Budwig Protocol FAQ

These are some of the most commonly asked questions related to the Budwig protocol, and natural integrative treatments and therapies. If your question is not answered here, please feel free to get in touch with us directly.

 

Being a vegetarian herself, Dr. Budwig encouraged a vegetarian lifestyle, which is very evident in her books and recipes. However, some studies suggest that at least 5% of our protein intake can be animal protein without increasing the risk of tumor growth or other health problems.

By consuming the flaxseed oil and Quark/Cottage Cheese twice a day, we are getting that 5% of animal protein.

Dr. Budwig did allow some fish (wild and with fins and scales) to be consumed on a rare occasion, such as when traveling or dining at a friend’s house. Again, that would be as an exception.

In her Oil-Protein Diet Cookbook, she writes on page 175: “While traveling, you can always care for yourself with Linomel and hot or cold milk, and/or fruit juices.” She added “you can protect yourself against harm while traveling by ordering fish such as trout, pike, carp and other fresh fish. However, canned (tinned) fish, also shrimp, prawn, and other items from the deli counter which frequently contain artificial coloring agents and harmful chemical preservatives, must be strictly avoided.”

Meat can be replaced with mushrooms and seaweeds such as Chlorella and especially Spirulina (which contains about 65% protein; three times as much protein as red meat). There are many other vegetarian sources of protein such as hemp, legumes like lentils and beans, sprouts, nuts, and seeds.

Processed meats such as bacon, ham, sausages, cold cuts, corn beef, etc., have several harmful preservatives and so should be avoided altogether.

 

Dr. Budwig used dairy in her oil-protein diet. True, dairy does have some negative aspects, so we encourage organic dairy whenever possible. Also, it seems that the negative aspects of dairy are neutralized when combined with flaxseed oil and other ingredients. The Budwig Center in Spain does not encourage the consumption of any other dairy other than within this mixture of flaxseed oil and Quark.

 

To get the maximum benefit from the mix Dr. Budwig encouraged to make it fresh every day and eaten no later than 20 minutes after preparation.

In fact, it’s best to prepare all meals as fresh as possible. One exception is Oleolux butter which can be stored for days because of the coconut oil and flaxseed oil combination.

In the publications of Dr. Budwig, she never sanctioned Kefir or Yogurt. Homemade low-fat Kefir cottage cheese is fine, but it tends to be hard to work with and very dry.

Very popular in France is Fromage Blanc. When made from skimmed milk this can be a good option because it is very similar to low-fat quark. In Spain Queso Fresco is the same as Quark.

 

Fresh flax oil typically doesn’t have a strong smell. If it has gone rancid, you will notice it has a fishy, paint-like smell. If it has a bitter taste that would indicate a degree of rancidity.

Buy linseed or flaxseed oil if possible directly from a manufacturer in bulk and put the bottles in the freezer and remove them one by one as you need them but always keep refrigerated. They will last up to a year in the deep freeze.



Disproportionate consumption of refined sugar is believed to be a significant factor in cancer growth and can contribute to other diseases or conditions. However, please understand that most natural foods – such as vegetables, legumes, grains, and nuts – also contain carbohydrates, which are broken down into glucose (sugar) during digestion.

When consumed in reasonable quantities, most natural foods, especially berries have a glycemic load that is low or average and should not be seen as a disease contributing factor. The important thing is to have a balanced, healthy diet that will provide our body with the necessary energy and nutrition. Stevia, raw honey, as well as all fruits, are acceptable sugar substitutes.

Some suffer from swelling and/or excessive bleeding after an operation. Flax oil does thin the blood somewhat; however, the flaxseed oil’s mild blood thinning quality should not be a severe matter unless you are on blood-thinning medication. In that case, you should make allowances for it. You need vitamin K, which is the natural blood clotting agent. You can get it from dark green leafy vegetables, especially swiss chard, and kale.

If you are about to go in for surgery, please consult with your doctor, let them know that you regularly consume flaxseed oil and cottage cheese and follow the suggestions he or she gives you.

