Especially for those who want to improve their health and get rid of extra pounds, the American nutritionist Herbert Shelton has developed a special system based on the idea that food should not be mixed as we want – some dishes should be eaten at different time intervals, guided by their compatibility or incompatibility.
A little history
The method that millions of people use to eat was invented by Herbert Shelton, a naturopathic nutritionist. In the 1920s, his first book was published, which talked about the proper combination of foods. In it, the author attempted to divide everything we eat into several groups and to study the properties of each of them. The result was Shelton’s theory of the compatibility and incompatibility of the nutrients in our bodies. Some of them complement each other, and some of them, when combined, turn into poisons. This was the basis for the creation of a special diet in which meals are divided according to the enzymes involved in their digestion.
What is the Separate Diet
One of the basic rules of this system states that food should be as simple as possible. Complicated foods are poorly digested by our bodies. That is why you should not combine more than two foods at the same time – it leads to poor digestion.
Shelton divided everything we eat into the following groups:
- Protein-containing foods – these include meat, egg whites, milk and dairy products, and other sources of the essential substance – legumes, nuts.
- Carbohydrate foods – cereals, cereals, baked goods made from wheat flour.
- Sources of fat – cheese, butter, lard, fatty meat (lamb, pork).
Vegetables and fruits occupy a special place in the separate diet.
- Vegetables containing starch are corn, carrots, topinambur, beets, radishes, potatoes, and pumpkin.
- Non-starchy plant foods – eggplant, Brussels sprouts, onions, leaf lettuce, asparagus, celery, bell peppers, sorrel, green peas, Beijing cabbage.
- Fruits and berries are sour (some grapes and apples, cherries, cranberries, oranges, lemons, currants, limes) and sweet (persimmons, figs, dates and other dried fruits, bananas, pears, papaya).
Shelton believed that of all the foods we eat, there are some that should be eaten separately from the rest because they do not combine with anything else. These are dairy drinks, watermelon, and melon.
The essence of separate nutrition is the grouping of food into categories and making a menu taking into account the peculiarities of assimilation by the body of certain dishes. American nutritionist warned: if we have incongruous food on our plate, our intestines and stomach will not be able to digest it. So, the food should be monotonous – the simpler the better. And you have to know how to combine it.
The basics of separate eating: food compatibility
The first rule Shelton suggested is that foods containing acids and starchy vegetables should be eaten at different times. This means that potatoes should not be combined with tomatoes, whether fresh or pickled, and bananas with oranges or pineapples.
Protein and carbohydrates are better not to combine – this is the second principle, on which the system of the American nutritionist is based. No bread with meat, potatoes with scrambled eggs or macaroni sprinkled with grated cheese.
Another rule of the separation diet states that at one meal (dinner, lunch and breakfast) you can eat only one source of concentrated protein. Combining them (nuts + cheese, milk + meat), you do worse to your stomach. So, a chop and omelet is not the best option for health-conscious eaters.
Acids and proteins are a real poison for the body. You need to eat them at different times. Tomatoes and greens are healthy on their own, but not in combination with beefsteak. The same goes for fats combined with eggs, milk or fish – they should be eaten separately.
Starchy vegetables and sugar are not digested if eaten at the same time. The famous nutritionist advised not to add to the bread, cookies and porridge jam, confit, jams, syrups – without them, the food will be much more useful.
Such a scheme of separate eating as if it consists of bans – bread, which we are used to adding to the mincemeat when preparing cutlets, should not be there, and a juicy fruit salad can be harmful if it combines bananas and kiwi or oranges.
However, food compatibility and incompatibility were not all of Shelton’s discoveries. He also suggested the following rules for eating:
- No drinking during meals – the nutritionist believed that a cup of coffee at breakfast or tea at lunch stimulated appetite, leading to overeating and obesity. Even water should only be drunk after the meal is over. It’s all about the dilution of gastric juice – a consequence of quenching thirst at the wrong time. This leads to a disruption of digestive processes. In addition, a person who drinks dry food and does not chew it thoroughly by wetting it with saliva swallows pieces that are insufficiently shredded. The result is indigestion, heaviness, pain, and disruption of the stomach and intestines. Shelton suggested drinking 15 minutes before a snack or 30 minutes after eating berries and fruit, 2 hours for foods containing starch, 4 for protein.
- Meat can be beneficial only if it is lean – fatty varieties should be excluded from the diet. Also, you should not include smoked and semi-finished products in your menu.
- It is necessary to eat more often: an American nutritionist advised to have snacks every 2 hours, which helps to keep the body in good shape without the feeling of hunger.
- All food should be carefully chewed, even if we eat soup or porridge – only food that is fully processed is immediately exposed to the gastric juice. Hastily swallowed chunks take longer to digest and are much less digestible.
- Choose the right cooking methods – food should either be boiled, stewed, steamed or baked. Another acceptable option is to use a grill. It is not necessary to heat the food – you should cook for once. All subsequent manipulations with the dish only reduce its nutritional value.
- Salt, pepper, spices and seasonings do not make what we eat better – which means that their use should be kept to a minimum. Shelton believed that flavor enhancers were useless because they impaired digestion and stimulated appetite, leading to overeating.
- You should eat only when you really want to – if you feel unwell, you should not force feed yourself – it won’t make you stronger, it will only weaken your body more. Sometimes it’s useful to go on a water fast.
The system of separate eating for women and men does not seem so complicated if we take into account the compatibility of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, as well as products that contain them.
Shelton was convinced that some combinations are just dangerous for us, and a lot of different dishes on the holiday table is a step towards overeating and health problems: obesity, diabetes, deterioration of the stomach, intestines, heart and blood vessels.
Make a menu for the week, adhering to a separate diet for weight loss and recovery of the body, is simple – combine all compatible products and avoid unacceptable combinations. Following most of Shelton’s rules is easy – they do not require us to do anything impossible.