An Indian proverb says, ” A man like a monkey who eats everything will become a horn (a sick man), not a yogi.” Dr. Boris Akimov talks about what a separate diet is and whether it is worth sticking to it.
Separate nutrition is a very young thing, its principles were formulated 80 years ago by Herbert Shelton, the famous American naturopath. He proceeded from the principles he had learned from the works of our compatriot, the physiologist I. V. Pavlov. What happens to poorly compatible products that get into the stomach, you can imagine if you add milk to a glass of tea, and then jam (remember this children’s experiment?) – the milk will curdle. Have you tried drinking milk after fish? Below-average fun! Therefore, there is a rational grain in a separate diet, especially for people with low enzyme activity of the gastrointestinal tract. However, there are people (or rather stomachs) who will digest nails, but the conversation is not about them.
Here are nine rules for separate meals by Shelton:
– do not eat carbohydrates and sour foods together: bread, potatoes, peas, beans, bananas, dates and other carbohydrate products can not be eaten with lemon, orange, grapefruit, pineapple, cranberries, tomatoes and other sour fruits;
– do not eat protein and carbohydrates together: nuts, meat, eggs, cheese together with bread, cereals, cakes, sweet fruits;
– do not eat two different proteins together (for example, fish and poultry);
– do not eat fats and proteins together: cream, butter, sour cream, vegetable oil should not be eaten with meat, eggs, cheese, nuts and other proteins;
– do not eat sour fruits and proteins together: oranges, lemons, tomatoes, pineapples, cherries, sour plums, sour apples can not be eaten with meat, nuts, eggs;
– do not eat starches and sugar together: jelly, jams, fruit butter, molasses sugar, syrups on bread or in one meal with cereals, potatoes, sugar with cereals;
– eat one starch in one meal: for example, do not eat potatoes with bread;
– do not eat watermelon and melon with any other food;
– it is better to take milk separately or not at all.
The main principle of the Shelton system is “the simpler our dishes, the more efficient our digestion”. This system, however, is criticized by nutritionists. There is a theoretical basis for this: almost all consumed foods from meat to bananas contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates, and, therefore, the composition of digestive enzymes is always the same. However, the wrong combination of products can provoke a number of food disorders and allergic reactions.
I adhere to some rules of separate food, but I rely no longer on health considerations, but rather on my sense of taste: an apple or orange does not go into my mouth after a pork cutlet, but I will gladly eat them half an hour before lunch. I drink tea with dessert half an hour after the main meal. I do not interfere with meat and fish dishes. I prefer yogurt to milk, and cheese to yogurt. And of course, I will not offer red wine with fish, and white wine with meat!