Диетата за екологията на тялото

by Donna Gates, Linda Schatz, Дона Гейтс

Ако имате дискомфорт, умора или други симптоми, с които не се справяте, е много вероятно да сте сред милионите хора, които, без да знаят, страдат от системна инфекция с гъби, известна като скритият нашественик.

Диетата за екологията на тялото установява скрития фактор зад множество здравословни проблеми като главоболие, болки в ставите и мускулите, депресия, рак, хранителни алергии, храносмилателни проблеми, аутизъм и много други заболявания на имунната система.

"Диетата за екологията на тялото" ни показва как да възстановим и поддържаме вътрешната екология, от която се нуждае тялото, за да функционира правилно, и да елиминираме или контролираме симптомите, които ни отнемат радостта от живота. Дона Гейтс ви показва стъпка по стъпка как да се храните така, че да сте по-здрави и силни – вкусно, лесно и евтино!

Ще научите как да прилагате седемте универсални принципа, за да овладеете всеки здравословен проблем, който се появи; как да се съсредоточите върху вътрешната си екология, за да установите идеалния храносмилателен баланс; как да се справите с влеченията към нездравословни храни чрез стратегии за приготвяне на закуски и за хранене извън дома; как да планирате ястията си чрез множество вкусни рецепти, набор от менюта и подробни списъци за пазаруване.

Genres: Health, Nonfiction, Food, Nutrition, Cookbooks, Self Help, Unfinished

392 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Donna Gates, a nutritional consultant, author and lecturer has helped thousands of people overcome candidiasis and other immune system disorders. Her book, "The Body Ecology Diet", was written after years of research to find a cure for her own candida-related health problems. Frustrated with conventional medicine, she embarked on a long course of study into many different healing concepts, including ancient Chinese medicine, macrobiotics, natural hygiene, raw foods and mega-supplement therapy. Incorporating the most beneficial components of each concept into her own system of health and healing, her success inspired her to share it with others.

Much more than a "diet" Body Ecology offers a constantly expanding body of knowledge that focuses on the benefits of establishing and maintaining an inner ecosystem. Eating fermented foods and following the BED principles lays down a foundation for health that is essential to wellness.

Body Ecology and Donna are frequently mentioned in the books of many other authors and in natural health magazines. She does radio shows and workshops to educate the public and is well-regarded for introducing Americans to new concepts and insights for using medicinal foods. She pioneered "young coconut kefir", a healthful, nutrient-rich drink. Donna's latest focus is on resolving the crisis of our children's health, and she is committed to preventing and overcoming autism.

The "Body Ecology Diet" book has evolved into a complete system for rebuilding immunity, has sold over 180,000 copies, and is now in its Tenth edition.

from http://bodyecology.com/aboutdonna.php

Reviews

[Corina · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I first developed severe food allergies, a friend gave me this book. It has some solid information on acid/alkali balance and the principles of detoxification, and it helped me better understand how nutrition is medicine - but I really can't recommend it for several reasons: Following this diet religiously will starve you. I can only imagine it being advisable as a detox program for the severely ill, while being monitored by a doctor. I don't believe the testimonials in the book about how easy it is to eat this way once you're used to it, which leads to my second complaint: This book is more propaganda than information. The author is clearly pushing her little cultured-coconut water starter kits and all the other products she sells. It pisses me off that so many of us are living with chronic, mystifying illnesses in a country without universal healthcare and books like this feed profit off our desperation.

[Basinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following this book for about 2 months, it is saving my life, yes I believe that, I am over 400lbs and please! I have been through about every diet there is, worked with nutritionist , Doctor, health groups, OA(a great group who have helped me as well)I thought I was a hypochondriac because I had all these things going on in my body.
after the initial flu like symptoms of the first week, I woke up one day and noticed ...my arms were thinner, oh and so is my face.. wow....it is working! do you know what? I was in tears because finally finally someone took time to take a scientific approach to this problem and it makes sense! I do not want to ever change back, I do not miss the cake cookies and pizzas, I eat fresh foods and love them. love the fermented veggies as well.
I must of made 100 mistakes on this diet because I had not read it closely enough, I was so excited and off and running.
It is o.k I am getting there, baby steps you know?
Listen if you are blessed enough to get this book in your hands, my advice is start slow, it's o.k, it will be a bit overwhelming if you try to take it in all at once, baby steps.
realize you are letting go of how you lived up till now you are healing your body, getting all that inflammation down in your gut and reestablishing your natural balance.
It may not be everyones cup of tea, but if I could I would like to see everyone living by it's principles, we would all be healthier. I have been longwinded here so let me say if you are still reading , try at first to make a list of things you CAN eat, chicken, fish, fresh veggies,eggs. add to the list once you find another item that is o.k and you will just be fine. I am not offended by the endorsements for the products at all, I think she has lovingly made it easier for us to make these things if we do not want to make them ourselves. so what if she profits, she should, she put a lot of time and energy into helping all of us live better. God bless her and all of you. The Body of Ecology Diet: Recovering Your Health and Rebuilding Your Immunity

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have always had very painful periods, and over the years I have tried various things to see if they could help. Someone suggested I see if candida overgrowth was the reason, and so I tried this diet.

I promised myself I would give it a good go, and stick to it for 6 months, but ended up doing it for 8 months.

On the plus side:
-It worked!!! For the first time ever I was experiencing no pain with my periods! No throwing up! No horrible cramps keeping me from sleeping! No fainting! YAY.
-Best skin and hair of my life.

On the negative side:
-I lost a scary amount of weight (from 70kg to 58kg, and I am 5'9'')
-I had no energy (so little that I had to give up almost all my exercise hobbies - boxing, walking, yoga and ceroc dancing) and was tired all the time
-I was hungry ALL THE TIME
-Cooking and finding appropriate food was hard work, time consuming and socially annoying
-My emotions were all over the place
-At the beginning I got thrush


6 months later, the things from the diet that I've liked and kept are the cultured veggies, coconut oil (how had I never discovered coconut oil?) and soaking nuts and grains, which does make them much nicer. Otherwise now I'm back to pretty much eating whatever I want. My periods have stayed pretty pain free - tho I can feel them again it's not nearly so bad - and I've gained back the weight and energy I lost. Now all I need to do is get fit again, gah!!

I kept with it because I could feel it working, and because I'm stubborn. I would only recommend it for people who REALLY want to get rid of candida, tho.

[Rachel · Rating 2 out of 5]

While many of the concepts in this book are fundamental to any elimination diet, the fact that she sells her own supplements as necessary in order to do it turned me off. I don't like that I'm required to buy a specific I brand and mix of things in order to follow the fancy diet and make it work. The book gets two stars for being a good complement as a source in the midst of research, but should not be used by itself as a single point of information.

[Shendoah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally, with much effort, finished this book last night.

The Body Ecology has been used successfully by many people to heal their body of systemic candida infection, and keep candida under control. Candidiasis is a chronic problem in most people today, leading to digestive disruption (heartburn, IBS) food allergies and environmental allergies - especially chemical sensitivity. In fact, the inability to be around people wearing perfume, beyond just a dislike of that particular scent, is a classic sign of candidiasis.

You will learn the value of healing foods such as fermented vegetables, yogurt and kefir as well as instructed in the best ways to combine foods to promote healthy digestion and gut health. These two features are indeed, the core of The Body Ecology plan.

You will come to understand:

Why you feel bloated after certain meals.
Why you may wind up constipated when you travel.
Which foods help with reducing PMS
How your blood type may come into play.

I know many people who have dramatically improved their life and health using the principles laid out in this book. It is why I was motivated to read it. That said, it is not my cup of tea, so to speak.

I have recovered from candidiasis and environmental allergies myself, not using the principles laid out here. I personally found The Body Ecology to be a tedious and persnickety program. If your food is going to become something you dread, instead of a source of joy and pleasure, the program you are investigating is not for you.

