Therapeutic Diets

Presented by Sandy Der, Certified Nutrition Consultant and Chef

• What is a Therapeutic Diet?

• Acid / Alkaline
• Macrobiotic
• Raw & Juicing
• Gerson
• A Model for Good Eating

Whole Body Health – the Holistic You

You can have a positive effect on your health:
“You control 75% of your health outcome depending on the lifestyle and
diet you choose” -- Drs. Roizen and Oz authors of “You: The Owner’s
Manual”

What is a Therapeutic Diet?

• A temporary way of eating to reach a desired outcome.
o Typically ‘cleansing’ or ‘building’
• Usually follows strict guidelines
• May or may not be suitable or sustainable for long-term health

Principle of Acid / Alkaline Balance

• Body functions best in a narrow pH range (blood @ 7.35 – 7.45 pH)
• Minerals used to buffer acid: Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium and Sodium
o Depletion of these minerals disrupt important metabolic functions
leading to disease state
• Standard American / Modern diet creates an acid condition in the body

Precautions: The alkaline diet should not be used by people with acute or chronic
kidney failure unless under a doctor'
s supervision. People with pre-existing heart
disease and those on medications that affect potassium levels in the body should
check with their doctor first.

Acid / Alkaline Food Charts

Note that charts will differ between differing sources due to evolving research in
categorizing specific foods.
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Macrobiotic
Macrobiotic means "way of long life."

Developed by George Ohsawa (1893–1966). Michio Kushi, a student of Ohsawa,

reformulated and introduced macrobiotics in the United States. Proponents of the
macrobiotic diet recommend it for cancer patients

The macrobiotic diet is actually several diets ranging in restrictions from severe to
moderate. The standard / moderate macrobiotic diet avoids many foods including
meat, poultry, animal fats, eggs, dairy products, refined sugar, and foods
containing artificial sweeteners or other chemical additives. The severe diet
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consists exclusively of whole cereal grains – at the severe level, the diet is deemed
nutritionally inadequate and can cause serious illness due to malnutrition.

The macrobiotic diet features seasonal, local, whole, naturally raised foods simply
prepared. All recommended foods are preferably organically grown and minimally
processed.

Cooking methods: steaming, boiling, pressure cooking, quick sautéing with water
or oil, pickling.

Food Guidelines:
• Whole cereal grains (40%–60%)
• Vegetables, including small amounts of raw or pickled vegetables (20%–
30%)
• Beans and sea vegetables (5%–10%)
• Soups (made with vegetables, sea vegetables, grains, or beans)
• Beverages: any traditional tea that does not have an aromatic fragrance or a
stimulating effect and spring water or good-quality well water, no ice.
• Occasional foods include fruit, white fish, seeds, and nuts
• Not recommended are tropical or semitropical fruits and fruit juices, soda,
artificial drinks and beverages, coffee, and colored tea.
• Foods to eliminate from the diet include meat, animal fat, eggs, poultry,
dairy products, refined sugars, chocolate, molasses, honey, vanilla, hot
spices, artificial vinegar, and strong alcoholic beverages

Raw / Juicing

• Diet is based on unprocessed and uncooked plant foods, such as fresh &
fermented fruit and vegetables, fruit and vegetable juices, sprouted seeds,
sprouted nuts, sprouted grains, sprouted beans, dried fruit, and seaweed.
• Heating food above 116 (105 -120) degrees F is believed to destroy
enzymes in food that can assist in the digestion and absorption of food.
• Cooking is also thought to diminish the nutritional value and "life force" of
food.
• Typically, at least 75% of the diet must be living or raw.

Benefits:
• High in enzymes, phytonutrients (antioxidants), fiber, potassium,
magnesium, folate, beneficial bacteria
• Low in sodium
• Increased energy
• Improved skin appearance
• Better digestion
• Weight loss
• Reduced risk of heart disease
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Cons:
• Upon introduction – symptoms such as headaches, body aches, nausea
may occur
• Time consuming to ensure proper nutrition and to correctly prepare foods
• Juicing will remove most fiber and parts of plant highest in phytonutrients
• Some foods are difficult to digest when not cooked
• Raw foods can contain harmful bacteria if not properly handled
• Nutritional deficiencies can occur on the raw food diet, including:
o Calcium, Iron, B12
o Protein
o Calories
o Certain nutrients are more bioavailable when cooked

Precautions:
• May not be suitable for certain people: children, women who are nursing
are pregnant or who may become pregnant, people with anemia, people
at risk for osteoporosis
• Macrobiotics, Ayurveda, TCM believe raw food diet more suitable for
warm (tropical) climates or certain body types

