Dr. Sebi Food List

BY:Carrie Ypma PUBLISHED: LAST UPDATED:

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Discover everything you need to know about the Dr. Sebi food list. This beginner’s guide even has a sample shopping list.

Dr. Sebi diet food list to take in and keep out.

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Who Is Dr. Sebi?

His real name was Alfredo Bowman, but he mostly went by his chosen name, Dr. Sebi. He believed that lots of ailments could be healed from within by eating the correct types of food. He never graduated from medical school and was sued a few times for consumer fraud.

After those suits, he never diagnosed diseases again. Instead, he kept working in the holistic realm, helping people to eat food that supported their overall health.

When Dr. Sebi came to the United States, he suffered from a litany of illnesses including asthma, diabetes, obesity, and more. He discovered herbal medicine when conventional healing methods failed to satisfy him, and upon success, he started to create the herbal cell food compounds now marketed as Dr. Sebi’s Cell Food.

What Is In Dr. Sebi’s Cell Food

The supplements are just one part of the Dr. Sebi diet, which is basically an alkaline vegan diet comprised of mostly raw foods. It does take some effort to follow this plan in the beginning, particularly as your palate adjusts and as your cravings for addictive foods like sugar and dairy subside.

See our alkaline food list for a more detailed look at alkaline and acidic ingredients.

What are the benefits of the Dr. Sebi diet?

It emphasizes the issue with mucus and acidity that leads to diseases. The Dr. Sebi diet is very low in fat, saturated fat, and refined foods, plus it contains no cholesterol, no processed sugar, and no alcohol. Most people lose weight when they follow this way of eating, and due to the elimination of animal products, processed foods, and sugar, there’s a marked reduction in the risk of certain conditions that are linked to their consumption:

  • Heart disease
  • High blood pressure
  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Stroke
  • Cancer
  • High cholesterol

Like other vegan plans, the Dr. Sebi diet calls for supplementation, mainly with vitamin B-12. You can also supplement with calcium, iron, and omega-3 fatty acids, although it is entirely possible to get plenty of these essential nutrients from whole food plant-based sources. If you don’t get enough exposure to sunlight, you’ll also want to supplement with vitamin D.

Dr. Sebi's Cell Food beginner's guide.

Sample Shopping List

If you’ve read any Dr. Sebi books, then you know that this way of eating emphasizes a whole foods plant-based diet. This might sound highly restrictive, but plant-based eating is hotter than ever and stores are stocking up on a wide variety of foods that are suitable for anyone who wants to try a short Dr. Sebi 10 day cleanse or even make this way of eating into a lifestyle. You need to have complete healthy kitchen that will help you to follow the rules.

What if you don’t see certain items on this food list? The good news is that there are so many healthy plant-based foods available that it’s impossible to list them all here. In general, if something is raw or minimally processed (like rice noodles or spelt noodles) and it comes from a non-GMO plant source, then it’s probably suitable for adding to your Dr. Sebi food list. Try to eat as many organic foods as you can so that you can avoid exposure to pesticides, herbicides, and synthetic fertilizers.

Dr. Sebi Food List Categories

The Dr. Sebi food list is categorized into six basic categories:

  • Living foods
  • Raw foods
  • Hybrid foods
  • Dead foods
  • Genetically modified foods
  • Drugs

Dr. Sebi called the living and raw foods“electric foods” or “alkaline foods.” These are preferred; in fact, those following the plan are encouraged to avoid items from the other four categories altogether.

While you’re following the Dr. Sebi way of eating, you are encouraged to drink a gallon of pure water each day (tap water is a no-no on this plan). You can also drink herbal teas, particularly those made with healing herbs recommended for alkalizing the body.

Dr. Sebi passed away in 2016, so others have taken up where he left off, and there are different schools of thought on which foods are best, as well as which to avoid. For example, one update to the Dr. Sebi food list stated that that year’s almond crop had more cyanide than Dr. Sebi thought it should have, so almonds and almond milk were taken off the list. Most people who follow a mostly raw vegan diet make some adaptations, and you can certainly do the same.

What to Avoid on Dr. Sebi Diet

garlic butter shrimp
garlic butter shrimp

If you’ve been eating the standard American diet, then you’ll find that most of the foods you’ve been consuming are banned – particularly if they come from an animal, or if they are highly processed in a factory. Additives are out, and so are most sugars with a few exceptions as noted on the shopping list.

What to avoid

  • Alcohol of any type
  • All dairy
  • All fish and seafood
  • All meat
  • All poultry products
  • All processed foods
  • Artificial colors and flavors
  • Canned fruits
  • Corn and products that contain it
  • Eggs
  • Fast foods
  • Foods fortified with vitamins and minerals
  • Foods leavened with yeast or other agents such as baking powder
  • Garlic
  • GMO fruits and vegetables
  • Seedless fruits
  • Soy and soy products
  • Sugar
  • Wheat
Dr. Sebi's Cell Food: what to eat and what to avoid.

Dr. Sebi Cell Food List

If you’ve read the Dr. Sebi book, you know that there are a number of herbal supplements to go along with this way of eating, each with a specific purpose. The entire Dr. Sebi Cell Food List can be found on the Dr. Sebi website. Here’s a sampling of what you’ll find when you visit:

  • Banju
  • Bromide plus powder
  • Bromide plus capsules
  • Bio Ferro capsules and Bio Ferro tonic
  • Dr. Sebi’s Cell Food Viento
  • Dr. Sebi’s Cell Food Greenfood

Pro Tip:

Whether you’re following a shortened version of this plan such as the Dr. Sebi 30 day cleanse, or if you’re planning to completely makeover your life by following a mostly raw vegan diet, you’ll find that vegan resources such as cookbooks, blogs, and YouTube channels can help you recreate old favorites (even cheese!) in a new, completely healthy way. It takes an effort to follow the Dr. Sebi diet, particularly in the beginning, but with an emphasis on variety and proper supplementation, your body will thank you.

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Easy Plant-Based Recipes

If you are going to try and follow the Dr. Sebi food list, here are some recipes and things you can make with them.

Carrie Ypma is the Chief Meal Maestro behind Easy Recipe Depot, where she turns the chore of cooking into a fun and easy adventure. As an eternal optimist, she loves whipping up quick and delightful meals for her family and is excited to share recipes, meal planning tips and especially our FREE Easy Recipe Depot Meal Planning App.

When she's not stirring up deliciousness at Easy Recipe Depot, you can catch her spreading creativity at Ideas for the Home by Kenarry, organizing life one tip at a time at Clutter Keeper®, or indulging in arts and crafts at Messy Momma Crafts. Join Carrie in making everyday cooking simple and joyful!