Budwig Diet

A Complete Regime for Holistic Health

The full Budwig protocol treats the whole body, including the health of the microbiome. It lays out a plan for balanced macrobiotic nutrition, lifestyle, and the emotional and spiritual aspects of health.

In America, it is often called the “FOCC” diet or the Flaxseed Oil Cottage Cheese diet. This simple blend forms the cornerstone of the Budwig protocol. It consists of cold-pressed flaxseed oil and cottage cheese, thoroughly blended and combined with freshly ground flaxseed, fruit, honey, berries, nuts, and other natural flavourings.

The Budwig Diet and Protocol

The Budwig Diet is the central part of the wider Budwig Protocol.

The diet’s high flaxseed oil content may support metabolic health because it:

provides anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats in place of harmful fats
supports healthy cell membrane function and insulin sensitivity
helps efficient energy use within cells
supports balanced digestion and blood sugar
is consumed as part of a nutrient-rich, minimally processed diet

Johanna Budwig

Good Fats & Healing

Dr Johanna Budwig (1908–2003) was a leading biochemist specialising in dietary fats and oils in Germany. She is best known for her discoveries linking fats and health, which led to the development of the Budwig Diet.

The Budwig Diet was created to help address the effects of rancid fats, trans fats, inflammatory foods, and a lack of nourishing foods.

Johanna Budwig held a doctorate in physics, a PhD in natural sciences, and was a qualified pharmacologist and chemist. She also served as chief consultant for drugs and fats at the Federal Institute for Fats Research, where she made important discoveries about “good fats” and “bad fats.”

A typical Budwig muesli breakfast with Flax Farm linseed/flax oil, apple, banana, chopped nuts and raspberries. This also makes a great dessert.

Budwig Muesli Recipe

A typical Budwig muesli breakfast with Flax Farm flaxseed oil, apple, banana, chopped nuts, and raspberries. It also makes an excellent dessert.

The Budwig muesli is both delicious and nourishing — the cornerstone of the diet. It’s a little like an Eton mess, but less sweet and with greater depth of flavour.

You can vary the ingredients to suit the season or your taste. Try adding no-sugar cocoa powder, spices, kirsch, rum, or fresh juices. The basic flaxseed oil and cottage cheese blend can also be used savoury — as a dip or a healthy mayonnaise alternative.

To follow the whole diet, see the daily plan.

Ingredients:

100 ml cottage cheese (quark or Greek yoghurt 10-12% protein)
3Tbs/45 ml cold-pressed linseed oil
25g/2 tablespoons freshly ground Flaxseed
1 tsp raw honey
Portion fresh fruit
Berries and chopped nuts

Method

Combine the flaxseed oil and cottage cheese using a hand blender until fully emulsified (add a little skimmed milk if needed). Stir in the honey.
Place fruit into a bowl, add freshly ground flaxseed and the flaxseed oil–cottage cheese mixture, then top with berries and chopped nuts.
For more variations and recipes, see our recipes section. Recipes.

Gold and brown linseed or flax — Gold-and-brown-flax-linseed

What You Need for the First Month

Equipment

Hand blender
Juicer

Foods

5 × 500 ml cold-pressed flaxseed oil
3 × 450 g whole flaxseeds (gold or brown), freshly ground for each meal (ready-ground can be used for less intensive use)
24 × 250 g tubs quark, cottage cheese, or Greek-style yoghurt (10–12% protein)
1–2 jars raw honey
Fresh fruit
Berries (including frozen)
Nuts
1 × 500 g cold-pressed virgin coconut oil
4–6 bottles Biotta organic sauerkraut juice
Green tea
Plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit for juicing
Vegetables for salads and evening meals

Books and Further Reading

Johanna Budwig wrote extensively about the effects of flaxseed oil and diet on health. Her books include The Oil-Protein Diet Cookbook and Cancer – The Problem and the Solution, available in English. Amazon.

The Budwig Diet: Healing Foods

The Budwig diet "muesli" is made with cold-pressed flax oil creamed with quark cottage cheese plus fruit, berries and chopped nuts. It is as delicious as it looks. — The Budwig diet “muesli” is made with cold-pressed flax oil creamed with quark cottage cheese plus fruit, berries and chopped nuts. It is as delicious as it looks.

.The Budwig muesli is made with cold-pressed flaxseed oil blended with cottage cheese, combined with fruit, berries, and nuts — simple, nourishing, and satisfying.

Flaxseed Oil and Omega-3

At the heart of the Budwig Diet is the combination of flaxseed oil and cottage cheese. Flaxseed oil is naturally rich in omega-3 fatty acids.

In the 1930s, Otto Heinrich Warburg discovered that in low-oxygen conditions, cells can use sugars in a harmful way. Dr Budwig proposed that flaxseed oil, when blended with sulphur-rich proteins in cottage cheese, becomes more bioavailable and supports oxygen transport in the body.

Budwig diet: a holistic natural treatment for many conditions

Cold-pressed linseed (same as flax seed oil) is one of key ingredients in the Budwig diet.

Cold-pressed flaxseed oil is a key ingredient in the Budwig Diet. It is also used as part of a restorative approach for those recovering from illness, surgery, or medical treatments.

The diet focuses on: