This page summarises the method. If you would like the original words, the full book is free to read here, chapter by chapter.
Step 1: The preparation fast
Macfadden insisted the milk diet should not start straight from ordinary meals. He advised one or two days of water only, or of fruit juice, and up to five days for heavier people. His reasoning was that a rested stomach would take the milk more easily. Details are in Chapter III.
Today’s view: fasting is not suitable for people with diabetes, a history of eating disorders, during pregnancy, or for anyone on regular medication without medical advice.
Step 2: Starting the milk gradually
After a short fast, the book suggests a glass every hour on the first day and then every half hour. After a longer fast, it starts at one glass every two hours. The point is to let the stomach stretch back up to the job.
Step 3: The daily routine
- Timing: a glass every 30 minutes, roughly 7 am to 7 pm
- Amount: about five quarts a day for women, six for men (one quart is a little under a litre)
- How to drink: sip slowly, almost sucking it through the lips, so it mixes with saliva
- Temperature: cool, or warmed to body heat, never boiled
- Nothing else: milk only, apart from a little lemon or orange juice if needed
Macfadden also recommended fresh air, a daily warm bath, gentle exercise if well enough, and a lot of rest.
Step 4: How much milk
His rule of thumb was a quart of milk for every 25–35 lb of body weight, or one quart per foot of height for men. We look at what that means in metric, and how it compares with modern advice, in How Much Milk a Day?
Step 5: Handling side effects
The book spends a whole chapter, Chapter IV, on problems. The main ones he describes are:
- Nausea: treated with a few drops of lemon juice after each glass
- Constipation: very common, as milk has no fibre
- Diarrhoea: eased by skimming off cream or reducing the amount
- Bloating and a coated tongue: described as normal
He also described the return of old aches as a “healing crisis”. Be careful with this idea. New or returning symptoms can be a sign that something is wrong, and they deserve proper medical attention rather than being pushed through.
Step 6: Coming off the diet
Chapter V describes a slow return to food: milk until early afternoon, then a simple evening meal of vegetables and wholemeal bread, for at least several days before going back to normal meals.
What modern nutrition says
A milk-only diet supplies plenty of protein, calcium and energy, but it falls short in important ways:
- Iron: milk contains very little iron, so a long milk-only diet can lead to anaemia
- Vitamin C and fibre: almost none
- Calcium: five litres provide around 6,000 mg, more than double the usual safe upper limit for adults
- Saturated fat: very high on whole milk
- Fluid load: several litres a day is risky for anyone with heart or kidney problems
So while the history is interesting, a strict milk diet is not something to try on your own. If you are drawn to the idea, talk it through with a doctor or registered dietitian.
Read the original
- Preface and contents
- Chapter I: Why the Milk Diet Cures
- Chapter II: When to Use the Milk Diet
- Chapter III: The Milk Diet Régime
- Chapter IV: Symptoms and Mishaps
- Chapter V: How to Change from the Milk Diet
- Chapter VI: Keeping the Health You Have Gained
- Macfadden’s own 17-point summary
This article is general information, not medical advice. Please speak to your doctor or a registered dietitian before making big changes to your diet.