At the Budwig Center in Spain we do not offer advice on any types of scans; we leave it up to you and your doctor or oncologist to determine which scans you need. It is natural that you would want to know the level of active diseased cells and tumor activity in your system. In order to have a true and reliable picture of this, you need a PET/CT scan, and not a simple CT or MRI scan. When tumor cells die, they may still show up on CT & MRI scans with no indication that they are dead.

However, PET scans indicate whether diseased and tumor cells are dead or alive and whether cells are actively dividing and growing. If you decide to get a PET scan you need to understand that this involves subjecting yourself to radiation.

After starting the Budwig protocol, it’s essential to have clear in mind that it took perhaps years for cancer to develop. So it is recommendable to do the program for at least 3 or 4 months or even more before getting these scans.

It is imperative that flaxseed (linseed) oil be mixed with the dairy quark or cottage cheese correctly. We need to keep in mind that the oil and the dairy generally do not blend well together. For the linseed oil to become water soluble is best accomplished with an electric hand-held blender. However, one must be careful not to mix it too fast, nor for too long, as this could cause unnecessary heating, which would damage the mixture.

So, in conclusion, either mixing method seems to be acceptable, but the main thing to keep in mind is that the oil disappears altogether and that it is well blended. With an electric blender, this typically takes about a minute at low speed. Most people use mechanical mixing with excellent results.

Please work with your local doctor on this matter as he/she monitors your progress. It is essential to keep in mind that the body usually becomes dependent on certain active substances to help cope with specific symptoms or deficiencies. Therefore, any changes in your medication or dosage need to be carefully monitored by your physician.

It is very rare, but some people are allergic to flaxseed oil and flaxseeds. The closest replacement would be chia seeds. Both seeds contain plenty of protein and omega-3 fats. Flax seeds contain significantly more manganese, copper, and potassium. Chia seeds contain slightly fewer calories and more fiber, but they include 1.5 – 2 times more of the bone-strengthening minerals calcium and phosphorus, as well as a little more iron.

 

Yes, there is no problem as the Budwig diet is a very healthy diet that will provide excellent nutrition for the mother and the baby.

 

We encourage green vegetable juices. Drink carrot juice and green juices at least once a day. Two or three times a day is recommended.

Dr. Budwig cautioned her patients about going back to consuming harmful foods. Some research would seem to indicate that if someone developed cancer, he or she is more predisposed to this disease and need to be more cautious than usual. We recommend that once in remission you move over to what we call the “Budwig Maintenance” program. This program is not as strict the diet, but it encourages eating live foods as opposed to processed foods and leans towards a mostly a vegetarian approach.

Most find that after several months of eating the nutritious Budwig diet, their taste buds change, and they no longer crave the unhealthy way of eating. Once they appreciate the value of healthy foods, most tend to have a psychological aversion to damaging processed foods.

Much depends on the type of trip you are making. Many find that on a short journey it’s possible to take a cooler for the dairy and flaxseed oil. When this is not practical Dr. Budwig allowed some fish (wild and with fins and scales). Also, clinical studies have shown that the consumption of the herb Cordyceps can also promote cellular oxygenation.

 

People with cancer normally have at least some type of parasite in their system. There are about 1000 different types of parasites and they are easily contracted by touching animals, eating unwashed fruit and vegetables, as well as mosquito or insect bites. At our natural integrative treatment clinic in Spain, we provide a herbal remedy for parasites. In addition, we encourage our patients to de-parasite their pets and to always wash their hands after touching an animal. Also, to wash their fruit and veg with apple cider vinegar and rinse with pure water.

Garlic is an excellent addition to your dietary plan and can be added to the mixture. Black fermented garlic has even more benefits than regular garlic.

Watch this video for more information.

Dr. Johanna Budwig’s Protocol provides support for 50 of the most common illnesses. It supports cardiovascular health, liver and pancreas function, joint health, digestive and skin health as well as immune response.

