Diet and nutrition

"The more man keeps in tune with the laws of nature, the healthier he will stay. The more he departs from them, the sooner he will be affected by an illness. Nothing can better preserve, strengthen and bring back the energy of life than the art of striking the right balance, the daily enjoyment of pure and fresh air, a simple and natural diet, and a constant exercise of one's powers." (Ch. W. Hufeland)

In fact research shows ever more distinctly that faulty eating habits foster the development of some (cancer) illnesses considerably.

Nourishment, metabolism, resistance and health are intertwined with each other.

Doubtless our metabolism is the basis of all processes of life and it reacts very strongly to a change of diet. The door to a disease is opened by disturbances of metabolism. Everything that is a strain on metabolism promotes an illness. Everything that removes strain promotes health. This is why a well-balanced whole-foods diet, rich in vital substances and fibres with relatively little animal protein and a lot of untreated uncooked vegetables, is an essential element of a holistic therapy and complies with the latest scientific findings. Erroneously some doctors still give the following piece of advice to their (cancer-)patients: "You may eat and drink whatever you like". This shows their deficient knowledge and consciousness as far as the findings of dieticians and the drawbacks of faulty eating habits are concerned.

What we eat is too fatty, too sugary, too salty, too rich in proteins and too much.

Our eating habits do not make us healthy, they make us ill. Those who are healthy and want to stay so for a long time, should be vegetarians and eat a lot of predominantly uncooked vegetables because in this way they can keep their immune systems intact.

What are uncooked vegetables? It is a biological, preferably untreated form of nourishment in its natural state, e.g. fresh fruits and vegetables, whole-grain products (water-soaked ground cereals with fruit, muesli), seasoning herbs, but also cream cheese, cold-pressed olive oil, raw eggs or raw meat (without germs, antibiotics or hormones).

Why uncooked vegetables? Despite a good knowledge of the main components of our foodstuffs, we still do not know anything about the multitude of the other substances (far more than 10,000) and their alterations by preparation. But we see the effects and know for instance that bitter constituents (dandelion, artichoke and others) stimulate the production of gastric juices and of immuneglobuline A, the protection factor of the mucous membrane. We also know that essential oils have an antibacterial effect and that vitamins and trace elements detoxify the organism or protect it against damages (especially vitamins A, C, E and the trace element Selenium). Do not forget:

Uncooked vegetables mean live-cell therapy, immune therapy and detoxification therapy !

But there is yet another factor contributing decisively to the maintenance of health:

an intact gut flora (bacteria of the intestine) which is dependent on our diet. Faulty eating habits cause a gut flora which makes you ill because it creates fermentation and putrefaction products which get directly into the blood through the intestinal wall intoxicating the body from within.

In contrast an intact gut flora has a detoxifying effect and constantly activates the so-called " gut-associated immune system ". If it is disturbed, it may cause allergic reactions. Any immune therapy must therefore be based on a nutritional therapy!

Is there something like an anti-cancer diet?

If you have a look at epidemiological studies, there is really no more doubt that there must be a connection between faulty eating habits and the development of cancer. It seems that a healthy diet can prevent it. As far as we know, however, dietetic measures alone are not sufficient to make a tumour recede or to heal the patient.

For this reason you cannot speak of an anti-cancer diet. Even if some healings of cancer are ascribed to a diet alone, I am afraid to say that this cannot be generalized. No kind of diet can be called a real anti-cancer diet. Nevertheless we can distinguish between favourable and unfavourable forms of nutrition. A favourable diet can prevent cancer from developing in a healthy person and it can influence the metabolism, resistance and interior environment of a cancer-patient in such a way that the body can help itself again and sometimes even heal itself. Anyway, it is decisive to implement the knowledge so far gained by scientists about a healthy diet, which is possibly free of harmful substances, so that the patient's metabolism is relieved as far as possible. After all, a well-functioning metabolism is the precondition for the activation of the self-healing powers and for the success of a biological therapy. The change of diet towards whole-foods, as described here, is therefore an excellent but unspecific possibility of fighting cancer, not systematically but indirectly and in some cases in an extraordinarily effective way.

What sort of diet is used in the Hufeland Klinik?

