Diet Separate nutrition according to Shelton

Dr. Herbert Shelton conventionally divided separate nutrition into the following categories: protein products (eggs, dairy products with a small percentage of fat, mushrooms, nuts, legumes, lean meat, fish, poultry, etc.), fats (cheese, fatty sour cream, butter butter, margarine, etc.), carbohydrate products (cereals, sugar, potatoes, etc.), starchy vegetables, green and non-starchy vegetables, sour vegetables, berries and fruits, as well as sweet berries and fruits. Based on this, separate nutrition according to Shelton is focused on eating the most successful combinations of foods.

The American doctor also identified a separate group for products that cannot be combined with anything at all. These are milk, watermelon and melon. They can be eaten only in mono mode.

Basic Rules

From the point of view of a naturopath, dishes prepared from different types of products are harmful not only because of their high calorie content. More important is the incompatibility of their components. After all, different groups of enzymes are involved in the digestion of different substances. Those that break down carbohydrates interfere with the work of protein and fat. As a result, food is not completely absorbed, ferments in the intestines, and provokes intoxication. The body removes excess substances far away, more often into the subcutaneous fatty tissue.

The principle of separate nutrition according to Shelton: eat starchy, protein, sour, fatty and sweet foods independently, without combining them at one time. In order to also lose weight, you need to cook simple food - from a minimum number of ingredients. For example, it is recommended to simply boil meat or fish in pieces or bake it in its own juice, supplemented only with herbs. Berries, vegetables or fruits - in their natural form, preferably raw. Heat treatment should be short.

Foods high in sugar and that overly burden digestion should be avoided. Add salt to food little by little. Avoid processed fats and industrial sauces. You need to cook only with vegetable oils. Drink mostly clean water. Unsweetened tea and black coffee are also allowed. Any drinks cannot be mixed with food: they must be consumed before or after meals, after 30 minutes.

You cannot combine in one technique:

various types of animal and vegetable protein: cutlets made from mixed minced meat, meat with a side dish of legumes are prohibited;
proteins, acidic foods and starches: meat with bread, potatoes or pasta, lemon, cranberry sauce;
starchy and sweet foods: porridge, pies with berries or fruits, bread with jam;
carbohydrates with fats: sandwiches with butter, salads with mayonnaise;
protein products and fats: roast with cheese or cream sauce, potatoes with sour cream;
sour and sweet foods: citrus fruits with bananas, any jams, fruit desserts.

Eggs, fish and meat can only be eaten with leafy green vegetables. Cottage cheese, cheeses too. Milk should be drunk separately from everything else. Cook porridge in water without adding oil.

Separate nutrition Shelton - table

Sheldon's diet - the weekly menu should preferably be composed of well-compatible products.

It is advisable not to consume more than three types of foods at one sitting - this is what the Shelton diet says, reviews of those who have lost weight confirm this. Also, according to the doctor, food should be as simple as possible - then it will bring maximum benefit to the human body.

The Shelton diet is a real find for those who want to lose excess weight without limiting themselves to any foods. Shelton's separate diet allows him to eat almost everything - only certain combinations of foods are prohibited. Also, this technique will provide you not only with getting rid of extra pounds, but also with overall health and well-being. Your body will be provided with all the necessary substances, vitamins and minerals, and all metabolic and digestive processes will be normalized. Thanks to the balanced and satisfying menu of the separate nutrition system, you can easily combine such a diet with physical activity and any additional weight loss procedures.

Product groups

According to Shelton, the following types of foods that are useful for dietary nutrition are distinguished:

Protein: beef, chicken, turkey, lean fish, eggs, low-fat cottage cheese, any nuts.
Fats: olive, sunflower, flaxseed, corn, rapeseed oils.
Starchy: pasta, bread, potatoes, cereals, zucchini, cauliflower.
Sugary foods: beets, honey, bananas, prunes, grapes, dates, mangoes, figs.
Sour: citrus fruits, pomegranates, tomatoes, plums, peaches, cranberries, sea buckthorn.
Green non-starchy vegetables: cucumbers, celery, spinach, cabbage, salads, garlic, onions, herbs.
Watermelons, melons.

You should exclude butter, sour cream, hard cheeses, lard, fatty meats, canned food, dumplings, fast food, and confectionery from your diet.