 
 

Dr. Budwig didn’t specify whey protein as an alternative source to Quark or cottage cheese. Also, Dr. Budwig never suggested or approved of working her “mix” into a (watery) smoothie.

 

Dr. Budwig used only “cold-pressed”, “virgin” or “extra-virgin” oils in her food preparation and she was a big fan of extra virgin coconut oil. When cooking, only use coconut oil as it will not break down with the heat. For salads any cold pressed oil, such as olive oil is recommended. Dr. Budwig of course used cold pressed flaxseed oil with her Quark (German cottage cheese) mixture that she feed her cancer patients.

However she strongly condemned all other processed and refined oils, calling them dangerous dead oils that cause death to those who consume them. One margarine manufacturer admitted that if there was one more process done to their margarine it would ‘turn into plastic’!

When examining the blood of patients under a microscope Dr. Budwig noticed that sick cancer patients’ blood cells were all clumped together instead of being free-flowing as in healthy people. Also the blood cells had a strange greenish unnatural color, which was a sign of oxygen deficiency. She blamed this on bad oils. To quote Dr. Budwig, she said: “Our eating habits are often lacking in high unsaturated acid fats, and contain an excess of man-made oils known as trans fats (or partially hydrogenated oils)”. These Trans fats are found in commonly used cooking oils and margarine. Vegetable oils may be labeled “100% pure” which may deceive you into believing they are not harmful, but most companies extract oil from corn, canola, sunflower seeds, and other plants through extreme heat, and other artificial processes, none of which are the natural extraction procedure. According to Dr. Budwig, corrosive and caustic chemical products, namely, sodium hydroxide (commonly known for its use as a drain cleaner) are also used in the refining process.

As a result, these oils are no longer alive, and are no longer advisable for consumption. Additionally, when these heavy oils are incorporated into our cell membranes, they destroy the electric charge. Without that charge, our cells start to suffocate due to a lack of oxygen. The aforementioned trans fats are also a trigger factor for Type II Diabetes, since insulin is a large molecule and trans fats challenge the molecule’s entry through the cell membrane.

After administering a mix of flaxseed oil and quark, Dr. Budwig found that the blood cells of her patients were no longer clumped together and displaying a greenish color. Instead, she could see a bright red color, which was a very positive indicator and a sign of improvement and increased oxygen intake.

Refined vegetable oils are also abundant in processed foods such as; mayonnaise, tomato ketchup, and others sauces and dressings fried food, fried chicken, French fries, chips, doughnuts, etc. When these oils are mixed with proteins, they can hinder blood and lymphatic circulation, they may cause heart damage and inhibit our regeneration process. This slows down – and potentially halts completely – the bio-electric activity in these areas.

Would ‘fasting’ help to detox and provide more support for people with cancer?

The basic answer is no. The body is already so depleted that it would not normally do well on a fast. For people in good health this is an effective tool. The Budwig Center’s treatment program includes a detox program using herbs to cleanse the liver, lungs, kidneys and intestinal tract. Coffee enemas are recommended to detox the liver. The food, juices and smoothies in the Budwig food plan will also help the body to cleanse, so no additional fasting/cleansing would be needed nor advised.

The only exception might be someone that is several pounds overweight. Although having said that most people reach their ideal weight on the Budwig protocol, especially if they use Cottage cheese or Quark that is 0% fat content.

The Budwig Center does not have any arrangements with any health care schemes or companies. However, many people do have a type of insurance that refunds them a set amount or covers certain medical treatments when they have an illness (diagnosed), allowing them to get treatment in the clinic of their choice. We will provide you with an official invoice and a medical report which you can then present to your health insurance company once you return home.

