Hay diet

The Hay Diet is a food-combining diet that was developed by Dr. William Howard Hay in the 1920s. This diet is based on the idea that different food groups require different conditions in the stomach for digestion, and so they should not be eaten together in the same meal.

The Hay Diet separates foods into three categories:

1. Alkali Foods: Primarily fruits and vegetables, salads, and herbal teas. These foods make up the bulk of the diet and can be combined with either proteins or carbohydrates but not both in the same meal.

2. Protein Foods: Meats, fish, dairy, and other high-protein foods. These should not be eaten during the same meal as carbohydrates, according to the diet.

3. Carbohydrate Foods: These include foods like grains, bread, sweets, and starchy vegetables. The Hay diet recommends not eating these foods in the same meal as protein foods.

In addition to these food combinations, the Hay Diet also recommends other eating practices, such as not drinking water during meals, eating three meals a day with no snacks, and leaving a gap of 4-4.5 hours between meals.

Dr. Hay developed this diet as a means of treating his own health conditions, which included kidney disease and high blood pressure. He claimed that following this diet improved his health and led to significant weight loss.