History of appearance

The principles of separate nutrition were known at the dawn of the millennium. The “father of medicine” Hippocrates spoke about the benefits of separate consumption of certain types of products, and the no less famous Persian medieval physician Avicenna cited in his works the order of consumption of products. Ayurveda, which came from Ancient India, also practices the separation of protein and carbohydrate products, considering their combined use harmful to the body and spirit. Herbert Shelton's merit lies in systematizing the basics of separate nutrition and presenting the rules in simple language. Shelton emphasized that food should be prepared with a positive attitude, then it helps prevent diseases and even cure existing ones.

Fasting for weight loss

In addition to the principles of separate nutrition, Shelton was convinced that periodic hunger strikes . He argued that hunger strikes are good for the body , they unload internal organs and systems, and cleanse the body of accumulated toxins. In his opinion, in order to start fasting, you do not need to somehow prepare the body. During fasting, you are only allowed to drink. You should not drink more than your body requires, always listen to your body!

During fasting, he recommends that patients refrain from heavy physical activity , reduce water procedures, and set the body up for complete rest and recuperation. For Shelton's conviction in the need for fasting, his weight loss system was and is subject to great criticism. Despite this, many have used and continue to use this weight loss system to this day. In the next article you will learn an approximate menu for separate meals , practical recommendations for separate meals.

Separate meals. Product Compatibility Chart:

Useful video

Watch this video about the advantages and disadvantages of separate power supply:

Recommendations for organizing and selecting dishes for every day from Herbert Shelton

An American scientist identified several types of foods that cannot be combined with each other in one meal:

carbohydrates and proteins;
several protein products;
fats and proteins;
proteins and acidic foods;
sour fruits and carbohydrates;
a few carbohydrates.

When creating a menu, Shelton advises focusing on a list of compatible products that can be used in recipes for every day:

protein and green vegetables that do not contain starch;
milk and fruits;
greens and fats;
grains and proteins;
beans and green vegetables.

Sample menu as recommended by Herbert Shelton:

Breakfast – no more than 3 varieties of fruit. In winter, it is better to replace fresh fruits with dried ones.
2nd breakfast – vegetable salad (without tomatoes), 1 boiled potato.
Day and evening - a large plate of vegetables and stewed meat (fish). You can include tomatoes in the salad if nuts or cottage cheese are used as protein components.

Pros and cons of the approach

Those who support the Shelton diet argue that the ancestors of modern man were slim because they did not know about the possibility of combining different types of food.

Opponents point out that:

there are no products that do not contain proteins, fats and carbohydrates together;
It makes no difference to the body how or what to digest.

However, one cannot ignore the fact that the benefits of separate nutrition are undeniable if it is balanced. For example, like any diet, this method of losing weight involves a ban on sweets, limiting fast carbohydrates in principle and increasing the amount of vegetables and fruits.

We recommend reading about the ketone diet for weight loss. From the article you will learn about the principles of the ketone diet, a sample menu for women, and weight loss results. And here is more information about how the alkaline diet for weight loss is carried out.

What does it mean to eat separately?

The system was first developed in 1928 by Herbert Shelton. The theory was based on the idea of product compatibility.

Not all enzymes produced by the pancreas are equally effective at breaking down fats, proteins and carbohydrates. If you take foods of the same type during meals, the digestion process will speed up.

The pancreas secretes several enzymes when mixing different ingredients. As a result, some foods will be digested faster and others slower.

Food that remains in the intestines for a long time causes intoxication of the body.

Consequences of poor nutrition:

deterioration of health;
defecation disorder;
slagging of the body.

Important! If you follow a separate diet, you must give up some types of products: store-bought juices, canned food, tea and coffee.

Be sure to watch: Will separate eating help your health and figure: expert opinion

We combine products correctly, or which one goes with which one

Why do you need to connect exactly as the table indicates? During the digestion process, proteins, carbohydrates and fats are broken down under the action of enzymes. There is some type of food product in nature. And we have an enzyme in our body for it, and it is capable of exerting its specific effect on precisely this type of substance. The ability of the enzyme is narrowly targeted only at proteins, or only carbohydrates, or fats. Moreover, at any stage of digestion, even closely related substances, you need your own enzyme. It is logical to assume that eating “everything in a row” places an unbearable burden on our digestive system.

