THE MYCOBIOME DIET GUIDELINES

Foods to eat every day:

  • Coconut or extra virgin olive oil, at least 1 tablespoon

  • Resistant starch foods, 1-2 cups

  • Cruciferous vegetables, at least 1 cup with no maximum

  • Mycobiome friendly vegetables, at least 2 cups

  • Apple cider vinegar, at least 1 tablespoon

  • Optional eggs (2), animal protein (4-6 ounces),

  • Tofu/tempeh (4-6 ounces), edamame (1 cup), two servings maximum

Foods to eat 3-7 times per week (amounts are per day):

  • Fish or seafood, up to 6 ounces

  • Ground turmeric, at least 1 teaspoon

  • Ginger, at least 1 teaspoon dried and ground or 1 tablespoon fresh

  • Garlic, 1/2-1 clove

  • Pistachios and/or walnuts, 1/4 cup

  • Tea (Camellia sinensis) 1 cup- green/black/oolong/pu-erh/white etc.

  • Fermented foods, 1/2 cup

Summary

Foods to limit:

  • Alcohol, no more than 3 times per week or exclude completely

  • Real maple syrup or raw honey, no more than 1 tablespoon per day.

  • Coffee, prioritize organic varieties

Foods to exclude completely:

  • No added sugar or sweeteners except for real maple syrup and raw honey.

  • No refined grains.

  • No processed, cured meats.

  • No processed or packaged food with more than three ingredients.*

  • No oils or fats. other than those allowed.

No processed or packaged food with more than three ingredients.

However,

  • If the bag, box, pouch, or package lists simple or single ingredients such as brown rice, split peas, tomato, water, salt, and pepper (in a soup for instance) then those are all whole foods and that packaged food is acceptable.

  • Grain products that are 100% whole grain, such as 100% whole wheat tortillas, bread, bagels, or pita are acceptable. Even though these may contain more than 3 ingredients, the most important element is that all the grain ingredients are whole and, ideally, from a source that testts for molds.

  • Fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi and yogurt contain probiotics that make them worthwhile to consume. Look for lactose-fermented brands rather than those containing vinegar, as they have a better probiotic content.

  • Nut-based and coconut-based milk, yogurt and cheese may have multiple ingredients but are okay if unsweetened.

  • Condiments like soy sauce, chili paste, sriracha, and the like are all acceptable if they do not have added sugar.

The Mycobiome Diet Food List

Protein

EAT 1 SERVING OF PROTEIN AT EVERY MEAL AND EVERY SNACK

LEGUMES

Beans double as a resistant starch except for peanuts which double as a fat

ANIMAL PROTEIN

Add other fresh meats only when your protein requirement has been fulfilled.

Chicken

Eggs

Fish

Shellfish

Turkey

DAIRY

Buttermilk

Cheese

Cottage cheese

Milk

Yogurt, plain unsweetened

1 serving = 2 eggs

1 serving = 4 - 6 ounces meat

1 serving = 1 cup fresh or 1/2 cup cooked legumes

1 serving = 2 ounces cheese

1 serving = 6 ounces yogurt or cottage cheese

1 serving = 8 ounces milk or buttermilk

1 serving = 2 tablespoons - 1/4 cup nuts or seeds

1 serving = 1 - 2 tablespoons nut butter

SOY PROTEIN

Edamame

Tofu

Tempeh

NUTS/SEEDS

Unsweetened nut and seed butter is allowed. All nuts and seeds double as a fat serving. Have the minimum amount but no more than the maximum.

Almond

Brazil

Cashews

Chia

Filbert/hazelnutFlaxseeds/meal

Hemp seeds

Macadamia

Pecan

Pine

Pistachio

Pumpkin

Sesame

Sunflower

Walnut

OILS TO CONSUME RAW

Avocado oil

Extra-virgin olive oil

Flaxseed oil

Hemp oil

Nut oils: raw and cold-pressed almond, hazelnut, and macadamia

Sesame oil

OILS TO COOK WITH

Avocado oil

Coconut oil, coconut milk, and coconut butter

Ghee

Grapeseed

Macadamia

Sesame

Oils and Fats

EAT 1 SERVING OF OILS AND FATS AT EVERY MEAL AND EVERY SNACK

1 serving = 1 - 2 tablespoons oils, ghee, coconut butter

1 serving = 1/2 cup of coconut milk

COCONUT PRODUCTS

Coconut milk, canned

Coconut butter

FOODS THAT DOUBLE AS A FAT AND A PROTEIN

Eggs

Fatty fish

Full-fat dairy

Nuts, seeds, and peanuts

Nut and seed butters

Tempeh and Tofu

Green-ish Bananas (resistant starch decreases and sugar increases as bananas ripen)

Barley, whole grain

Corn, whole grain (e.g. cornmeal, polenta, grits, fresh corn)

Legumes (may serve as a resistant starch *and* protein)

Oats, old-fashioned or steel cut

Potatoes, all kinds, including sweet potatoes and yams

Rice, whole grain only

Other resistant starches include:

Multi-grain products

Sprouted grain products

Amaranth

Buckwheat

Millet

Quinoa

Rye

Spelt

Wheat

Winter squashes, all types

Choose products without any white flour or refined grains.

