DISSOCIATED DIET

Dr. William Howard Hay

WHAT IS A DISSOCIATED DIET?

This diet is based on the concept of food combining, which consists on eating only certain types of food in each meal, for example: all glucids or all vegetables.

Dr. William Howard Hay created this diet because he belived that your body needs to produce and secrete different digestive enzymes for alkaline and acidic foods.

The dissociated diet essentially discourages you from eating well-balanced meals that include a variety of food groups.

WHAT CAN YOU EAT IN THIS DIET?

The dissociated diet's main rule is that you only eat one food group at a time. This rule can be applied in many different ways:

Each meal you should eat one food group

Each day only eat one food group

Eat only one food group per time of day (split your day into chunks, wherein you stick to certain food groups)

Proteins, starches and neutral foods, make up the three food groups in the dissociated diet.

Proteins can be combined with neutral food and starches can be combined with neutral food, but proteins and starches should not be combined.

BENEFITS OF THE DISSOCIATED DIET

It focuses on nutrient-dense food: The dissociated diet teaches people how to choose whole, nutrient-dense meals, which is perhaps its best feature

May help you to eat less: Food becomes less appetizing when an entire meal has identical flavour profiles and texture, according to a concept known as "sensory-specific satiety". As a result, splitting your food into the dissociated diet groups may help you feel satisfied with smaller portions, allowing us to eat less and lose weight.

It provides nutrients for optimal helath: Processed foods generally contain numerous characteristics and macronutrient profiles that would fit more than one food group, therefore there is not much room for the within Dr. Hay's food groups.

DISADVANTAGES OF THE DISSOCIATED DIET

It can be confusing: It may take some time to get the hang of the dissociated diet, as it is hard to remember which foods can or can not be eaten together.

It may be extremely restrictive: There is no necessity to consume your meals in the way specified by the dissociated diet, according to the limited research on food combining. You won't be able to listen to your internal hunger cues or practice mindful or intuitive eating on this diet.

It may lead to dissordered eating: The three food groups and limited combinations may be too limited for some people. This can eventually lead to eating disorders.

MYTHS OF DISSOCIATED DIET

THIS DIET CAN BE USED FOR LONG - TERM LIFESTYLE CHANGE:

The dissociated diet provide some advice for a healthy diet: focus on actual, nutrient-dense foods and avoid empty calories. However, the diet's advised eating pattern is unsustainable for long-term lifestyle change, and if you do not receive enough variety, you may develop nutrient deficiencies, such as water-soluble vitamins that your body doesn't store.

EATING ONLY ONE FOOD GROUP PER DAY IS HEALTHY:

If you simply eat one food group every day, you will be nutrient deficient and unsatisfied all the time. Applying those healthy eating guidelines to a sustained healthy eating plan that is more achievable for long-term weight loss is much better.