Foundations of Nutrition: Food combining

Question 1

Food combining

Answer 1

Improper food combining is one of the primary factors responsible for bloating, flatulence, heartburn, acid reflux and diarrhoea
* It can impair digestion, leading to lower absorption of nutrients
* It is not only what we eat, but how well we digest and assimilate food that adds to health, strength and fitness

Question 2

The hay diet

Answer 2

Dr Hay, a New York physician, began developing the Food Combining diet in 1904 because of his own poor health
* He determined that proteins and starches required different conditions for digestion
* If consumed together, digestion time was slowed and nutrient absorption impaired
* Processed foods were also replaced by whole foods, along with increased fruit and vegetables

Question 3

The Hay diet: Categories

Answer 3

The Hay diet proposes three food categories – proteins, starches and neutral foods
* Proteins require an acidic environment to be digested (the stomach)
* Starches require an alkaline environment (the small intestine)
* Proteins take longer to digest than starches. If eaten separately, digestion is more efficient and less burden on the digestive system can be expected

Question 4

The Hay diet: Combining rules

Answer 4

1. Proteins must be eaten separately from starches. Applied to concentrated proteins (Meat, fish, cheese and eggs) and concentrated starches (bread, potatoes, rice, pasta, other grains). Separate protein from starch meals by 3 - 4 hours
2. Neutral foods can be eaten either with protein or with starches (most vegetables, fats and oils)

Question 5

The Hay Diet: Food combining rules; fruit

Answer 5

The key aim of food combining is to improve digestion
* Fruit is more rapidly digested than other foods because of the higher water content and simple sugars (sweet fruits – bananas, figs, dates and grapes take longer to digest in other fruit)
* Problems such as bloating and flatulence can occur when breakdown of fruit is slowed by the presence of other food
* Eats fruit away from other foods including vegetables. The exception is juicing, where low starch vegetables (celery, leafy greens and cucumber) can be combined with fruit, except sweet fruit
* Do not combine acidic fruit (citrus, kiwifruit, tomatoes, pineapple) with sweet fruit (bananas, figs, dates, grapes)
* Always eat melons (e.g. watermelon, cantaloupe) on their own (do not mix with other fruit) as they are fully digested within 30 minutes

Question 6

The Hay Diet:
Protein food list

Answer 6

Select from either the protein OR starch list. Add neutral foods to either.

• All meat
• Fish
• Eggs
• Cheese
• Dried beans
• Peas
• Lentils
• Raw milk (Drink away from meals)

Question 7

The Hay Diet:
Neutral food list

Answer 7

Select from either the protein OR starch list. Add neutral foods to either.

• Vegetables except those on starch list
• Salads
• Vegetables
• Herbs
• Nuts (Except peanuts)
• Seeds
• Fats and oils – includes avocado although technically a fruit

Question 8

The Hay Diet:
Starch food list

Answer 8

Select from either the protein OR starch list. Add neutral foods to either.

• All grains
• Bread
• Pasta
• Potato
• Sweet potato
• Pumpkin
• Artichoke
• Honey (Small amounts)
• Sweet fruit – Bananas, sweet grapes, figs, dates
• All dried fruit

Question 9

The Hay Diet:
Fruit food list

Answer 9

Select from either the protein OR starch list. Add neutral foods to either.

• Melons – Watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew – Eat away from all foods including other fruit.
• If digestive symptoms are present eat fruit away from protein, starch and neutral food groups