Resistant Starch Foods

EAT 3 SERVINGs per day for omnivores, 6 servings per day for herbivores with a MINIMUM of 2 servings of legumes

1 serving = 1/2 cup rice

1 serving = 1 small or 1/2 large banana

1 serving = 1/2 cup cooked barley

1 serving = 1/2 cup whole grain cornmeal,

1 serving = 4 ounces cooked polenta

1 serving = 1 cup of fresh corn kernels

1 serving = 1 cup fresh legumes (i.e. green beans or lima beans)

1 serving = 1/2 cup dried, soaked, and cooked or canned legumes

1 serving = 1/2 cup uncooked oats

1 serving = 2 ounces bread or pasta (weighed before cooking)

1 serving = 1/2 cup cooked winter squash

CRUCIFEROUS VEGETABLES: EAT 1 SERVING per day, no maximum

Arugula

Bok Choi

Broccoli

Broccoli rabe

Broccoli sprouts

Cabbage

Cauliflower

Chinese broccoli

Chinese cabbage

Collard greens

Daikon

Kale

Kohlrabi

Maca

Mizuna

Mustard greens

Napa cabbage

Radishes

Tatsoi

Turnip greens

Turnips

Watercress

Cruciferous & MF Vegetables

MYCOBIOME Friendly (MF) veggies: EAT 2 SERVINGS per day, no maximum

Artichokes

Asparagus

Beet greens

Celery

Chicory

Chives

Cucumbers

Dandelion Greens

Eggplant

Endive

Garlic

Grape Leaves

Leeks

Lettuces, all types

Mushrooms

Onions, scallions, green onion, shallots

Parsley

Parsnip

Peppers, all types, both sweet and hot

Purslane

Radicchio

Sea Vegetables

Sorrel

Spinach

Swiss chard

Tomatoes

Acai

Black raspberries

Blackberries

Blueberries

Boysenberries

Cranberries

Elderberries

Goji berries

Gooseberries

Huckleberries

Lingonberries

Mulberries

Raspberries

Strawberries

Berries

EAT 1 SERVING three times per week or 1 serving daily

1 serving = 1 cup raw berries

1 serving = 1 medium-sized whole fresh fruit or 3/4 cup of larger fruit i.e. pineapple

Fun Fact: if you cannot drink tea (camellia sinensis), include an additional serving of berries three times per week

Other types of fruit:

1-2 servings of fresh seasonal fruits instead of the berry requirements

Fermented foods

EAT 1-3 SERVINGS per week, no maximum

Beet kvass

Kefir

Kimchi

Kombucha

Miso soup

Sauerkraut

Tempeh

Pickled vegetables (lacto-fermented)

1 serving = 1/2 cup unless otherwise noted

1 serving = 1/4 cup kimchi

1 serving = 1/4 cup sauerkraut

1 serving = 4 ounces tempeh

Beverages

Coffee, organic

Herbal tea, all types

Kefir or Lassi, unsweetened

Kombucha, no sugar added

Milk or Buttermilk if well tolerated

Nut, coconut, or grain milk

Sparkling water, unsweetened

Tea, all types e.g. black green oolong, white, etc

Water with fresh fruit added such as lime, lemon or berries, unsweetned

Water, purified or spring water

Wine, beer, and other alcoholic drinks, unsweetened, no more than 1 serving 3 times per week

1 serving = 1 cup of all beverages except those noted below

1 serving = 5 ounces of wine

1 serving = 6 ounces of beer

1 serving = 1.5 ounces of spirits

Credits:

We offer tremendous gratitude to our teachers, Āyurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, & evidence-based nutritional science. One of the primary sources of research for these guidelines came from Dr. Mahmoud Ghannoum's book Total Gut Balance. Dr. Ghannoum is one of the world's leading experts on mycology and the mycobiome's relationship to the microbiome. Please do not sell, share, or distribute The Mycobiome Diet or the information inside these guidelines without our consent. If you do want to speak about something shared here, please give credit awhere it is due and let people know about our work.