Fit for Life
Fit for Life was first published by Harvey and Marilyn Diamond in 1985 in the book of the same name. It is based on theories of the natural hygiene movement founded in the USA in the 19th century . It is a modification of the food combining , supplemented by further dietary rules. The basis of the diet is raw food , especially in the form of fruit . Meat is not generally banned, but is considered harmful to health and humans are classified as frugivores (fruit eaters). Fit for Life is said to have made the food combining principle really popular in the USA and Europe . The theories put forward by the Diamonds about nutrition and digestion are scientifically untenable. The diet is known as permanent food, but also as a diet for weight loss.
Theories
The Diamond couple put forward the thesis that dieting with the usual mixed food leads to the formation of waste products in the body. In addition, the wrong diet leads to blood poisoning ( toxemia ). Allegedly, the human body is not adjusted to the utilization of cooked food, which is described as "denatured", so that it can only partially utilize and digest it. This is the main cause of obesity . The incomplete utilization also leads to over- acidosis ( acidosis ) of the body, which the body tries to compensate by storing water, which leads to suspension.
Like Howard Hay , the Diamonds assume that the body can only process one nutrient at a time. Therefore, protein and carbohydrates must not be consumed together. In a combination, the food would stay in the stomach too long, so that the protein would rot and the carbohydrates ferment and too much energy would have to be used for digestion. In addition, this supposedly produces harmful acids.
As with the Waerland diet , certain periods of time must also be observed in the diet, which are referred to as body phases: From 4 a.m. to 12 p.m. the body is prepared for elimination, from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. to food intake and from 8 p.m. to 4 a.m. Food utilization. This principle also plays a role in the Mazdaznan diet .
It is said that milk and milk products can no longer be processed by the body after the age of three and therefore lead to harmful mucus formation. The absorption of minerals by drinking mineral water is considered to be harmful to health, as the minerals would combine with cholesterol and be deposited in the arteries .
Diet rules
The diet consists of around 70 percent fruit, vegetables and salad and 30 percent bread , grain and meat . Fruit is considered the most important food that contains all the important nutrients. In general, water-rich foods are preferred. This recommendation is based on the assumption that a water content in food of around 70 percent is optimal for human nutrition because the adult body consists of around 60 percent water and the earth's surface around 70 percent. Water is also used as a "cleaning agent" to rid the body of "waste products". However, you should only drink distilled water and freshly squeezed fruit or vegetable juice.
Processed foods with a low water content such as bread, cereals, meat and fish are called "dead food" by the authors. Dairy products should be avoided as part of a weight loss diet and are said to trigger allergies and "mucus". Milk is intended primarily for calves. Vegetable oils are said to be cold pressed and not refined.
Diet must strictly follow the specified body phases (or body cycles). Only fruits and juices are allowed in the mornings, salads and vegetables at lunchtime and meat with lettuce or potatoes with vegetables in the evening. Fruit must be eaten on an empty stomach and must not be combined with other foods. Raw food is definitely preferable.
criticism
Most medical professionals and nutritionists describe the theories on which Fit for Life is based as false and scientifically completely untenable:
- The claim that protein and carbohydrates cannot be digested together was disproved before the publication of nutritional science.
- A healthy body only over-acidifies for a short time and then restores the acid-base balance by itself.
- No "slag formation" in the body can be proven medically. The metabolism ensures that all food components are either processed or excreted.
- Milk does not stick together the mucous membranes . In Europe and the USA, only around 10 to 30 percent of the population does not have the enzyme lactase for processing milk.
- Minerals are not deposited in the arteries.
- Distilled water is de facto " dead water ". In the long run, its intake can impair the body's electrolyte balance and lead to mineral deficiencies. There is no reason to refuse mineral water .
- Cooked food is easier to digest than raw food. Raw food stays in the stomach much longer.
- There is no evidence for the existence of these body cycles. Most nutritionists recommend replenishing the body's energy stores especially in the morning and eating less in the evening.
- The German Nutrition Society said about Fit for Life that the authors succeeded in captivating the inexperienced reader with a record number of sensational sayings, half-truths, false statements and untruths and dismissing the nutritional suggestions of established science as absurd. "
literature
- Harvey and Marilyn Diamond: Fit for Life. Healthy and slim - for a lifetime . Diet and health program through the right combination of foods. Natura Viva, Weil der Stadt 2006, ISBN 978-3-89881-009-8 .
- Harvey and Marilyn Diamond: Fit fürs Leben / Fit for Life 2 . 2nd Edition. Goldmann, Munich 1992, ISBN 978-3-442-13621-6 .
