The Biogenic Diet is a creation of the celebrated author of some 35 books, Leslie Kenton. In 1995, she published a book called "The New Biogenic Diet," which helped establish her as a health and wellness guru. A "Grace Kelly look-alike" who migrated from her native California to London to her current home in New Zealand, Kenton has written a new book called "Love Affair," about her father, famed musician Stan Kenton, and the sexual abuse she suffered at his hands. She has also dabbled in shamanism.
Origins
Kenton's Biogenic Diet is loosely modeled on the Hay Diet, which New York doctor William Hay formulated in 1904. Overweight and suffering from heart problems, Hay put himself on a stringent diet and lost 50 pounds in about three months. He spent the rest of his life evangelizing about his diet, which was based, in part, on his research into the digestive habits of Pavlov's dogs. The Hay Diet is known as a food combining diet -- perhaps more accurately as a food separating diet -- which means certain types of foods, such as proteins and starches, should be eaten at least four hours apart.
Biogenic Diet
The Hay Diet eventually begat modern versions such as the Kensington Diet, the New Beverly Hills Diet and the Biogenic Diet. A chart showing the Biogenic Diet guidelines can be found at the Apollo Life website. It lists the types of foods that can be eaten on the diet, the types of foods that can be combined and the types that must be eaten at separate times. For example, only certain vegetables, including non-starchy ones, can be eaten with fruit. The Biogenic Diet also emphasizes raw and fresh foods.
Health Benefits
There are many healthy aspects of the Biogenic Diet. It is a diet which is rich in fruits, vegetables and lean meats, Sweets, soft drinks and caffeine are on the prohibited list of foods. Whole grains and fruits and vegetables are on the "what to eat" list. Since the diet is a stringent one, you might lose weight on it simply by consuming fewer calories.
Drawbacks
Food combining diets, including the Biogenic Diet, are difficult to sustain. Meals are complicated, you have to keep track of what foods are acceptable to eat at different times of the day and you could be deprived of essential nutrients. As the Healthy Food site states, there is no modern research that supports the theories of food combining diets: "Food combining is a gimmick, based on old and incorrect scientific principles."
Considerations
Some of the most important food sources we have combine protein and carbohydrates, including dairy products, breads, and cereals. The human digestive system can handle any combination of foods we throw at it. It is hard to understand why any modern diet would recommend food combining, or, to be more accurate, food separating.
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