people with cancer, although many also choose to follow it alongside conventional treatment.
The Budwig Protocol
The Budwig Protocol is gentle and practical. Rather than simply treating disease, it aims to give the body the nourishment and conditions it needs to function at its best.
Dr Johanna Budwig was not only a brilliant scientist but also a sensible, caring and practical woman. Much of the protocol reflects the sort of common-sense care our great-grandparents would have recognised: plenty of rest, freedom from stress, warm drinks, gentle exercise, sunshine, fresh air, nourishing food and a healthy digestive system.
Johanna Budwig was ahead of her time. She combined traditional wisdom with the latest scientific knowledge available in the 1950s. Some of her recommendations were based on established science, while others came from years of careful observation and practical experience. She also understood that a treatment is only useful if people can follow it successfully. Modern research is beginning to explain many of the reasons behind the way she structured the diet and why so many of its individual elements work well together.
The Budwig Diet
In many ways the Budwig Diet resembles the sort of nourishing food our grandparents would have recommended for someone who was ill or recovering from illness. The difference is that Johanna Budwig built the diet around flaxseed (linseed)) oil blended with quark or cottage cheese, together with freshly ground flaxseed.
The diet can be thought of in four simple sections.
Foods you must eat: cold-pressed flaxseed (linseed)oil blended with low-fat or fat-free quark (a German cottage cheese), freshly ground flaxseed, warm drinks, juices, sauerkraut juice, plenty of fruit and lots of vegetables. The diet naturally includes both probiotic and prebiotic foods, with an emphasis on leafy vegetables, fibre-rich foods and fermented foods to encourage a healthy gut microbiome.
Foods you can include: whole grains, rice, pulses, seeds, nuts, potatoes and root vegetables all have a place in the diet, together with small amounts of hard cheese. Raw natural honey may be used for sweetening, naturally fermented sugar-free pickles are encouraged, and even small amounts of chocolate and wine can be enjoyed.
Foods you must avoid: refined and processed foods, sugar and added fats other than flaxseed oil. Meat and fish are not specifically forbidden but they are not part of the traditional Budwig Diet, which is essentially meat-free.
The full daily Budwig diet: although the diet may seem restrictive at first, most people soon find they can prepare a wide variety of satisfying meals. Soups, stews, curries, salads, sandwiches and many other dishes can all be adapted to fit the Budwig Diet, allowing you to tailor it to your own tastes and lifestyle.