If you know or suspect you have Candida, by all means, read the book, and follow the program. If it bogs you down and is more work than joy, feel free to put it down and move on. There are other ways and means out there.

[Jyoti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have only read a few sections of this book, but this woman seems very wise. I have researched almost every diet out there, for my health not my weight, and have been most happy with the Blood Type Diet. This author incorporates that into her diet which intrigued me. As well as some similar recommendations to what I have discovered on my own from years of trial and error with my body and diets. There are some things I have read in her book that I don't agree with for my body, so as with any diet, you need to be listening to your body, but also know what it is going through. One thing I have learned the hard way, is to take it slow. Transition your body no matter how excited you are to start a new diet and "be cured."

I think this book would be a very informative/educational read for most people. She delivers very comprehensible explanations, and I think most people don't realize the direct connection from our consumption to our ailments. She addresses almost every ailment you can think of. There is a check list in the first page to see if you have anything this diet can help you out with.

I realize another hesitation I have with this book is from how many times I have felt like I have found "the answer." This book has testimonials just like every other one. I'm going to start slow and implement suggestions from the book.

[Jessica · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book felt really dated to me. The author kept apologizing for how strict the diet was and repeating how it would be hard but you could do it, etc. That got old. She was also was hocking her out products throughout the book, which was very off-putting. And she mentioned getting a colonic way to many times. I mean, I get it, you think it's super important. I was also disappointed that it was not a fully vegan approach to healing candida. Some of the recipes I tried were utter failures as well. She drops the 'God' bomb at once point too and that felt heavy handed to bring that into the book at all. Any way, might I recommend a much more up-to-date and vegan-friendly read for those who want to beat candida with delicious recipes and good advice for the modern reader: Living Candida-Free: 100 Recipes and a 3-Stage Program to Restore Your Health and Vitality by Ricki Heller.

[vanessa · Rating 3 out of 5]

my mom hyped this alot, and said lots of people said good things about it. the first few chapters were interesting and i thought it might make sense that there is a connection between your body's ph and yeast...but then the book absolutely fails to give any sort of scientific explanation past..."research shows". i like my science, i like my facts!

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever on the search for different outlooks and theories that will create new positive changes in my life, this book qualifies as a winner for me. So much of a winner, in fact, I'll be purchasing it. It is very well written. While each chapter builds upon the previous one, it's written in such a way that you can skip around and not be lost or confused.

The vast majority of the material she covers covers ideas and methods I've heard of before but not understood the correlation between the different ideas. There are just a couple of concerns that I have and they may be covered in a more recent revision and/or on their website.

Here are my concerns: They really push stevia and sea vegetables. I will have to learn a lot more about stevia before I embrace it. I'm just leery of non-sugar sweeteners. As for the sea veggies, I love quite a few of them and being a person with a thyroid disorder, I've known about the benefits of sea veggies for decades. However, since the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Disaster and the on-going radiation leakages in the Pacific, I am concerned about consuming anything that comes out of the Pacific Ocean - animal or vegetable.

And, last but not least, their pushing of so many of their own products as solutions to issues is something that always sends up a red flag in my book. If they only had a couple of things, I wouldn't be as disturbed. And, the pushing of the idea that one MUST start as soon as possible and stick to their diet exclusively and essentially forever, neglects to acknowledge just how beneficial small steps can be for folks and even just how powerful components of their diet are.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have just finished reading this book and will be starting the diet next week. I will update this later, once I can tell you if I have had success with the diet to rid my candida.

As far as the book itself goes, the diet system is very complicated and there are some inconsistencies in the book. It also really pushes the Body Ecology products, which are overpriced and can be purchased through the author's website. There are also many statements made that seem to have no factual or scientific basis or source to back them up, which is, of course, a red flag. However, it seems like logically, it makes sense that taking this course of action would rid the body of candida (no sugar, combining food for easy digestion, etc.), and quite likely could be done with less rules, but who knows?

This was recommended to me by my naturopath as the best way to get rid of candida, so I guess we'll just see how it goes.