1.Protein and starchy foods are eaten at different times

Combinations of protein and starch, combined by nature, are not difficult to break down; the stomach can easily adapt to the requirements of such natural food to produce the digestive juices it needs. Nature also programmed it, and in what sequence this will happen.

But when they eat, say, a ham sandwich, the picture is completely different. In this case, protein and starch foods were combined by the will of man, not nature. The stomach will react to them differently, since different requirements for digestion arise here. The process for bread begins in the mouth. The secreted saliva is alkaline and contains the enzyme ptyalin. And ham, like a protein, requires an acidic environment. This mixture then ends up in the stomach. And the breakdown of starch subsides, because the digestive glands immediately initiate the entry of high acid juice into the stomach.

2.Eat one type of protein per meal

The limitation is explained by the fact that the glands produce specific gastric juice for a certain group of foods. “Own” juice has its own strength and duration for digesting food. For example, for meat the most effective gastric juice is produced at the beginning, and for milk at the end. If different proteins are eaten at one time, then our body will have to spend a lot of effort to make everything go smoothly. But there is no harm to digestion when different types of nuts or meat are eaten at one meal.

3. Sugars cannot be combined with starches and proteins

Everything is simple here. Sugars are not processed by saliva in the mouth; they quickly enter the intestines and are absorbed there. This happens if they are eaten separately with protein or starchy foods, and if together, then do not expect anything good. Being in the stomach along with another type of food, sugars will remain there for a long time until the other food is digested, and fermentation begins under the influence of bacteria.

4.Eat starches and acids at different times

So, we already know that saliva is an alkaline medium and is capable of breaking down starch in the mouth, but in the presence of the enzyme ptyalin. This must be taken into account when combining sour fruits with starchy foods. An acid, even a weak one, stops the action of the enzyme and destroys ptyalin. Therefore, sour fruits should be eaten half an hour before porridge.

5.Eat proteins and acids at different times

The combination of a protein dish with tomatoes depresses digestion. However, they didn’t think so before. Since the enzyme pepsin, acting in an acidic environment, triggers the breakdown of all proteins, then acids will help this process. In fact, when they enter the stomach, they slow down the secretion of juices and destroy pepsin.

6.Do not eat fats with protein

Fats will increase the process of protein digestion by almost two hours. Proteins containing internal fat will take longer to digest than lean protein.

Menu for the week

Before you start eating separately, you should understand that this is not a short-term diet, but a lifestyle that you will have to adhere to constantly in order to get lasting results. The menu below will convince you that even if you give up many foods, you can eat nutritiously and tasty. It is important to have at least 5 meals a day.

Day	Menu
Mon.	I: oatmeal, orange (can be replaced with an apple). II: anything from fruits. III: vegetable salad and fish. IV: seeds/nuts. V: steam omelette (2 eggs) and stewed vegetables.
Tue	I: buckwheat with water or scrambled eggs with spinach. II: anything from fruits/berries. III: Boil sea fish (100 g), add stewed vegetables or green salad. IV: low-fat kefir/yogurt. V: light vegetable soup and a piece of bread or stew, vegetables.
Wed.	I: rye flakes, boiled in water, tea without sugar. II: raisins or apple. III: boiled meat, vegetables stewed in water and salad. IV: seeds/nuts. V: cauliflower (white) cabbage baked in the oven with cheese.
Thurs.	I: porridge (any) with water, a couple of tangerines or 1 orange, a piece of bread. II: any fruit or baked apple. III: boil squid (100 g) and add stewed vegetables, green salad. IV: cottage cheese (100 g) or several prunes. V: boiled vegetables, scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
Fri.	I: oatmeal topped with yogurt and some fruit. II: fruit or berries. III: boiled cauliflower (or broccoli) cabbage, meat (chicken breast) with green salad. IV: a couple of vegetables or fruits to choose from. V: tomato-vegetable soup with cheese.
Sat.	Unloading: Eat 5 servings (1.5 kg) of fresh fruits or vegetables per day.
Sun	I: fruit, tea, porridge with bread. II: yogurt. III: fish/meat, stewed with vegetables, green salad, cheese (a couple of pieces). IV: seeds/nuts. V: steam omelette with mushrooms, vegetables stewed in water, green salad.