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The Hay System

What it is and how to put it into practice

The main purpose of this book is to simplify the planning and preparation of compatible meals in accordance with the principles of food combining taught by Dr William Howard Hay. A detailed description of his system and the rationale behind it has already been given in earlier books: Food Combining for Health by Doris Grant and Jean Joice (Thorsons, 1984) and Food Combining for Vegetarians by Jackie Le Tissier (Thorsons, 1992).

This book aims to give only a brief introduction to the Hay design for healthy eating so that simple and delicious compatible meals can be prepared right from the word go without having to refer to detailed explanations or lengthy lists or charts. There are plenty of recipe ideas for wholefooders and vegetarians alike, but it is suggested that reference to the two books mentioned above should be made for a more in-depth study of the Hay System and how it can work for you, and also to extend your recipe repertoire.

Food Classification

Dr Hay classified foods into three types according to their chemical requirements for efficient digestion and assimilation. These three types are:

1 Alkali-forming foods such as fruits and vegetables. By alkali-forming we mean the end-product of such foods after digestion. Even ‘acid’ tasting fruits such as lemons yield alkaline salts in the body.

2 Concentrated proteins (20 per cent or more) such as meat, game, fish, eggs or cheese. These foods are acid-forming in their final end-product in the body.

3 Concentrated carbohydrates or starch foods (which are also acid-forming) – grains, bread and all foods containing flour, and all sugars and foods containing sugar (sucrose), but not the naturally occurring sugars found in fruit.

The recipes in this book are grouped under these three classifications – Alkaline, Protein or Starch – so that whole meals can be prepared from each section to give a well-combined meal of each type.

Dr Hay’s theory was that although both protein and starch foods are acid-forming in their final end-product in the body, they need different conditions for digestion and should never be combined at the same meal.

Acid/Alkaline Balance

This distinction between acid-forming and alkali-forming foods is of fundamental importance to the Hay system of food combining, the reason being that the body contains alkaline and acid mineral salts in the proportion of four to one. To maintain this natural balance we should eat the foods that yield corresponding amounts of alkaline and acid salts. The alkaline foods are the bulky foods containing a great deal of water – all green and root vegetables, saladings and herbs, and all fruits. Although citrus fruits are often referred to as acid fruits, acid-tasting must not be confused with acid-forming, which they are not; the acid fruits (except plums) are the best source of alkaline salts. Non-acid fruits are referred to as sweet fruits, and a full list of both acid and sweet fruits can be found in the Table of Compatible Foods.

The Hay Rules for Health

1 Starches and sugars should not be eaten with proteins and acid fruits at the same meal.

2 Vegetables, salads and fruits (whether acid or sweet, if correctly combined) should form the major part of the diet.

3 Proteins, starches and fats should be eaten in small quantities.

4 Only whole grains and unprocessed starches should be used and all refined and processed foods should be eliminated from the diet. This particularly applies to white flour and sugar and all foods containing them, all highly processed fats such as margarine and all highly coloured and sweetened foods and drinks such as orange squash and cola.

5 An interval of not less than four hours should elapse between meals of different character.

The acid-forming foods, as already described, are the concentrated proteins (meat, poultry, game, fish, eggs, shellfish and cheese) and the concentrated starches (bread and all foods made with flour, grains of all kinds [except millet] and sugar in all forms).

Too great a proportion of these foods upsets the natural mineral balance of the body and contributes to ill-health – especially rheumatism and arthritis.

Rule 1

The first rule, which can be summed up in Doris Grant’s slogan Don’t mix foods that fight, is the most important one to remember. Following this rule allows foods to digest in the most efficient way and can bring about dramatic health benefits in an amazingly short time.

To explain briefly: starches, i.e. the foods containing concentrated starches (20 per cent or more) such as grains, bread, cereals, potatoes and sugars need an alkaline medium for digestion. This starts in the mouth where an enzyme called ptyalin splits the starches ready for their further digestion in the small intestine. All starch foods should be well chewed and mixed with saliva before swallowing.

Protein foods, on the other hand, need an acid medium for digestion. These foods (meat, fish, cheese, eggs and poultry) stimulate the production of hydrochloric acid when they enter the stomach and if they are mixed with starchy foods (with their alkalis) the acid medium is partly neutralized and the proteins incompletely digested.

Sir John Mills recounts in his foreword to Food Combining for Health how the application of this rule cured the ‘man-sized’ duodenal ulcer that had invalided him out of the army. Within six weeks he was able to start work on a film.