[Elizabeth Good · Rating 4 out of 5]

First, just to be clear, as the title says, this is a health diet, not intended for weight loss (though some lose on it). It is oriented towards those who wish to heal chronic conditions of many types.

There is a certain amount of criticism of Donna and her books...yes, this diet can be hard to follow, has lots of rules...and in my case, much of what she prescribed or postulates to fix the issues, was deleterious or contraindicated for me.

Yet, I have to hand it to her. Donna Gates was talking microbiome, fermented foods for healing, stevia as a healthier sweetener, and other VERY innovative ideas decades before these concepts hit the functional medicine and holistic healing mainstream. Her ideas about acid/alkaline balance I think are brilliant— not because she invented them, but because it is not given enough play in the protein-heavy Candida regimes.

I also appreciate her wisdom on several foods—for example, the types of grains she allows, and the awareness that the egg yolk is far more digestible than the white— are still ahead of her time! Much of what she says has been, or will be proven out over time.

One major minus point is her use of corn. It is a known moldy and acidic food...I don’t think it’s a healing one.

I read this book after I heard Ms. Gates in 1996 during her book tour in California just after it was published, and I still refer to the great wisdom and recipes.

[Leigh-ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I'd had more time to spend reading this book. I borrowed it from the library and it contained far too much information to assimilate on one reading. It also wasn't the type of book that was easy to read cover-to-cover... it's really more of a reference-type, "healthy diet" book. Considering that Body Ecology is a brand name and they make a wide-selection of health food items, I was pleased that you didn't necessarily have to buy their products to follow the diet suggestions.

This was yet a third book I borrowed from the library because I wanted to read about kefir. Unfortunately, Body Ecology suggests you make kefir from their powdered mix as opposed to making it from grains. The powdered mix only has a limited number of uses, so you need to keep repurchasing it if you want a continuous supply of kefir. Spending the money on grains (I bought mine on eBay) is definitely the most economical optioni!

[Johannes Bertus · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is the Rolls Royce of colonic detoxes and I can understand it's alure - but one would nead the iron discipline of a kung fu master to maintain its regimen. My advice: use the book as a reference, but speak to a nutritionist about setting up your own detox. Not all candida sufferers can (or should) follow as draconian a diet as Gates's. You might be setting yourself up for failure if you try to stick with her plan. I, for instance, would not have lasted a week on the plan if my nutritionist hadn't allowed me some fruit (a fatal error according to Gates).
That having been said, her principles are sound. And I share her enthusiasm for (goats milk) kefir.
For more pragmatic, sustainable eating plan, I would recommend Meghan Telpner's "Undiet".

[Victoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book changed the way I think about my body and what I eat. I appreciated thinking about my body as an ecosystem that needs to find balance. I followed the recommendations in this book and lost 25 lbs in 2 months. Six months later I have shifted my eating lifestyle and have kept the weight off. The recipes provided didn't work for my family but by following the "rules" and general practices, I've been able to to do pretty well. Donna Gates is not as extreme in her "do this, don't do that" as some authors in this genre are.

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book about what you should eat for optimal digestion. A lot of the foods they tell you to eat are a little too unusual for me. I did try Kefir for the first time. It is supplies the body with good bacteria and tastes a little like unsweetened yogurt. There are contracting and expanding foods, the book tells you how they effect your body.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

Horribly written. Confusing sentence structures, awkward fragments--just awful. Still, the content is intriguing, and my family is following the diet (or trying to, as sometimes it's impossible to tell from this book what is and what is not OK to eat) and hoping it will help our son, who has autism. So far (after a month), we believe we are seeing progress.

[Wendy Myers · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book detailing how important probiotics are to our health. When you can balance your body's ecology (probiotics in your gut), you can free yourself from yeast infections, systemic candida, fungus, bacteria, illness, and all the symptoms related to these infections.