Yes, the BUDWIG CENTER is an officially approved Cancer Clinic. We are authorized by the Ministry of Health here in Spain with the registration number N.I.C.A. 55439 – http://www.msssi.gob.es/en/home.htm

 

Dr. Budwig was a vegetarian and she encouraged a vegetarian type approach. This is evident in her books and recipes. Studies, such as the China Study indicates that about 5% of your protein from animal source is recommended. By consuming the flaxseed oil and Quark/Cottage Cheese/Ricotta twice a day that would be about the 5% of animal protein. Consuming more than 5% of protein from animal sources is not recommended. Dr. Budwig did allow some fish (wild and with fins and scales) to be consumed on a rare occasion, such as when travelling and at a gathering with friends. Again, that would be as an exception. In her Oil-Protein Diet Cookbook, Dr. Budwig writes on page 175: “While traveling, you can always care for yourself with Linomel and hot or cold milk, and/or fruit juices.

” She also recommends eating various types of fresh fish to fill in for the flax oil and cottage cheese/quark when travelling. She writes: “…you can protect yourself against harm while travelling by ordering fresh fish such as trout, pike, carp and other fresh fish. However, canned (tinned) fish, also shrimps, prawn and other items from the deli counter which frequently contain artificial coloring agents and harmful chemical preservatives, must be strictly avoided.”

Meat can be replaced with mushrooms and seaweeds; especially Spirulina (contains about 65% protein and 3 times as much protein as red meat). There are many other vegetarian sources of protein such as hemp, lentils, sprouts, nuts and seeds.

Processed meats such as bacon, ham, sausages, cold cuts, corn beef, etc., have several harmful preservatives and so should be avoided completely.

Dr. Budwig allowed a small amount of pure raw honey. To sweeten the muesli you may add 1 teaspoon of honey (raw, unpasteurized honey is best, containing all of its healthy properties). Here are some other great suggestions on how to make the Budwig Muesli (Flaxseed oil and cottage cheese mixture) taste great and to keep it interesting:

  • Add the juice of ½ a lemon makes it very palatable and a great fresh ziggy taste.
  • Add fruit in season, especially berries can be added
  • Add parsley and garlic
  • Dried fruits
  • Ground hemp seeds
  • Ground almonds or Brazil nuts
  • Ground sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds (do not use peanuts)
  • Vanilla or cinnamon
  • Raw cocoa makes it like a chocolate ‘mouse’ desert
  • Grated coconut (unsweetended)
  • Some prefer a touch of cayenne pepper… be creative!
  • If you would rather a runnier consistency, add goat’s milk, oat milk, almond milk, or organic rice milk.

Cancer cells require 18 times more sugar than normal healthy cells, because their mitochondria are damaged. Further proof that cancer needs sugar to survive is shown when the doctor injects glucose (sugar) into the veins to perform a PET scan and the glucose is quickly taken up by the cancer cells.

Dr. Budwig only allowed natural sugars as they occur in food the way God made them in the first place, such as in fruits, vegetables, honey, Stevia, etc.

Although we may directly avoid sugar, please keep in mind that the following foods have sugar content: Store bought pastries, Ice-cream (commercial ice creams also often contain chemicals like carboxymethyl cellulose, butyraldehyde, amyl acetate and diethyl glycol which is also used in anti-freeze and paint removers), fizzy drinks, boxed cereals, ready-made sauces and even in savory food, for example, bread.

Many Researcher now concur that ‘your life span is determined by the amount of sugar you burn during your years of life’, so please read labels carefully. Fizzy (soft) drinks can have up to 10 teaspoons of white refined sugar. Fruit juices from concentrate have high sugar content and low nutritional value since the UHT manufacturing process leads to the loss of most of its beneficial vitamins. Avoid fructose syrups, (molasses) and artificial sweeteners and if you have cancer it is recommended to avoid even maple syrup and sugarcane. A small amount of raw honey is allowed and Xylitol from birch tree source could be used in baking.

Dr. Budwig very clearly discouraged any vitamin or mineral supplement. She commented: “Vitamin pills are fragmentized nutrients and they are in most cases synthetic. …[they often contain fillers]….High doses or levels of antioxidants (antioxidant supplements) [might] reduce the effectiveness of or interfere with the Budwig Protocol.” Dr. Budwig goes on to explain that these do not help a person who has ingested the wrong fats. A person who has been damaged by improper fats cannot utilize either vitamins or minerals. She pointed out that we must understand and recognize the cause of the damage if we want to help sick people.

