My dad who is a cardiothoracic surgeon agrees with these recommendations with some modifications for patients at risk of diabetes (which my dad feels should avoid all carbohydrates “like poison.”). Like my dad, Dr. Gundry realized one day that he was overweight and feeling not so great. After years of research he found a better diet. My dad dropped 40 lbs. Dr. Gundry lost 70 lbs. Being a cardiothoracic diet is very stressful. These surgeons have little time and end up eating what is served to them in their lounge by the drug reps which is usually high carb, high fat food.
It is hard to do initially but makes a great deal of sense!
Following this diet, I felt much better and had more energy. (Though I don’t eat some of the fruits Dr. Gundry’s says is ok as it can raise sugar levels in the blood stream. So if you have a family history of diabetes, consider the low carbohydrate options he says are acceptable.
It is essentially a low-inflammatory diet of the best kind.
It is not too hard if you keep at it day after day, you get better at it with time.
Give it a 3 month challenge. You have nothing to loose. You do not even have to buy the pills he is trying to sell….the “Pre-Bio Thrive.”
I have not seen a randomized, double blinded, controlled study on the pills he is selling. I did not see that part when I first posted this. But all the other suggestions are based on solid medicine.
Click on this link below. The video below the link, is not very helpful. Will change it soon.
http://silenceyourcravings.com/180112A.php?n=tba
But also check out this site of a “fact checker.”
It is good to get all sides of the debate I find & try to make an informed decision.
It can be very confusing what is the best diet for you and your family!
All we can do is to try to do the best we can. It is a struggle but keep at it!
All doctors who have created diets or sell diet books can agree:
1. Avoid refined sugar
2. Avoid refined carbohydrates
3. Avoid artificial sugars except Stevia
4. Stick with organic options of below
5. Eat plenty of green leafy vegetables
6. It is ok to eat 70% and higher cocoa chocolate in small quantities with minimal stevia added: no sugar added.
7. Do not smoke. Do not do drugs
8. Avoid unnecessary oral antibiotics always as it can destroy gut flora
After this all is controversial and hard to prove without a huge, randomized diet, controlled for age, genetics, etc.
What they disagree on:
1. Are beans good or bad?
2. Are grains good or bad?
3. Is quinoa good or bad?
4. Is dairy good or bad?
5. Is coffee good or bad?
Basically:
1. Avoid all antibiotics as much as you can & at all costs says Dr. Gundry unless really needed. It will destroy your gut flora. My dad was right about this. He never gave us antibiotics growing up and would call us child abusers if we even called to ask if we should put our kids on an antibiotic when the had a fever: ok, he is extreme. But he did have a point: “keep their temperature down as much as possible with cold compresses, some gentle alcohol rubs, it is most likely a virus,” he would say.
2. Avoid all grains: avoid all wheat (ie, all gluten), oats, white rice, brown rice, even quinoa, rye, buckwheat. Avoid all bread, cookies, cakes, cupcakes (especially if they are blue 🙂
My dad does eat a bit of quinoa: we are Bolivian after all.
3. Avoid all sugar: “sugar is poison” is my dad’s mantra!
4. Eat only grass fed beef. Avoid all meat from animals who are given antibiotics.
5. Avoid grain-fed animal foods: avoid all dairy (milk, cheese, cottage cheese), fish, poultry, meat, kefir
6. Avoid all legumes==BEANS: they are very high in lectins which is bad says Dr. Gundry.
Void peanuts, peas, soys, chickpeas, kidney beans, lentils
7. Avoid all nightshade family foods: like potatoes, tomatoes, eggplant, peppers
8. Avoid all Cashews, Hazelnuts, peanuts and limit almonds. Avoid peanuts if you have a family history of colon cancer.
9. Avoid Pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds. He says to avoid chia seeds, but they are so high in Omega3, that I do cook with them sometimes.
Flax seed is ok.
