Table of Compatible Foods
Columns I and III are incompatible
| Column I | Column II | Column III |
| For Protein meals PROTEINS Meat of all kinds: Beef, lamb, venison Poultry: Chicken, turkey Game: Pheasant, partridge, grouse Fish of all kinds Eggs Cheese Milk, including soya (combines best with fruit and should not be served at a meat meal) Yoghurt, including soya FRUITS Apples Apricots (fresh & dried) Blackberries Blueberries Cherries Currants (black, red or white if ripe) Gooseberries (if ripe) Grapefruit Grapes Guavas Kiwis Lemons Limes Loganberries Lychees Mangoes Melons (best eaten alone as a fruit meal) Nectarines Oranges Passion fruit Pears Pineapples Prunes (for occasional use) Raspberries Satsumas Strawberries Tangerines N.B. Cranberies, plums and rhubarb are not recommended SALAD DRESSINGS French dressing made with oil and lemon juice or apple cider vinegar Cream dressing Mayonnaise (home-made) SUGAR SUBSTITUTE Diluted frozen orange juice Concentrated apple juice FOR VEGETARIANS (but not recommended) Legumes Lentils **Soya beans Kidney beans Chick peas (garbanzos) Butter (lima) beans Pinto beans **Tofu |
Neutral Foods (can be combined with either Column I or Column III) NUTS All except peanuts FATS Butter Cream Egg yolks Olive oil (virgin) Sunflower seed oil Sesame seed oil (cold pressed) VEGETABLES All green and root vegetables except potatoes and Jerusalem artichokes Asparagus Aubergines (eggplants) Beans (all fresh green beans) Beetroot Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Calabrese Carrots Cauliflower Celery Celeriac Courgettes (zucchini) Kohlrabi Leeks Marrow (squash) Onions Parsnips Peas Spinach Swedes (rutabagas) Turnips SALADINGS Avocados Chicory (endive) Corn salad Cucumber Endive (chicory) Fennel Garlic Lettuce Mustard & cress Peppers, red and green Radishes Spring onions (scallions) Sprouted legumes Sprouted seeds Tomatoes (uncooked) Watercress HERBS & FLAVOURINGS Chives Mint Parsley Sage Tarragon Thyme Grated lemon rind* Grated orange rind** SEEDS & SEED SPREADS Sunflower Sesame Pumpkin BRAN Wheat or oat bran Wheat germ or oatgerm SUGAR SUBSTITUTE Raisins and raisin juice Honey Maple syrup |
For Starch Meals CEREALS Wholegrain: Wheat, barley, maize, oats, millet, rice (brown, unpolished), rye Bread 100% wholewheat Flour 100% or 85% Oatmeal - medium SWEET FRUITS Bananas - ripe Custard apples Dates Figs (fresh & dried) Grapes - extra sweet Papaya if very ripe Pears if very sweet and ripe Currants Raisins Sultanas VEGETABLES Potatoes Jerusalem artichokes Pumpkin Sweet Potatoes MILK & YOGHURT only in moderation SALAD DRESSINGS Sweet or soured cream Olive oil or cold pressed seed oils Fresh tomato juice with oil and seasoning SUGAR SUBSTITUTE Barbados sugar Honey - in strict moderation |
* Use only organically grown fruit ** All soya products are processed; use sparingly
Explanation on how to use the food combining table
This table is based on the Hay diet and was created by Dr W. H. Hay. The basic principle of food combining is that food can be classified into 3 types according to the chemicals required to digest them in your body:
- Alkali forming foods such as fruits and vegetables. Alkali forming means the end products of such foods after digestion. Even acid tasting fruits such as lemons yield alkaline salts in the body.
- Concentrated proteins such as meat, game, fish, eggs or cheese. These foods are acid forming in their final end products in the body.
- Concentrated carbohydrates or starch foods, which are acid forming. These include grains, bread, and all foods containing flour, all sugars and foods containing sugars (sucrose), but not the naturally occurring sugars found in fruit.
The Hay rules for health
- Starches and sugars should not be eaten with proteins and acid fruits at the same meal.
- Vegetables, salads and fruits (whether acid or sweet) if correctly combined should form the major part of the diet.
- Proteins, starches and fats should be eaten in small quantities.
- Only whole grains and unprocessed starches should be used and all refined and processed foods should be eliminated from the diet.
- Not less than four hours between starch and protein meals.
- Milk does not combine well with food and should be kept to a minimum.
- Don't mix foods that fight, see below chart.
Putting this into practice
The easiest way is to have one meal with only animal protein, one with cereal starches and one with raw fruit, with milk or yoghurt if desired, each day.
For example:
Breakfast: Alkaline meal
Fresh fruit, with a pot of plain yoghurt and a tablespoon of wheat germ.
Lunch: Starch meal
Salad, baked potato, steamed veggies, sweet fruit (e.g. banana) to follow or Salad sandwich on wholemeal bread (no cheese but butter is ok), vegetable soup and a sweet fruit.
Dinner: Protein meal
Salad or Vegetable Soup
Meat
Vegetables (but not potatoes)
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