Does the Hay Diet Work?

Dr. William Howard Hay devised a diet based on proper food combinations back in 1911. He believed that many health problems were caused by poor chemical conditions and interactions in the body, and that many of these were brought on by food and digestion. The body cannot accommodate the high levels of acidity found in people’s diets, he said. He focused on building the body’s alkaline reserves. His influential diet is still used today, as are several offshoots.

The Claims

In Jackie Habgood’s book, "The Hay Diet Made Easy: Practical Guide to Food Combining," she claims following the diet can relieve stress, improve efficiency, heighten mental performance, restore a normal weight, strengthen the body’s natural immunity, speed recovery from illnesses or operations, clear up skin troubles, and it even “adds hours to the day.” She recommends the diet for treating peptic ulcers, migraine, chronic fatigue, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma and eczema. Andrew Lockie, a homeopathic doctor, says the diet is particularly useful for patients with flatulence, obesity, indigestion or other chronic digestive disorders.

The Food Plan

Dr. Hay divided foods into alkali-forming foods, concentrated proteins and concentrated carbohydrates. On Hay diet charts this is also written as neutrals, proteins and starches. Most fruits and vegetables are considered alkali forming. That is, even if they start out tasting acidic, like a lemon, after digestion they are alkaline. Concentrated proteins like meat, eggs and cheese are acid forming. Concentrated carbohydrates include grains, breads and foods made from flour and sucrose. Dr. Hay said that vegetables, salads and fruit should form the bulk of the diet. People should eat only small amounts of proteins, fats and starches. Processed and refined foods should not be eaten. Proteins can be eaten with neutral foods, which in addition to vegetables include seeds, nuts, herbs, cream, butter and olive oil. Starches can also be eaten with neutral foods. But proteins and starches should never be eaten within four hours of each other. This makes many everyday combinations impossible, such as most sandwiches, cheese and crackers, meat and potatoes or tofu and rice. His reasoning behind this is that these foods have opposite digestive requirements and are too hard on the body to digest together.

Some Results

Some people claim great success with the Hay diet. Karen Barber wrote a column for the "Mirror" claiming that following the diet helped her overcome her bad eating habits. She described her experience as only eating food from one food group at a time. Barber claims to have shrunk from a size 12-14 to a 6-8. But other people think the Hay diet is comparable to other healthy eating regimes. "The Daily Mail" pointed out that our intestines are evolved enough to process starches and proteins simultaneously, so maybe good results stem from simply paying attention to what you’re eating.

Arthritis Diet

The Hay diet has influenced other eating regimens. Dr. Lockie recommends a variation on the Hay diet for patients suffering from osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis. Since naturopaths think that toxic acids accumulating in the joints causes arthritis, some recommend an alkaline diet much like the Hay. But Dr. Lockie recommends going on the alkaline diet for a month, then relaxing your food restrictions. Both Dr. Hay and Dr. Lockie agree that some foods, such as junk food and white bread, have no regular place in a healthy diet.