Hay diet plan aka Dr Hay diet plan. Hay diet food chart, menus & book.

Hay Diet Plan

The Dr Hay Diet or Hay Diet was devised by the New York physician William Howard Hay in the 1920s. It claims to work by separating food into three groups: alkaline, acidic, and neutral. This diet is also known as a type of food combining diet.

The Hay diet promotes the practice of eating three meals per day with meal one being alkaline (carbs) only, meal two being protein foods with salads, vegetables and fruit and meal three comprising starchy foods with salads, vegetables and sweet fruit. There should be a gap of 4 to 4.5 hours between each meal.

Dr Hay diet food chart

The Hay diet food chart provides the rules for food combining when following the Hay diet plan. The basic Hay diet food combining rules are set out in the food chart below:

Food groups Foods Combine with Do not combine

Acid fruit (exception is tomato: can be eaten with low and non-starchy vegetables and avocado) Grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes, pineapples, pomegranates, tomatoes Sub-acid fruit, nuts and seeds Sweet fruit and other food groups

Sub-acid fruits Apples, apricots, berries, grapes, kiwi, mango, nectarines, papaya, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries Acid or sweet fruits, not both, and nuts and seeds Other food groups

Sweet fruits Bananas, coconut, dates, dried fruits, prunes, raisins Sub-acid fruits, and nuts and seeds Acid fruit and other food groups

Melons All types of melon Eat alone All groups

Protein (exception: drink milk alone) Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, dry beans/peas, nuts & seeds, peanuts, soy beans, soy products, tofu Low and non-starchy vegetables Other proteins, fats, carbohydrates and starches, and fruits

Low and non-starchy vegetables Asparagus, artichokes, green beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, lettuce, celery, carrots, onions, parsley, peas, peppers, turnips, mushrooms, zucchini Protein, fats, carbohydrates, and starches Fruits

Carbohydrates and starches Bread, pasta, grains/cereals, potatoes, pumpkin, winter squashes, yams Low and non-starchy vegetables and fats Fruits and protein

Fats (exception: avocado can be eaten with fruits) Avocado, olives, coconut, butter, cream, and olive, avocado, flax, sesame, and canola oils Low and non-starchy vegetables, carbohydrates and starches, and protein Protein, fruits

Food groups	Foods	Combine with	Do not combine
Acid fruit (exception is tomato: can be eaten with low and non-starchy vegetables and avocado)	Grapefruit, oranges, lemons, limes, pineapples, pomegranates, tomatoes	Sub-acid fruit, nuts and seeds	Sweet fruit and other food groups
Sub-acid fruits	Apples, apricots, berries, grapes, kiwi, mango, nectarines, papaya, peaches, pears, plums, strawberries	Acid or sweet fruits, not both, and nuts and seeds	Other food groups
Sweet fruits	Bananas, coconut, dates, dried fruits, prunes, raisins	Sub-acid fruits, and nuts and seeds	Acid fruit and other food groups
Melons	All types of melon	Eat alone	All groups
Protein (exception: drink milk alone)	Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, dry beans/peas, nuts & seeds, peanuts, soy beans, soy products, tofu	Low and non-starchy vegetables	Other proteins, fats, carbohydrates and starches, and fruits
Low and non-starchy vegetables	Asparagus, artichokes, green beans, beets, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, cucumber, eggplant, garlic, lettuce, celery, carrots, onions, parsley, peas, peppers, turnips, mushrooms, zucchini	Protein, fats, carbohydrates, and starches	Fruits
Carbohydrates and starches	Bread, pasta, grains/cereals, potatoes, pumpkin, winter squashes, yams	Low and non-starchy vegetables and fats	Fruits and protein
Fats (exception: avocado can be eaten with fruits)	Avocado, olives, coconut, butter, cream, and olive, avocado, flax, sesame, and canola oils	Low and non-starchy vegetables, carbohydrates and starches, and protein	Protein, fruits

Hay diet weight loss results

Dr Hay lost 50 (22.7 kilograms) pounds in approximately three months following his diet plan. You can achieve fast weight loss on the Hay Diet but you need to get to grips with the Hay diet rules first and ensure you follow the food charts closely in order to achieve slimming success.

How does the Dr Hay diet plan work?

It claims to work by separating food into the three groups of alkaline, acidic, and neutral. Acid foods do not combine with the alkaline ones. This method aids digestion and prevents weight gain. Though this could just be a side of effect of limiting calorie intake at meals due to restricted food groups.