Rules 2 and 3

Rules two and three concern the balance of the diet. Doris Grant once wrote ‘cultivate the salad habit as if your life depended on it – it does!’ It is the protective power of raw salads and vegetables with their rich store of vitamins, minerals and alkali-forming properties which helps to give the correct balance for top level health. By the same token we need only small quantities of the acid-forming proteins and starches, and the neutral fats. The ratio to aim for is 4 to 1, alkaline to acid.

Rule 4

Rule four is most important. Every effort should be made to cut out sugar, white flour and all foods containing them, and all processed and artificially coloured foods. It is these highly refined foods, robbed of their naturally occurring fibre, that lead to the over-consumption that is now thought to be responsible for so many of our Western degenerative diseases: coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity, cancer of the colon and dental caries.

The concept of a single saccharine disease, i.e. related to the consumption of sugar and white flour, was brilliantly described by Surgeon Captain T. L. Cleave in his book of the same title. The risks to children under 18 from widely advertised and heavily sugared products and drinks have been examined by Elbie Lebrecht in her books Sugar-free Desserts, Drinks and Ices and Sugar-free Cooking. We urge every parent to read her devastatingly clear account of the dangers to our children of a high consumption of sugar.

Excess sugar can also affect mood and behaviour, particularly in children and adolescents. It can be a contributory cause of hyperactivity and, with white flour, can cause hypoglycaemia and the production of too much insulin, leading to faintness, hunger, irritability and sudden changes of mood.

We now consume on average about 1 kg/2lb of sugar per week. Two hundred years ago it used to take us a whole year to get through the amount of sugar we now eat in two weeks. We are simply not adapted to this flood of sugar and it is causing an appalling amount of damage to our health. (However, giving up sugar entirely is not easy, and we have included a little honey in a few of our recipes.)

Putting the Rules into Practice

The easiest way to put these rules into practice and achieve the ideal ratio of four to one between the essential alkali-forming foods and the acid-forming foods is to arrange the day’s meals so that animal protein is eaten only once a day, cereal starches once a day, and the third meal consists of raw fruit only or raw fruit with milk or yoghurt. Most people eat too much protein and starch, particularly the latter which is found in so many convenience foods.

All meals should rely heavily on vegetables and fruits; even the protein or starch meals should contain only modest amounts of these latter ingredients, the main emphasis of the meal being on raw salads, vegetable soups or lightly steamed or stir-fried green or root vegetables. In fact, contrary to the usual arrangement of meat flanked by small portions of cooked vegetables, the meal should be a feast of vegetables garnished with the meat, fish or cheese, or the rice or pasta. Ideally it is better to eat meat no more than three times a week and to eat concentrated protein once every other day, alternating with a concentrated starch meal. For top level health one day a week on alkali-forming foods only helps to give maximum protection from the many pollutants in our environment.

The Recipes

All the recipes in this book are classified according to these principles and grouped together for ease of reference. Thus in Section One – the Alkaline Meal – the recipes are composed only of alkaline-forming ingredients and each recipe is compatible with every other recipe in that section so that a complete alkaline meal can be assembled without having to consult lists or charts. The same arrangement holds good for the protein and starch sections.

A well-combined meal plan should look something like this:

Breakfast

The best time for the important alkaline meal of the day.

Fresh fruit in season, or fruit with a pot of plain yoghurt and a tablespoon of fresh or stabilized wheatgerm.

A hot drink such as weak tea, herb tea, dandelion coffee or real (not instant) coffee, if you must. Make coffee by the filter method and serve with hot milk (half and half).

Light Meal

Usually at midday chosen from the starch section.

A salad of your choice, potatoes cooked in their skins served with butter and a steamed vegetable; a sweet fruit such as banana to follow.

For a packed lunch a salad sandwich made with wholemeal (wholewheat) bread and butter, a thermos of vegetable soup and a sweet fruit to follow would make a satisfying meal.

Main Meal

Chosen from the protein section.

This meal can include a salad of fresh raw vegetables and/or a vegetable soup, a moderate portion of fish, meat, chicken, game, eggs or cheese, and lightly steamed green or root vegetables, but not potatoes. This can be followed by any of the fresh acid fruits such as apples, pears or oranges, served without sugar.

Only one protein dish should be served per meal – that is, you would not serve a meat dish followed by cheese or another concentrated protein. If you prefer to eat your main meal at midday, the light meal can be taken in the evening and can either be starch or protein.

As far as preparation time for these meals is concerned the maxim must be fresh, fast and flavoursome. Meals containing such a high proportion of raw fruits and vegetable should use the freshest ingredients possible, and in our recipes we have tried to keep preparation and cooking times to a minimum. Simple meals consisting of one main dish with a salad or lightly steamed vegetables, followed by a compatible fruit, are far less taxing on the digestive system; the conventional three-course dinner of first course, main course and pudding should be regarded as an occasional treat or for entertaining.