The Separation Diet or Hay Diet
Don't mix carbohydrates and proteins.
The Separation Diet was first developed by Dr. Hay. This diet has now been adjusted by many health advocates in the world.
After 16 yrs medical practice Dr Hay's health broke down, he developed high blood pressure, brights disease and a dilated heart. There being no treatment available for dilated heart at the time Dr Hay was inspired to treat his own symptoms.
He did this by eating 'fundamentally' as he called it, taking foods in a natural form and not mixing proteins and starches at the same meal. Pavlov's experiments with dogs showed that starches are digested in about two hours, proteins are digested in about four hours but a protein - starch mixture can still be digesting 13 hours later, food taken on top can lead to fermentation and toxic by-products putting strain on the system.
The result of this was a complete remission of symptoms and a reduction of weight from 225lbs (100kg) to 175lbs (80kg) in about 3 months. He believed he had a 'surefire treatment for diabetes'. Although ridiculed at the time, some modern research has produced evidence of a close connection between refined carbohydrates and allergies, skin problems, migraine, fatigue, depression, schizophrenic and aggressive behaviours.
What is the Separation Diet?
The Separation Diet is a balancing diet, meaning people who are overweight will loose weight and people who are underweight will gain weight.
Most people I know use this diet to loose weight. I used it to gain weight and it is the only diet I ever had success with! Mind you, this only works as long as you stay on the diet. Once you forget about the combination principle ..........
Protein containing foods and carbohydrate containing foods should be kept strictly separate from one another (hence the term food separation).
Separating these foods leads to improved digestion: proteins can be broken down more easily without carbohydrates, and vice versa.
According to Dr. Hay, acid forming foods (e.g. meat, fish, cheese) and alkaline forming foods (e.g. fruit, vegetables) should not be eaten at the same time. However there are also neutral foods (e.g. yoghurt, milk) which according to Hay mix well with proteins and carbohydrates whereas proteins and carbohydrates eaten together can lead to fermentation in the small intestine.
Not combining proteins and starches at the same meal is the main principle of the diet. Proteins are concentrated animal proteins such as meat, poultry, fish and cheese. Carbohydrates are concentrated starches such as grains, cereals, bread, potatoes, and sugars.
You can use the Separation Diet in combination with any other diet, eg. blood type etc.
How it works
Digestion of Proteins
Proteins need an acid medium for digestion. When animal proteins are eaten, hydrochloric acid is produced in stomach, which activates the enzyme pepsin, which splits and digests proteins. This process can only take place in a wholly acid medium. This acid medium is neutralized by the presence of a high starch or sugar with its accompanying alkalies, and the proteins are incompletely digested.
Digestion of Starches
Carbohydrates need an alkaline medium for digestion. This process begins in the mouth with the enzyme ptyalin, which starts to break down the starches before they enter the small intestine, where they are further reduced, and where main digestion takes place. The presence of meat or other acid-compelling foods, or acid fruits, upsets the alkaline medium necessary for the intestinal digestion of starches.
Problems arising from mixing proteins and starches
In brief, when high starches and high proteins are mixed at the same meal, there is too much acid to allow continued alkaline reduction of the starch, and too little acid to start digestion of the protein. This can result in a wide range of health problems.
Food Table
The Diet is below - It's very simple - fruit is best taken alone at breakfast time (the sugars ferment if fruit sits on top of an evening meal) and don't mix columns 1 and 3. Meaning you can mix proteins with neutral foods and you can mix starch with neutral foods, but don't mix protein and starches!
| For protein Meals | Neutral Foods | For Starch Meals |
|---|---|---|
| All cooked MEATS | raw and smoked meats and fish | CEREAL |
| Poultry | NUTS All except peanuts & Chestnuts | All Wholegrain: wheat, barley, corn (maize), oats, millet, rice, rye |
| all cooked Fish &Seafood | FATS & Oils | breads |
| Dairy | Dairy | flour |
| Eggs | Egg Yolks | VEGETABLES |
| Soymeat | Butter | Potatoes |
| Milk (including Soya) - milk should not be served with meat -) | Cream | Sweet Potatoes |
| Yoghurt | Sour cream | Jerusalem Artichoke |
| Cheese under 60% | Cheese over 60% | Pumpkin |
| FRUITS (best eaten without other foods) | Fetta | Topinambur |
| Apples | Kefir | Kale |
| Apricots | Quark | Salsifies |
| most Berries | FRUITS | SWEET FRUITS |
| Cherries | Blueberry's | Very Ripe fruits - - |
| Currants | Agar Agar | high sugar Bananas -only eat if ripe |
| Gooseberry | VEGETABLES | Dates |
| Grapefruit | All green and root vegetables except for potatoes and jerusalem | Figs |
| Grapes | artichokes | Sweet Grapes |
| Guava | all herbs | Raisins |
| Kiwi | Mushrooms | Sultanas |
| Lemon | Olives | Carob |
| Lime | Avocado | Honey |
| Lychee | raw tomatoes | Maple Syrup |
| Mango | ALCOHOL | ALCOHOL |
| Melons are best eaten alone | Whisky | Ale Beer |
| Nectarines | Gin | |
| Oranges | Schnapps | |
| Passion Fruit | ||
| Pears | ||
| Pineapples | ||
| Prunes | ||
| Tangerine | ||
| cooked tomatoes | ||
| PULSES | ||
| Lentil | ||
| Soya beans | ||
| Kidney beans | ||
| Butter beans (Lima) | ||
| Pinto beans | ||
| Chick Peas (garbanzos) | ||
| ALCOHOL Dry Wine - Red and White Apple Cider |