10. Avoid all corn, cucumbers, eggplants, peppers, SKINS & SEEDs of Tomatoes: it is ok to eat the a bit of tomato pulp, all squash, zucchini.
It is ok to eat all kale, broccoli, spinach, collard greens, cabbage, brussel sprouts, salad
11. Avoid all Sucralose, Splenda (which destroys 50% of your gut flora), Artificial sweeteners except STEVIA; avoid all agave & sugars.
BEST FOODS TO EAT:
1. Wild rice, amaranth: I would say, if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, limit any rice and avoid all cow’s milk, even if grass fed.
2. Grass fed dairy, grass fed meat
3. Wild caught seafood
4. Pastured chicken, water fowl, kosher turkey
5. Egg yolks which are high in Omega 3.
6. Pecans, Pistachios, Walnuts, Macadamia,
7. Flax seed, Sesame seeds, Hemp seeds
8. Extra virgin Olive oil, Coconut oil, Avocado oil, walnut oil, Sesame oil, Red Palm oil, Rice Bran oil
9. Avoid apples, blueberries, cherries, citrus, kiwi, necatrines, plums, pomegranates, rasberries, strawberries. Other fruits like bananas are ok on his diet. I would say, if you are diabetic or pre-diabetic, limit bananas; go for limited amounts of blackberries, mango, cantalope
10. Unlimited Veggies otherwise.
11. >70% Cacao Chocolate couple ounces per day is good.
12. He thinks coffee in moderation is good: my dad would disagree.
In all cases:
1. Soak rice or if you have to eat beans, soak for hours to try to inactivate lectins says Dr. Gundry.
2. Sprouting is good to deactivate lectins
3. Fermenting is good!
What do you think? Is it hard. Yes! Is it a life saver? I think, yes!
I know I felt better when I followed this diet.
Note that this diet is very different from Dr. Fuhrman’s diet, who says beans are good.
Who is right?
I wrote about this a while ago: https://drcremers.com/2016/05/plant-based-versus-animal-based-diets.html
I really believe Dr. Gundry is right on most things but it depends if you have diabetes or at risk of diabetes in which all carbs should be limited, like all beans.
Recap: http://gundrymd.com/plant-paradox-cleanse/
- Dairy
- Grains or pseudo-grains
- Fruit
- Sugar
- Seeds
- Eggs
- Soy
- Nightshade plants
- Roots
- Tubers
- Corn
- Soy
- Canola
- Inflammatory oils
- Farm animal proteins
- Cruciferous
- Broccoli
- Brussels sprouts
- Cauliflower
- Bok choy
- Napa cabbage
- Chinese cabbage
- Swiss chard
- Arugula
- Watercress
- Collards
- Kale
- Cabbage
- Radicchio
- Raw sauerkraut
- Kimchi
- Nopales cactus
- Celery
- Onions
- Leeks
- Chives
- Scallions
- Chicory
- Carrots
- Carrot greens
- Artichokes
- Beets
- Radishes
- Daikon radishes
- Artichokes
- Hearts of palm
- Cilantro
- Okra
- Asparagus
- Garlic
- Leafy greens
- Romaine
- Kohlrabi
- Mesclun
- Spinach
- Endive
- Dandelion greens
- Butter lettuce
- Fennel
- Escarole
- Mustard greens
- Mizuna
- Parsley
- Basil
- Mint
- Purslane
- Perilla
- Algae
- Seaweed
- Sea vegetables
- Mushrooms
You can eat as much as you want of the vegetables above, either cooked or raw. But, if you have Irritable Bowel Syndrome or another gut issue, you might prefer to rely on thoroughly cooked veggies.
PROTEIN
OILS AND GOOD FATS
And if you’re dealing with oils, the following are good go-to oils –
- Avocado oil
- Coconut oil
- Macadamia nut oil
- Sesame seed oil
- Walnut oil
- Extra-virgin olive oil
- Hemp seed oil
- Flaxseed oil