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to Mends.

      Soon after its publication in 1984 the book became a best seller and, since the mass market edition was launched in 1991, it has featured consistently in the top 10 best-selling paperback manuals. This in itself is a more or less unheard of success for a book that has been on the market for so long.

      Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that it is not just another diet book, but a very practical guide to a healthier lifestyle based on Dr Hay’s essentially holistic teaching. For he taught that it is not only what you eat, but what you think, that adds up to the health of the whole person, that regeneration and returning vitality can only come through correct eating, exercise and rest, thus enabling body and mind to function harmoniously and accommodate the stresses and strains of twentieth-century life.

      Over the years Doris and I have received many enthusiastic letters telling us about recoveries, often dramatic, from allergies, migraine, arthritis, colitis, indigestion and many other medically diagnosed conditions, and all testifying to increased vitality and energy.

      One that really said it all arrived only a few months ago:

      Since Christmas my children and I have followed the advice given (in Food Combining for Health) not because we had any particular problems but for the long-term general good of our health. This has had the unlooked-for advantage for me of the easy and gradual loss of one stone (14 pounds) in weight, and also the saving of quite a lot of money from food bills which now goes towards more luxury fruit and vegetables such as strawberries and asparagus.

      This rather proves Dr Hay’s point that given a chance in the form of eating as nature intended, the body will heal itself and this includes weight loss as part of a normalizing process. It also shows that food combining need not be expensive as so much money can be saved by cutting out processed and junk foods.

      So whatever your motive in reading this, whether to resolve a specific health problem, to lose weight, or just to feel better, be assured that from the hundreds of letters and other evidence received, food combining really does work.

      Another happy outcome has been Jackie Le Tissier’s recovery from a painful arthritic condition known as ankylosing spondylitis after she had adopted the system. In due course she adapted it for vegetarians and wrote Food Combining for Vegetarians, another success story.

      This cookbook is the result of a happy collaboration with Jackie in response to an ever-growing demand for more Hay recipes and ideas. It is also written for those who prefer a practical approach and who do not want to be bothered with too many lists and charts. The whole idea is to keep it simple as Dr Hay originally intended and, in three words, just do it.

       Jean Joice

The Hay System

       What it is and how to put it into practice

      The main purpose of this book is to simplify the planning and preparation of compatible meals in accordance with the principles of food combining taught by Dr William Howard Hay. A detailed description of his system and the rationale behind it has already been given in earlier books: Food Combining for Health by Doris Grant and Jean Joice (Thorsons, 1984) and Food Combining for Vegetarians by Jackie Le Tissier (Thorsons, 1992).

      This book aims to give only a brief introduction to the Hay design for healthy eating so that simple and delicious compatible meals can be prepared right from the word go without having to refer to detailed explanations or lengthy lists or charts. There are plenty of recipe ideas for wholefooders and vegetarians alike, but it is suggested that reference to the two books mentioned above should be made for a more in-depth study of the Hay System and how it can work for you, and also to extend your recipe repertoire.

      Food Classification

      Dr Hay classified foods into three types according to their chemical requirements for efficient digestion and assimilation. These three types are:

      1 Alkali-forming foods such as fruits and vegetables. By alkali-forming we mean the end-product of such foods after digestion. Even ‘acid’ tasting fruits such as lemons yield alkaline salts in the body.

      2 Concentrated proteins (20 per cent or more) such as meat, game, fish, eggs or cheese. These foods are acid-forming in their final end-product in the body.

      3 Concentrated carbohydrates or starch foods (which are also acid-forming) – grains, bread and all foods containing flour, and all sugars and foods containing sugar (sucrose), but not the naturally occurring sugars found in fruit.

      The recipes in this book are grouped under these three classifications – Alkaline, Protein or Starch – so that whole meals can be prepared from each section to give a well-combined meal of each type.

      Dr Hay’s theory was that although both protein and starch foods are acid-forming in their final end-product in the body, they need different conditions for digestion and should never be combined at the same meal.

      Acid/Alkaline Balance

      This distinction between acid-forming and alkali-forming foods is of fundamental importance to the Hay system of food combining, the reason being that the body contains alkaline and acid mineral salts in the proportion of four to one. To maintain this natural balance we should eat the foods that yield corresponding amounts of alkaline and acid salts. The alkaline foods are the bulky foods containing a great deal of water – all green and root vegetables, saladings and herbs, and all fruits. Although citrus fruits are often referred to as acid fruits, acid-tasting must not be confused with acid-forming, which they are not; the acid fruits (except plums) are the best source of alkaline salts. Non-acid fruits are referred to as sweet fruits, and a full list of both acid and sweet fruits can be found in the Table of Compatible Foods.

      The Hay Rules for Health

      1 Starches and sugars should not be eaten with proteins and acid fruits at the same meal.

      2 Vegetables, salads and fruits (whether acid or sweet, if correctly combined) should form the major part of the diet.

      3 Proteins, starches and fats should be eaten in small quantities.

      4 Only whole grains and unprocessed starches should be used and all refined and processed foods should be eliminated from the diet. This particularly applies to white flour and sugar and all foods containing them, all highly processed fats such as margarine and all highly coloured and sweetened foods and drinks such as orange squash and cola.

      5 An interval of not less than four hours should elapse between meals of different character.

      The acid-forming foods, as already described, are the concentrated proteins (meat, poultry, game, fish, eggs, shellfish and cheese) and the concentrated starches (bread and all foods made with flour, grains of all kinds [except millet] and sugar in all forms).

      Too great a proportion of these foods upsets the natural mineral balance of the body and contributes to ill-health – especially rheumatism and arthritis.

      Rule 1

      The first rule, which can be summed up in Doris Grant’s slogan Don’t mix foods that fight, is the most important one to remember. Following this rule allows foods to digest in the most efficient way and can bring about dramatic health benefits in an amazingly short time.

      To explain briefly: starches, i.e. the foods containing concentrated starches (20 per cent or more) such as grains, bread, cereals, potatoes and sugars need an alkaline medium for digestion. This starts in the mouth where an enzyme called ptyalin splits the starches ready for their further digestion in the small intestine. All starch foods should be well chewed and mixed with saliva before swallowing.

      Protein foods, on the other hand, need an acid medium for digestion. These foods (meat, fish, cheese, eggs and poultry) stimulate the production of hydrochloric acid when they enter the stomach and

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