Gerson

Developed in the 1920’s by Dr. Max Gerson, a medical doctor, who used diet and
other natural treatments to deal with cancer. The goal is to detoxify the body and
activate the body’s innate ability to heal itself. The therapy involved use of
• Therapeutic Diet (organic, vegetables, fruit, fresh juices)
• Supplements (thyroid hormone, B vitamins, potassium, iodine, enzymes)
• Detoxification by use of coffee or chamomile enemas; castor oil packs
• Injectable Liver Extract

The Gerson diet is very detailed:

• lists foods that are included and excluded
• when the foods are eaten and how often
• how to prepare and not to prepared the foods
• type of cooking vessel
• how to package, etc. etc.

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Some Details of Diet
• 20 pounds of organically grown fruits and vegetables daily (mostly
juice)
• Fresh raw juice (apple/carrot and green leaf juices, one glass every
hour, 13 times per day
• Three vegetarian meals per day of raw and cooked solid foods
• Avoid heavy animal fats, excess protein, sodium and other toxins.

Advised to work under the supervision of a Gerson practitioner, especially if any of

the following conditions apply:
• Chemotherapy
• Diabetes
• Brain metastases
• Severe kidney damage
• Foreign bodies such as pacemakers, breast implants, steel implants

Nutrition 101
A. Macronutrients
1. Protein
a. Needed to: build cells, for cell repair, enzyme and hormone
production
b. Grams per Day = Ideal Weight x 0.5 to 1 gram
c. Emphasize vegetable protein with some animal proteins –
lean meats, fish, poultry
d. Protein powders - whey, rice, hemp
2. Fat
a. Important to all metabolic functions, nervous system, brain,
production of hormones, absorption of fat soluble vitamins
b. Extra Virgin Olive oil, Butter from grass-fed cows
c. Omega 3 DHA & EPA, Omega 6 GLA are anti-
inflammatory
d. Coconut fat is easy to absorb and can give needed energy
boost, also anti bacterial, anti viral and anti fungal
properties
3. Carbohydrate
a. Complex carbohydrates – whole grains (brown rice,
buckwheat, quinoa, millet), starchy vegetables, fruit
b. Avoid all refined carbohydrates – the white foods
Especially sugar
c. Controlling blood sugar is important for reducing
inflammation
B. Micronutrients
1. Isolated synthetic chemicals are not the whole story and in fact
can do more harm than good if not used properly
2. Eat Real Food – Local, Seasonal, Fresh
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Practice the Model for Good Eating (adapted from Michael Pollan):
• Avoid Foods your great-great grandmother would not recognize
• Eat Food – not food products – local seasonal and Fresh!
• Avoid Foods with health claims on the packages
• Enjoy lots of colorful vegetables and fruit
• Include a protein, complex carb and good fat with every meal or
snack
• Take small bites, chew well, stop when you are full
• Eat with pleasure – take your time to savor good food in good
company

Resources
Acid Alkaline Foods Chart: http://home.bluegrass.net/~jclark/alkaline_foods.htm

Environmental Working Group:

Produce Shopping Guide “The Dirty Dozen”: www.foodnews.org
Cosmetics Shopping Guide: www.cosmeticsdatabase.com

For local seasonal foods guide: www.LocalFoodsWheel.com

Gerson Therapy:
http://www.gerson.org/g_therapy/default.asp
http://www.cancertutor.com/Cancer/Gerson.html

Macrobiotic Diet: http://macrobiotics.co.uk/foodlist.htm

Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch: www.mbayaq.org/cr/seafoodwatch.asp

MountainRoseHerbs.com – online source for organic herbs, spices, sea vegetables, cosmetics

Oz, Mehmet and Roizen, Michael, MDs. You: The Owner’s Manual. New York: HarperCollins, 2005.

Planck, Nina, Real Food: What to Eat & Why

Pollan, Michael, In Defense of Food , 2007

First Chapter: http://www.changethis.com/43.01.EatersManifesto

Raw Food: www.sunfood.com

World’s Healthiest Foods: www.whfoods.com/whoweare.php

Be advised that any nutritional program suggested is not intended as a treatment for any disease.
The intent of any nutritional recommendation is to support the physiological and biochemical
processes of the human body, and not to diagnose, treat, cure, prevent any disease or condition.
Always work with a qualified medical professional before making changes to your diet, prescription
medication, lifestyle or exercise activities.