A Summary of the Pagano Diet

After reading Dr John O. A. Pagano's book,"Healing Psoriasis: The Natural Alternative" 3 years ago I decided to give the diet a try. I did it pretty faithfully for 4 months and saw a big improvement in my psoriasis. Now after another baby I'm facing the worst psoriasis I've ever had and was feeling really down about it. I've been trying steroid treaments which only make me more frustrated because it seems to make the psoriasis better for a day or two and then it comes back even worse than before. So I decided that since the diet was working for me before, I just need to take the plunge and give it another go. My good friend is encouraging me to do it and is even going to do the diet with me (she's an amazing friend!) So we start tomorrow. I'm posting this summary of the diet for her...

-The diet starts out with a 3 day apple (red or yellow delicious) diet-asmany as you want or need to sustain, accompanied by a professional coloncleasing and/or home enemas (I didn't do the colon cleansing or enemas butdid eat a lot of apples and other fruits). It says if you are sensitive to apples you may substitute grapes or other low-acid fruits.

After that the diet begins:

-Drinking of 6-8 or more 8 oz glasses of pure water a day in addition toother liquids ingested. Stressed thorughout the book as very important
-Eating a diet high in alkaline foods and low in acidity 80%/20% balance
-Eliminating red meats, processed meats (pepperoni, sausage, etc) although lamb is acceptable
-Eating small portions (4 oz portions) of poultry, fish and other proteinssuch as tofu at meals. The diet also says "white" varieties of fish aregood but to avoid shellfish (shrimp, crab, lobster, clams, etc.) anddark-fleshed fish. Tuna and water-packed fish are also ok. Broiling,baking, poaching and other low fat ways of preparing are recommended,stir-frying with a very little oil is ok; and do not deep fry or bread thefish (or other foods such as chicken).
-Eliminating fried and fatty foods
-Eating lots of greens and fresh fruits fresh (best) and cooked (good) butstaying away from canned
-Drinking fresh juices if possible. The book recommends carrot celery everyday. Book generalizes fruit as cleansers and veges as builders.
-Eliminating coffee, caffeinated drinks, carbonated regular and diet sodas,and alcohol. If absolutely necessary, up to 3 cups of decaf coffee ok, butnot recommended.
-Avoid white bread and products with white flour
-Whole grains are good but not to be overeaten since they are"acid-formers". Provides vitamins and fiber. Belongs to acceptable 20% acid part of diet. Recommended: Whole Wheat breads, cereals, pastas, brown rice,etc.-
-Dairy in low quantities and stick to low/non fat varieties of milk, eggs,butter, cheese, yogurt.
-Avoid sugar and products made with cane sugar. Honey is substitute.
-Avoid Nightshades--these are tomatos and derivatives, potatos, tobacco,eggplant, peppers (black pepper is fine) and paprika.
-Do not eat any known allergy causing foods even if they are permitted
-Avoid processed and artificially flavored/colored foods
-Olive oil is recommended in foods/salad dressing and alone (good forintestines)
-Do not over eat
-Drinking Herbal teas; recommends Slippery Elm Bark Tea in the AM andSaffron Tea in the evening; says Mullein and Camomile are also good. The teas are purported to aid andstimulate rebuilding, cleasing and proper digestion in the intestinaltract.


We start tomorrow. I have to admit I really enjoyed eating a big piece of chocolate cake tonight before saying goodbye to a bad chocolate habit tomorrow. Here goes nothing. I think I'll post how many apples I eat and how much water I consume just as a way of keeping track (hey K you should do the same) and then we can use this blog to share what we're eating oh and to keep track of how we feel and how much weight we're losing (we better lose weight right?)