he Hoxsey diet is basically a whole foods diet, and as cancer diets go, I have found it pretty easy to follow. Others who are on this diet may not agree, but for those of us who have been on any strict diet for various reasons know first hand just how hard it is to change the way you eat, but when it comes to saving your life, it's not too much to ask, really.
Unfortunately, there are two items* that render the Hoxsey tonic powerless and they are tomatoes (including tomatillos), and vinegar (i.e. acetic acid). Why? I don't know, and the doctors at the Hoxsey clinic don't really know why either. All the same, that doesn't seem too bad until you realize that these items, especially vinegar, are in a lot of products on grocery store shelves, and I happen to like eating tomatoes and vinegar-- a lot! So, if you are on this diet, then you will have to become an avid and careful label reader, with a PhD in chemical names, if you aren't already, to make sure you won't consume any forbidden ingredients. But really, any processed foods, even those that are considered to be "healthy' should be severely limited as they are, well, commercially processed. Some organic soups, like chicken noodle for instance, have tomato in them! Even though it's next to the last ingredient on a very long list, it is STILL FORBIDDEN!
UPDATE*There are actually two more food stuffs that render the tonic inert -- pork and alcohol.
Again, as diets go, the Hoxsey diet is really easy to follow, and more importantly, easy to stick to compared to a raw vegan diet like the Gersson Therapy diet. If you're addicted to drinking coffee ( instead of using it for enemas as on the Gersson therapy), the option for you is to use organic decaf, but it has to be decaffeinated without chemicals. So the starting forbidden food tally is no: coffee, alcohol, tomatoes, vinegar, pork products, highly processed and fried foods, salt and the most addictive thing of all, refined white flour and sugars. These food stuffs are NOT on the Hoxsey menu. Oh boy, I think I just listed the diet of the American South right there. Amazingly, as far as sugar goes, I can do without sugar for the most part, but salt? NEVER!
Cheating? Moi?
Okay, okay, now and then I cheat with a few of the "sugar" fruits like pineapples and mangoes. And I indulge in the rare lick of the knife that cut a piece of chocolate cake for my boys, but that's it. Okay, so I had a big spoonful of mac-n-cheese when no one was looking. In my defense, I've heard that some people on the diet cheated with a weekly doughnut, which I heard Dr. Guetierrez wasn't too thrilled about.
Why Hoxsey?
Hoxsey Diet List of Foods
Foods That Are Permitted:
Freshly squeezed fruit (avoid if diabetic)
Veggie juices (except tomato)
Grape Juice (white, or dark grapes diluted with equal amount of water)
fresh is better. (Avoid if diabetic.)
Low Fat Milk- Cow or goat in glass bottle or a paper carton. (organic and raw if possible.)
Buttermilk – in a glass bottle or a paper carton. (organic and raw if possible.)
Filtered Water – avoid plastic bottles if possible.
Non-Caffeinated Herbal Teas (organic if possible.)
Decaf Coffee- natural water decaffeination process
Cereals - Made without sugar, or preservatives, and organic, or at least non GMO
Grains- Amaranth, Barley, Brown rice, Buckwheat, Corn (organic, non GMO air popped),
Einkorn Wheat, Kamut, Oats, Rye, Spelt
Condiments- Nama Shoyu Soy Sauce,
Cheeses*- Only Fresh Unaged Cheeses: Chevre, Cottage cheese, Feta, Mascarpone,
Quark, Queso fresco, Ricotta, Yogurt Cheese (a.k.a. Kefir, & Labne)
*low sodium if possible, or no other salt for the day consumed
Eggs- 3 to 6 eggs per week (organic/free range/ no soy if possible)
Fats/Oils- Cold pressed oils: Almond, Flax Seed, Grape Seed, Olive, Sesame, walnut etc.
(avoid canola and other liquid or solid vegetable oils as they are highly processed)
Saturated fats: butter from grass fed beef (unsalted if possible), coconut,
duck fat from free organic range ducks, tallow from grass fed cows.