It is our main guide-line that eating should remain a pleasure, it should foster joy and the quality of life. The aim of the diet change is the improvement of the general well-being, of the interior environment and consequently of the healing process. It is not our intention to impose whole-foods on everybody. After all there are patients who cannot tolerate dairy products (lactose intolerance), grain protein (gluten) or indigestive raw products. Other patients have had stomach operations or their digestive systems do not work properly. It would certainly be unwise to make them eat something which is more detrimental than helpful. Easily digestible white flour products enriched with dietary fibres may be more favourable for them.

Nutrition at the Hufeland Klinik is predominantly ovo-lacto-vegetable (vegetable food together with eggs, milk and dairy products). We also serve uncooked vegetables in their natural state. Once a week we offer high-quality meat (lamb, beef, game) or fish. The meals are prepared fresh without artificial additives. Let us surprise you with the variety and tastiness of a well-balanced whole-food diet. Moreover we attach great importance to a seasonal cuisine and take great care in selecting our food suppliers (organic farmers if possible).

Bon Appetit!

What and how much should you drink per day?

Drinking is more important than eating! Many people can hold out for a relatively long time without solid food, but only for a short while without drinking because drinking is vital. After all about 60 per cent of the human body consist of water - this means 48 litres for someone weighing 80 kg! A healthy person normally excretes many litres of water every day (0.5 via breath, 0.5 via sweat, 0.1 via bowel movements and about 1.4 via urine). The detoxification of the body is an essential part of a biological therapy. Especially toxins originating from the decomposition of a tumour have to be excreted as quickly as possible. Therefore the success of a treatment also depends on a sufficient excretion of toxins. As many of these toxins are excreted via the kidneys, a big quantity of fluid is required for shifting and clearing the water in the human body.

For this reason you should get used to drinking 0.75 litres of liquid three times a day, if possible between meals, within half an hour, as the effect is far more detoxifying than the continual absorption of small quantities. But be careful: Whoever tends to have an accumulation of water in the breast or abdomen or who suffers from heart insufficiency, must on no account drink too much. These patients should only drink according to their thirst. (ca. 1 - 2 litres a day)!

Suitable drinks for (cancer) patients are herbal teas (infusions), whey, and water low in minerals. They should provide for 75 per cent of the daily quantity. Other favourable drinks, which we regularly offer at our clinic, are juices made from all kinds of vegetables such as carrots, beetroot, sauerkraut and so on. These juices can be mixed with unsugared fruit juices to vary their tastes. We avoid all sugared drinks, including commercially produced fruit drinks, as they not only contain plenty of sugar or sweeteners but also acids which may cause troubles. We totally do without coffee, allowing for exceptions of course. After all, joy of life is a very important element of the healing process and if you should be overcome by a strong desire for coffee now and then, why not enjoy a freshly made cup in one of Bad Mergentheim's snug cafés?

A word about alcohol: it is an energy source rich in calories and its products of decomposition damage the liver. For this reason we do not offer it at our clinic. Those who consume it in great quantities on a regular basis, have to face chronic liver damage. Patients having an inflamed liver are therefore principally not allowed to drink alcohol. However, liver inflammation must not be put on a level with liver metastasation. In spite of a small metastasis in the liver, the normal liver cells can be completely healthy so that a patient may enjoy a glass of red wine or beer at a famlily celebration for instance. If you are in doubt, talk it over with your doctor.

Why should a cancer patient not consume sugar?

Metabolism in a cancer cell is different from that of a normal one. Particularly at an advanced stage of cancer there are enormous changes in metabolism. It can be activated by sugar, fermentation processes start, which according to Warburg are a distinctive feature of the metabolism of a cancer cell. Warburg was the first to describe that the cancer cell meets its energy needs with sugar in the framework of a so-called "anaerobic glycolysis". This is why cancer patients should avoid sugar at all costs, no matter in which form. At the Hufeland Klinik we use small quantities of fructose or sweetener for cooking and baking. All white flour products, especially gateaus and cakes, which are quickly transformed into glucose, should be strictly avoided. In addition sugar impairs the gut flora and can cause flatulence. Who is really bent on eating some honey of jam or with whom wholegrain bread does not agree and who therefore has to resort to white bread, should add some dietary fibres, e.g. a spoonful of wheat bran, as they markedly slow down the sugar rush into the blood.