[Skylah Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

I never write book reviews, but I had to say something about this. I am shocked and disgusted that in 2023 and all the research being done into autism and other neurodivergences that Donna Gates can get away with claiming her “diet” can “cure” autism among other things. As science has unequivocally proven, these neurodivergences are to do with neural pathways within the brain (and more technical biological things including genetics) and autism isn’t something that needs to be cured, it’s just our ableist society that deems people with any kind of disability as inferior. Donna Gates is not any better than an anti-vaxxer who claims the vaccines were responsible for autism. So which is it? Gut flora or vaccines?
This is one of the many problems with our society today. Anyone can write anything they want and cite questionable scientific proof from other people who’ve cherry picked data to suit their own purposes in confirmation bias, and then go on to influence hundreds if not thousands of vulnerable people. I found an article (among podcasts and other websites promoting Donna’s autism “prevention and treatment”) where she says “we’re confident Autism is not a genetic disorder” … okay and where is her PhD in genetics? She literally has no authority or knowledge to speak on this, all she’s doing is peddling misinformation.
It honestly makes me feel sad that this kind of thing is out there with complete disregard to any kind of sensibility, especially as to how an autistic person might feel in reading this.
Many autistic people have extremely high IQs. In fact some of the greatest innovators and artists in this day and age are known to be autistic or have ADHD. So are you saying Donna that people who made great art or invented some things we now use in our day to day lives need to be “cured?”
I wish I could give this book zero stars. No wonder it’s self published, no legitimate publisher would touch this no matter how many copies it’s sold. Sure, it’s probably helped some people eat healthier, but I’m sure if there was some way of surveying all the people who’ve bought this book, most would say it didn’t deliver on its wildly inappropriate promises and they wasted their money. Buyer beware, I guess, because that’s the capitalist hellscape we live in.

[Tom Haynes · Rating 2 out of 5]

Diet and food health podcast and books are influential, and very prevalent today. This book first came out about 30 years ago. The edition I read had an updated copyright dated 2011.
This particular diet focuses on the negative effects of candina fungus, and folks who are likely suffering from its related issues. Americans today, 2025-26 in high percentages are in bad shape for a number of reasons. Much of the finger pointing is at the medical, pharmaceutical, government and food industries.

The experts, the science, are contradictory and so are these books and internet searches. Each human body is unique and different, so it’s up to me and you to do your own research. Then use common sense to try the suggestions that might work (or not), for you.

My research and common sense has been telling me to appreciate “the old ways” of tried and true practices of decades to thousands of years. Modern surgical procedures, certain modern drugs are amazing. Then there’s the old saying “follow the money” 💰 - which forces one to listen to their skepticism before listening to a glorified expert. If you are experiencing serious medical issues, then you usually don’t have the convenience of trying different treatments and holistic practices.

In this book I appreciated being educated on certain things you don’t hear about in the mainstream. Ancient Chinese medicine, yin and yang, contract-expand theory, food and body PH. Probiotics, gut biome is very much mainstream. Especially with the overuse of antibiotics.

Many of the comments are saying the diet is too time consuming, and constricting. For the everyday American family, I believe that is likely true. If Candida is attacking you, it may be worth giving this diet a shot. I’m 75, grow garden food, love to cook, dislike eating out, love and use fermented foods, exercise and get outside in the sun and air. So, this book has much content I believe in.

The strictness in this diet that doesn’t work for me is: I enjoy coffee, pasta and potatoes, sweet fruits and usually a glass of wine with dinner. Since I’m blessed with health, there no reason for me to live without these simple pleasures of a life remaining.

[ᛗichelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is for people who seriously want their health back. If you have tried everything and nothing has worked, this book may be your savior. Celiac, Brain Fog, Nervous Tension, Depression, Cancer, Fatigue, Poor Digestion, IBS, Crones disease, Sugar addiction, Headaches, PMS, Obesity, poor absorption... What do all of these conditions have in common? Candida! I'm shocked at the lack of awareness surrounding the fungus candidiasis and peoples lack of personal responsibility for their own health.
Candida seems to be a 20th century disease relating directly to sugar, processed foods and improper food combining. Often passed on from our mothers who also suffer from candida, made worse by antibiotics/formula, the candida is nurtured/fed and by the time we are adults, it is subconsciously completely in charge of what we put into our digestive system. The Body Ecology Diet is a fantastic/healthy way to get control over your inner sanctum/gut.
This Diet holds one essential food above all else for health and inner ecology restoration : Fermented/Cultured Vegetables. Ancient nutrition knowledge that has been forgotten (quite recently over the past 50 years) is being brought back to center stage as the key health food! The body ecology diet can be adapted for every body! My house is Vegan and we are able to eat Sugar/Gluten/Yeast/Processed Food Free! This book works with individuality, placing no time-line for healing, allowing the body to remedy symptoms step by step, restoring vitality, health, beauty and peace.
The book lost a star because it is very confusing regarding specifics. Some foods are not recommended and later in the book it says to eat the same food in generous amounts. Many other reviews mention the high amount of product pushing- I wish to add that this book was first released in 1996, way before any of these foods were available in North America.
In Conclusion, It seems everyone has candida overgrowth (either a little or a lot) and everyone needs Fermented foods!

[Charity · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to give this book the benefit of the doubt. Gates writes about colonics and alkaline/acidic eating and food combining, all things that I find lacking in the scientific evidence department, but I thought, well, maybe she's just a little quirky and still has good ideas. I disliked the way she promoted her own products, but I stuck with her. It was when she referred to AIDS as an auto-immune disease that I realized that I didn't want to spend any more time with this book since it was clearly not written with anything resembling scientific rigor. It's really too bad that our only options seem to be doctors who ignore us or snake-oil peddlers. Or maybe that's just my experience.

Two stars, though, because it's quite possible this diet will help someone trying to get control of candida, although probably not for the reasons Gates lists.

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A ground breaking book on eating appropriately. There are so many diets out there that do not address how your food, the way you eat your food, the combination of food and many other aspects of food, interact with your entire biology and physiology. The Body Ecology Diet book does exactly that. I have never read about dieting in such a scientific and medically appropriate way. This is truly one of the only ways to eat if you are having medical problems and need to balance your system to feel better. I had sinus problems, 2 surgeries, numerous doctors visits. And didn't feel better until I quit all of the medications I was on and went on this diet. Now I am feeling so much better, not having stroke like symptoms and have my life back. This book changed my life!

[Andre Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books out there on digestive health and how to tackle candida.
Donna is truly a leader on the topic and I have read this book now 3 times. Each time I learn something new. I love, love her method for making coconut kefir.
Her content has helped me in my gut health journey and inspired me to start developing cookbooks of my own!

An absolute must for anyone with health issues or interested in improving their health!

[Lora Temelkova · Rating 3 out of 5]

Добра книга за информация за разделно хранене, коя храна с какво се съчетава и как да подобрим имунитета си и работата на тялото, когато срещаме проблеми.

Смятам, че наистина помага, но някои неща остават неизяснени и се изисква допълнително търсене и запознаване с някои принципи на трите фази, както и пригаждането към собствения бюджет и място, за да успее да я спазва.

Има препоръки само за техни продукти, които са естествено най-добрите, което е дразнещо.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nothing in this book is backed by scientific fact or actual research, but it's full of good nuggets of info if you are interested in becoming healthier. A few things need to be discounted straight off, but so long as you have critical thinking skills, a pretty good read.

[Miriam · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book ions ago and this is one of the few books that I kept on my shelf. I was listening to a webinar on health in 2022 and the speaker mentioned the important lessons in Donna Gates book. I had to pull it out and now I’m going to reread it!

[Melania Marte · Rating 5 out of 5]

I started this year reading this book because I had too many questions my body was asking me and I needed answers. i found all the answers here and saved myself so much time. Thank you Donna, for existing and sharing knowledge. WE NEED TO PROTECT YOU AT ALL COSTS.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Donna's healing principals mentioned and explained in this book are sound and healing. This book is a great place to start reversing chronic disease and kindly restoring a healthy microbiome or body ecology!

[Pam Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book changed the way I see, eat and cook my food!.

[Antoaneta Nedeva · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is some useful information, most of the book is advertising their trade products.