The Hay Diet A Quick Practical Guide
The hay diet is quite an old diet but a diet that works. This diet is all about food combining. Once you know what to eat with what, it will become second nature.
This is a diet or way of living that I use repeatedly and doesn’t restrict carbs! I wouldn’t actually call it a diet because I can have bread, cheese, meat and wine (my favourite things) and not feel guilty about it. I just make sure that I don’t mix certain foods together.
My mum told me about this diet when I was a teenager. Not that I needed to lose weight at the time but to have better digestion and not feel bloated.
The Hay diet is powerful, and the results are surprisingly quick. Get your FREE >> HAY DIET CHART.
WHERE DOES THE HAY DIET COME FROM?
Dated back from the 1930s when the Hay diet came out, the Hay diet takes its name from Dr William Howard Hay, an American surgeon who suffered a complete health breakdown at 40 years old. He was 16 stone, had heart trouble, high blood pressure and kidney disease. By following the hay diet, he recovered in 3 months, and after 12 months, he was back to an active lifestyle.
WHAT ARE THE RULES TO THE HAY DIET?
The rules are quite easy to follow. By not mixing certain foods, your body can digest your food much easier than it would when eaten together.
Rule 1: Separate starches from protein
For example, You can’t have a burger in a bread bun, but you could have a burger with cheese, veg or salad or a bread bun with salad.
Rule 2: 50% Fresh fruit, veg and salad. With every main meal, there should be 50% veg or salad.
Rule 3: Cut out processed food and replace it with natural food. Try to cut out ham, bacon and sausage etc., if you can.
Rule 4: Allow about 2 hours after a carb meal to eat a protein meal.
Rule 5: Allow 3-4 hours after a protein meal to eat a carb meal.
As with most diets, and you want to lose weight, it’s best to avoid cake and chocolate, but if you want to have a treat make sure to treat it as a carb meal.
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS?
The main benefits of the Hays diet are:
More energy!
The brain is more focused.
Restores your weight to normal and keeps it that way.
Strengthens immunity
Relief from chronic pain and arthritis
Stabilises blood sugar
SNACKS
Snack as often as you like. Snack on something neutral between meals, such as a celery stick.
If you want to snack near a protein meal, snack on an acid fruit.
Near a starch meal? Snack on sweet fruits.
If you suffer from low blood sugar, you may need to eat every two hours.
WHAT ARE SWEET AND ACID FRUITS?
Sweet fruits are fruits such as bananas, figs, dates, grapes and pears.
Acid fruits are all fruits except the ones above. These go with a protein meal or with plain yoghurt.
WHAT MEALS SHOULD YOU HAVE EACH DAY?
It depends on what you feel like. For example, one day, I may have porridge with blueberries for breakfast (starch meal), mushrooms on garlic toast (starch meal) for lunch, then fish and salad (protein meal) for dinner, then the day after, I might have protein meals all day.
If you want to lose more weight, go for more alkaline meals and protein meals, but a starch meal will give you the energy you need. At the end of the day, go with what works for you.
Alkaline foods should make up the bulk of the Hay diet.
ALKALINE MEAL
Fresh fruit
Yoghurt (Plain)
Raw Vegetables
Salad
Almonds/Seeds/Hazelnuts/Brazil nuts/Pine nuts
ALKALINE STARCH MEAL
Jacket Potato
Salad
Vegetables
Bananas/grapes/sweet pears/dates/figs
Almonds/seeds/hazelnuts/brazil nuts/pine nuts
STARCH MEAL
Wholemeal bread
Jacket Potato
Rice
Pasta
Millet
Oats
Salad/Veg
Nuts/Pulses/Seeds
PROTEIN MEAL
Meat
Fish
Cheese
Eggs
Dairy Products
Salad/Veg
Snack on neutral foods and never miss meals.
WHAT ABOUT ALCOHOL?
If you have a protein meal, you can have dry cider, dry wine, and spirits.
For starch meals, sweet wines, beer, lager, sweet liqueurs and spirits are ok.
BUT REMEMBER: Sweet wines and sweet liqueurs can cause blood sugar swings.
My advice is if you’re serious about losing weight is keep off the alcohol or just have it at the weekend (which is what I do!) I need some kind of treat at the end of the week!
CONCLUSION
If you are currently on a high-sugar diet, gradually reduce the intake instead of stopping completely. Don’t beat yourself up if you do mix your foods by mistake. Tomorrow is another day.
A FEW EXTRA TIPS
Drink plenty of water
Tea and coffee are dehydrating
Keep off processed foods
Eat more natural foods
Eat sourdough wholemeal or rye bread
Eat plenty of vegetables.
Fry with butter, not olive oil or nut and seed oils, because when they are heated up, they become toxic and create rogue molecules called free radicals, which damage healthy cells throughout the body.
KITCHEN EQUIPMENT TO KEEP YOUR FOOD FRESH
When I prepare meals I make them so they last for a couple of days or longer so I don’t have to keep cooking every day. These are my favourite things to keep my food last for longer.
Salad bowls with lids
Soup Freezer bags – these are great!
Foil Trays with lids – these are perfect if you’ve leftover veggie bake or a hotpot. Just remove the lid and place it in the oven.
Bread Maker – You can’t beat making your own bread so you know what actually goes in it!
Bread Bags – Keeps your bread fresher plus they can go in the freezer.