Anything to say about Harvey Diamond's Fit For Life?

[autumn4596]

I've read the book Fit For Life By Harvey Diamond and for a bit less than a year, I've been working on following his food combining principles.

He suggests that you dont mix fresh fruit with any other kind of food...only fresh fruit and fresh fruit juice.

That you dont mix Protein with starches because of the alkaline acid mix and how they cancel eachother out...not letting anything be digested.

and not mixing dairy with either of the two either.

Vegetables can go with either one.

Pretty much in the book, he explains his priciples are important to losing weight.

I was wondering if anyone else read it and what they had to say about it. You guys seem to mix fruit with vegetables, and fruit with crackers or nut butters, but I feel bad doing so because its against what he preaches.

[Mommax4]

Do you have Alissa's book? She goes into detail about how to combine foods or not combine them. I've read this in several different books.

[autumn4596]

oh geez...no not yet... I'm going to get to it though since I just got into this raw lifestyle. Thanks for telling me though.

[Mommax4]

lol, I wasn't trying to be snooty or anything, I promise. I just remember I read Natalia Rose's book first and she talked about as well, and then I got Alissa's book and she too talked about it, so I started with oh there must be something to that...lol I'm going to check out the book you mentioned as well...though it does seem everyone has the same combining combinations.

[autumn4596]

aww...hehe I know you werent being snooty. dont worry about it, sorry if I came off offended.... :D

[Mommax4]

Nah you didn't, but I reread my response and was like geeezzz I wasn't sounding to nice! :)

[Sweet lips]

I read his book over several years,starting in the 80's - have the cookbook from his former wife. He is a natural hygensit -actually folloing the philosphy of Fry, who came before him. When I read your post, I got the impression that you are looking at him as the 'ONE' and if we do not follow his tenets we're are not in order. ;) Now, I know that is not your intent.

There are several different theories on food combining out here, by several different people. I have studied quite a bit on food combining as well, and I have lost weight not food combining. :p . What I find is that there are a lot of different theories and many of them are based on a diet with cooked food and cooked meat - check out this website:http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/DietandLifestyle/Food_combining.htm

For me, implementing these rules has made my eating stagnant - I am now at the point where I eat what I feel my body is calling for in the name of raw. I, so far, have been successful in finding subs for the cooked cravings - so when I eat a make a lemon whip pie in a nut crust, I totally enjoy it.

Alissa does cover the subject very well, and her advice is when you start in raw - eat, eat enough to satisfy yourself, eat often enough to ensure that you strave the cravings, and eat. While the combo's do not always merit 'proper' food combining, one has a tendecy to be better on this journey by listening to the body - eventually, eating all the jumbled up combinations will die down, and one will move to a more monlistic type of diet - where we eat to live, not live to eat.

I hope I didn't offend you! Just another side of the coin. By experience, I do not combine watermelon with anything ever and at all - it makes me nauseated something terrible.

[Smileen]

Just wanted to take a moment to say that I adore Harvey Diamond and his work. He did so much to spread the word about health. He also took alot of flak for his ideas that were ahead of his time. Many things he shared that he was ridiculed for have now been validated by the traditional medical community. He gave so many people their start (inc. Alissa, I believe) on the road to health.

That's all...I just love the guy. I've heard him speak in person on several occasions. :)

[Revvell]

Never have read the book and for me, food combining, mixing foods or not mixing foods, figuring out which is "supposed" to be carbs, proteins and/or fats (since ALL natural foods contain these) OR remembering which are sweet or acidic, what can/cannot go with what etc., makes my head hurt. I've finally learned to enjoy my foods and that's exactly what I'm doing. Life can be complicated enought w/out adding complications to it.

:cool:



I've read the book Fit For Life By Harvey Diamond and for a bit less than a year, I've been working on following his food combining principles.

He suggests that you dont mix fresh fruit with any other kind of food...only fresh fruit and fresh fruit juice.

That you dont mix Protein with starches because of the alkaline acid mix and how they cancel eachother out...not letting anything be digested.

and not mixing dairy with either of the two either.

Vegetables can go with either one.

Pretty much in the book, he explains his priciples are important to losing weight.

I was wondering if anyone else read it and what they had to say about it. You guys seem to mix fruit with vegetables, and fruit with crackers or nut butters, but I feel bad doing so because its against what he preaches.

[Shona]

I have all the Fit For Life books and if I recall correctly, while they did advocate eating lots of raw fruits and vegetables, they weren't about a raw foods lifestyle. They were about health in relation to food combining and, later, veganism.

Because of this, I'm kind of surprised that this book keeps getting mentioned on raw food sites. When he talks about not combining protein [mainly animal proteins] and starch - he's referring to cooked foods. Many vegan protein sources are a combination of protein and starch, beans and soy, for example, and can be used as either depending on what they are served with. Neither of these are used much in raw vegan uncooking. Neither are what most people think of as starches, mainly white potatoes, rice, and pasta. And again he is referring to cooked food, which has a different nutritional composition.

I am not an expert in raw cuisine, I tend to keep things kind of simple, but from what I've seen reading around, fruit is mostly eaten alone. Vegetables are eaten together. Lettuce can be properly combined with fruit in smoothies or with nut-based dressings. Vegetables are properly combined with nut-based or avocado-based dips.

I would go with how I feel when I eat something and not worry too much about it. I think the main reason why people lose weight when food combining is because they are eating fewer calories per meal.

Shona :)

[Revvell]

I think the main reason why people lose weight when food combining is because they are eating fewer calories per meal.
Shona :)

Who has time to eat w/ all that figuring? :D


:cool:

[Doe]

for a bit less than a year, I've been working on following his food combining principles.Hubby and I read Harvey and Marilyn’s books maybe 16 or so years ago, made changes, and have shared them with many people. If you have been practicing proper food combining for almost a year why would you change that to become raw? Alissa has stated that one change at a time is enough to worry with when going raw. We do not have to unlearn good habits.

There are recipes here that would not change your combining principles. Like Sweet Lips I eat all melons mono and on a completely empty stomach (at least 10 hrs since eating anything else) otherwise I get sick. This doesn't mean I don't eat melon. I eat it every morning, and really look forward to morning so I can have more. I don't have to make myself sick to eat raw or to participate here.

Combining nuts and fruit, which I do on rare occasions, gives me indigestion at bedtime. I wake up several times during the night because of it. Then I have sinus congestion for two or three days after. It tastes good and it does not adversely affect my weight. I do pay for doing something I know not to do.

Nobody is saying we have to mix things we don’t want to, or that we can’t mix things others would not. We can choose to eat whatever raw foods we want and leave the others alone. Just like anywhere else, we have to pick and choose for ourselves. We individually are the ones that will benefit or suffer.

Teri

[autumn4596]

hm...it IS a bit confusing...which is protein and which is carbs... I have a problem with a few different foods, I've pretty much avoided it because its too much thinking. DOE is right....why should I unlearn a good habit? I'm gonna keep with it. I mixed watermelon with a sandwich last week and I felt a bit ill for more than a day...

I REALLY need to get alissa's book....I'm going to keep on my food combining principles. Thank you everyone!