Fish* - Fresh ocean caught: Anchovies, Butterfish, Catfish, Clam, Crab (Domestic), Croaker (Atlantic), Flounder, Haddock (Atlantic), Hake, Herring, Mackerel
(N. Atlantic, Chub), Mullet, Oyster, Perch (Ocean), Plaice, Pollock, Salmon
(Canned), Salmon (Fresh), Sardines, Scallops, Shad (American), Shrimp,
Sole (Pacific), Squid (Calamari), Tilapia, Whitefish, Whiting (all the lowest
Mercury level fish/seafood)
Fresh water caught: Bass, Catfish, Crawfish/Crayfish, Pike, Trout (Freshwater),
Salmon, Walleye - *any fish consume 2 x per week
Fruits- Low sugar fruits are preferable such as: Apples, Avocados, Berries, Citrus, and Figs, Guavas, Kiwis, Melons (like cantaloupe, and casaba), Nectarines, Papayas,
Peaches, Plums, and Sour Cherries
Organic, no sugar added dried fruits are permitted, but limit consumption
as they are higher in sugar than fresh fruits (no sulfides).
Herbs- Fresh or Dried: Basil, Bay leaf (Laurel), Cayenne pepper, Chili powder, Chives, Cilantro, Curry, Dill, Fennel, Garlic, Ginger root, Ground mustard, Lemon balm,
Lemon verbena, Marjoram, Mint, Oregano, Parsley, Paprika, Rosemary,
Saffron, Sage, Tarragon, Thyme
Spices: Allspice, Caraway, Cardamom, Cinnamon, Cloves, Coriander, Cumin,
Curry, Fennel, Fenugreek, Ginger (ground), Juniper, Kelp (salt replacement)*,
Mace, Nutmeg, Pepper, Turmeric, Sea salt*, Star Anise
*only use sea salt or Kelp (only ½ tsp. daily) sprinkled directly on food to help with blandness.
Legumes- Black beans, Garbanzo beans, Kidney beans, Lentils, Lima beans, Pinto
beans, Soy beans,
Meats- Free range poultry (chicken, turkey, duck) - 1 x per week
Grass fed beef and lamb - 1x per week
Wild game: Buffalo, Caribou, Deer (Venison), Elk, Moose, Quail, Rabbit -
1x per week Instead of beef.
Nuts/ All unsalted nuts and nut butters (except peanuts/peanut butter).
Pastas- Whole wheat (ancient varieties such as Einkorn), or gluten free, and that
don’t contain vinegar (acetic acid).
Seeds - Chia, Flax, Hemp, Pumpkin, Sesame, Sunflower, Wild rice
Sugars- Natural sugars: Honey, Molasses, Raw Sugar, Real Maple, Sucanat, Stevia,
Syrup, Turbanado, Xylitol. (Exercise restraint)
Veggies All fresh and organic. Root vegetables (exercise restraint if diabetic)
Foods That Are Not Allowed
Beverages*- Carbonated drinks with caffeine, refined sugars, and with artificial
sweeteners, flavorings, and colors.
Sweet fruit juices such as pineapple and straight grape juices.
Caffeinated coffee and black teas.
No Tomato based veggie juices!
*I thought I read somewhere no alcoholic beverages either.
Condiments- Anything with Tomato or Vinegar (acetic acid) is not allowed: Ketchup,
Mayonnaise, Mustard, Pickles and Relishes, Steak sauces, Vinegar (acetic acid), Worcestershire
Deep fried foods – Avoid All Deep Fried Foods!!!
Fats/Oils- Liquid or Solid hydrogenated vegetable oils. They are highly processed, and
turn rancid quickly. Such as Shortening, Canola, Safflower, and Corn etc.
Fruits- Any dried fruits with added sugar, or sulfides.
Fresh: Grapes, Mangos, Pineapples, Tomatoes, and Tomatillos
Grains- White flours and rice, and GMO’s
Meats- Deli meats (high in sodium and other chemicals)
Hormone or antibiotic fed animals.
Any and all pork
Salt water fish high in mercury such as the large predatory fish: Northern Pike, Orange Roughy, Mackerel, Marlin, Shark, Swordfish, Tilefish, and many Tuna (the smaller skipjack is lower in mercury than the larger albacore.)
Farmed raised fish, either fresh water or ocean fish.
Nuts/Seeds- Peanuts (prone to aflatoxins) and peanut butter
Sugars- highly processed: agave nectar, corn syrups, brown sugar, and white sugar
artificial sweeteners: Equal, NutraSweet, Saccharine, Splenda, Sweet n low
Again, no foods with artificial colors, flavors, or preservatives! You'd be surprised by how many "health foods" contain that stuff! Especially the dreaded MSG, which food manufactures try to pass off as innocent sounding additives such as "natural flavorings", "flavorings, "seasonings, or textured protein, citric acid, hydrolyzed protein, (get your chemistry dictionaries out) calcium caseinate, and sodium caseinate.