CELLECT needs to be taken in conjunction with cod liver oil, to activate it. The Website, Healing Cancer Naturally commented: ”The Budwig Protocol has helped people regain their health without fish oils. Flaxseed oil is 58% LNA. In fact, LNA’s role is not only to serve as a precursor for long chain fatty acids. LNA is the only really essential omega-3 fatty acid. That is because it cannot be made in the human body or animal body, and much of it is used in its original form. That is why Dr. Budwig stressed the importance of seed oils over and over again, especially in conjunction with sulphurated amino acids which provide the opposite polarity in cellular functionality….The problem is that most cod liver oils are heated to an enormously high temperature in the processing which is called molecular distillation. The same is true for other fish oils as far as we know. One would have to look for cold processed fish oil. In that case, taking some cod liver oil in addition to the rest of the Budwig Diet should work out fine.”

Scientists are finally beginning to appreciate what Dr. Budwig discovered some 50 years ago. In a study reported in Cancer Research, researchers gave lab rats with cancer tumors several types of food that contained lycopene and other rats the substance via supplements. Those taking the supplements had no significant reduction in tumor growth, but those eating the foods did.

What can we conclude from this study? Whole, complete foods, the way God made them, contain many other phytochemicals that work together with lycopene. When man manipulates these ‘foods’ and puts them into a supplement, they are fragmented and do not provide all the benefits.

The human body has been designed intelligently, and it knows the difference between ‘real food’ and ‘manipulated foods.’ It’s not surprising that the vitamins and minerals we derive from organic foods have a more significant impact on our health when compared to an equal number of synthetic vitamins and minerals.

Dr. Budwig did not favor artificial vitamin supplements but instead included herbs and plant-based remedies to complement the therapies she recommended. Keep you and your loved ones healthy by following the wisdom of Dr. Johanna Budwig and replace vitamin and mineral supplement with ‘real live foods’ and if possible, always chose organic.

Our policy at the Budwig Center is to test the efficacy of the various remedies available and identify which one will fit the needs of each patient. Every 40 days or so we do another test. After a month of following the Budwig Protocol, the body’s needs have changed in most cases. The majority of patients must begin with remedies that will help their body to detox. Only then will they be able to properly absorb nutrients and support their immune system. We use the Vega test and GSR scan to select the required remedies, and we administer no more than five at a time. We source the most effective extracts, such as organic mushroom extracts, pure essential oils and more. To be clear, we do not use CELLECT at the Budwig Center.

One of the first things we teach our patients at the Budwig Center is how cancer cells function. They differ from healthy cells in that cancer cells have ten times more insulin receptors on their cellular surface than normal cells. Thus, they will feed on glucose (sugar). Due to this knowledge, the Budwig Diet totally excludes all harmful refined sugars. But what about honey?

Many ask us if honey can feed cancer since it is sweet and is a form of sugar. The answer is that raw honey, although sweet, does not act the same as sugar does in our body. Unlike refined white sugar, unpasteurized honey contains vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Studies have shown that raw honey has various benefits. Many of the antioxidants found in honey are classified as flavonoids which have anti-inflammatory properties. Honey also has antibacterial properties and is full of enzymes that actually aid your body in digesting it.

It is only when honey has been processed by being heated and boiled at high temperatures that honey loses these properties and becomes like sugar. We must warn against the kinds of honey that are possibly not even 100% honey! Some are diluted with rice sugar and other unwanted ingredients that will make it cheaper.

So please find out about the honey that you are buying to be sure it is pure and raw. At the Budwig Center, we perform a food scan on our patients to determine if honey will help their digestive system or irritate it. The test also tells our patients if they should be adding it to the Budwig muesli or not, in their particular case.

To learn more about the amazing benefits of raw honey, please check out this informative video.

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