5 Things You Need to Know About the Dr. Hay Diet

1. What You'll Eat

While following the Dr. Hay Diet, you'll eat a variety of foods. The only catch is that you can't mix most food groups at mealtimes. This type of diet is known as a food combination diet. When you eat foods with starches and sugars, do not eat them at the same time as protein options and acidic fruits. Furthermore, milk does not combine well with foods and should only be consumed in very small quantities.

2. Learn the Hay Diet Categories

On the Dr. Hay Diet, you'll need to know how to classify the different foods you can eat and combine. The three main categories of the Hay Diet include proteins, neutral foods and starches. Since you can't mix starches and proteins on the Dr. Hay Diet, you should learn the foods that fall into these categories. Your protein sources on the Hay Diet incorporate a mix of meats, poultry, eggs, fish and beans. Starches include breads, sweets, cakes, crackers, potatoes and rice. You'll find the list of neutral foods consist of vegetables, salads, seeds, nuts, butter and olive oil.

3. Timing Is Everything

Combining certain foods and timing your meals make up the foundation of the Dr. Hay Diet. You have to eat your meals at certain intervals in order to give your body enough time to properly digest the foods from your previous meal. On the Dr. Hay Diet, you must wait at least 4 hours before eating foods from each different food group.

4. Dr. Hay Emphasizes Healthy Eating

Although the food combining may seem confusing while following the Dr. Hay Diet, you will find some good aspects about the diet. For most of your meals, Dr. Hay recommends eating mostly salads, vegetable dishes and fruits. Furthermore, when you eat any starches, you should choose wholegrain types. The Dr. Hay Diet also recommends that you eat a limited number of proteins, fats and starches. These diet recommendations help with weight loss.

5. Why Is It So Complicated?

The major drawback of the Dr. Hay Diet is the complexity of planning each meal. You can't eat certain foods at different times of the day, so you need to think about your menus beforehand. Many dieters need to carry around a set of the diet's principles in order to remember the different food combos you should eat. A more straightforward diet plan may work better for you if you find it difficult to stick to a strict eating regimen.