plan that scheduled when food was consumed gener-
ally consisted of one food group per meal. Foods were
classified as Proteins, Starches, and Neutral Foods
that could be combined with proteins or starches.
Health via Foodincluded a month-long schedule of
suitable meals. It gave the public a guide to follow.
For the contemporary reader, the diet plan offers a
perspective on the Hay diet and the eating habits of
those times. Although food items were limited, people
could eat as much as they wanted.
The Hay diet menus for the summer included the
following meal recommendations:
A Friday plan began with a breakfast of orange juice
and milk. Lunch was tomato bullion, a baked onion,
a tomato-and-cucumber salad with mayonnaise
dressing, and apricots for dessert. Dinner was broiled
fish or steak, steamed chicory, steamed carrots, and a
salad of shredded cabbage, onions, and radishes.
Mayonnaise dressing was allowed, and dessert con-
sisted of lemon ice.
A Saturday plan started with a breakfast of whole-
wheat muffins, honey, butter, and black coffee.
Lunch was cream of carrot soup, steamed celery,
and a salad of pineapples, pears, and grapes. Salad
was served with mayonnaise dressing. Dessert was
lemon fluff. Dinner was broiled lamb chops, steamed
cauliflower, steamed kale, and a salad of grapefruit
and sauerkraut with mayonnaise dressing. The des-
sert was fresh peaches with unsweetened cream.
The contemporary Hay diet
Contemporary versions of the Hay diet no longer
recommend a daily enema. The eating plan still fol-
lows Hay’s classification of foods into three catego-
ries, along with the rules about how the foods are
combined at mealtime. The diet consists primarily of
fruits and vegetables, and dieters are advised to wait at
least four hours before consuming a meal from an
incompatible category.
Some versions of the Hay diet recommend eating
small portions of proteins, starches, andfats. There is
also an emphasis on eating whole-grain products and
unprocessed starches. Some plans allow alcoholic bev-
erages; others prohibit processed foods with ingre-
dients such as refined sugar, margarine, and white
flour.
The Hay diet meal plan is based on the categories
of Proteins, Starches, and Neutral Foods. Proteins
and Neutral Foods may be combined, and Neutral
Foods may be combined with Starches. The combina-
tion of Proteins and Starches should be avoided.
The Protein category consists of:
Meat, poultry, fish, eggs, and dairy products includ-
ing milk, cheese, and yogurt. Milk should be avoided
with meat, but combines well with fruit.
Beans including lentils, pinto beans, kidney beans, soy
beans, garbanzo beans (chickpeas), haricot beans, and
lima beans.
The majority of fruits. In this category are apples,
apricots, berries, cherries, currants, gooseberries, grape-
fruit, grapes, guavas, kiwis, lemons, limes, lychees,
mangoes, nectarines, oranges, passionfruit, pears pine-
apples, prunes, raspberries,strawberries, and tanger-
ines. Melons are in this category but should be
consumed separately.
Beverages allowed are red wine, white wine, and
cider.
In the Neutral Foods category are:
All vegetables except those in the Starches category.
All nuts except peanuts.
Fats including butter, cream, egg yolks, and olive oil.
Beverages in this category are whisky and gin.
In the ‘‘Starches category’’ are:
Cereal, bread, rice, and products made from flour
and whole-grains such as wheat, oats, corn, and
barley.
Starchy vegetables such as potatoes, sweet potatoes,
pumpkins, and Jerusalem artichokes.
Sweet fruits such as raisins, dates, figs, sweet grapes,
and ripe bananas. Extremely ripe fruit is not allowed
because the sugar content is higher.
Beverages in this category are beer and ale.FunctionHay created his meal plan to treat medical prob-
lems associated withobesity. He claimed that a change
in eating habits rather than medication was beneficial
in the treatment of conditions such as cardiac disease,
kidney disease, and kidney disorders.
In contemporary times, the Hay diet is used as a
weight-loss plan by the general public and people
interested in alternative treatments. Advocates of nat-
ural health maintain that the plan reverses conditions
such as arthritis, indigestion,constipation, and flat-
ulence. The Hay diet is also regarded as a natural
method for providing relief to people diagnosed with
asthma and allergies.Hay diet