Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Principles herein can't be more contrary to today's conventional meal but which, if adhered to, brings great rewards for those who suffer frequent indigestion. Spoken from personal experience as well as hvg witnessed a business associate get healthy over an 18mth project. The book theorises that the body undergoes 3 major phases of food processing through a 24hour day. Phase 1 - Eating & Digestion (12noon-8pm); Phase 2 - Absorption (8pm-4am); and Phase 3 - Excretion (4am-12noon). The author categorizes food into 3 categories: 1) carbohydate, 2) protein and 3) vegetables and advocates that food be consumed in compatible category combinations that would result in optimal digestion. For example, it maintains that proteins and carbohydrates should never be consumed together as the enzymes secreted to digest the respective classes tended to cancel out each other's digestive powers, neutralising the acidity/ alkalinity of the enzymes. As a result of which slows digestion, lengthening the time poorly digested food spends in the stomach. Nutrient absorption is impaired, and food would end up sitting in the digestive tract longer than it should, exposing it to a higher incidence of putrefication whenever it encounters sugary substances (desserts after a meal is a bad idea). This contributes to rapid putrefication - imagine foul odious sludge & gas sitting in one's intestines, going no where and the resulting emissions!. Rather - the aim is to maximise digestion and absorption and waste material expelled in the shortest possible time. RATHER than carbs as the common food staple, theory advocates treating vegetables as the staple (common food) to be taken together with proteins and then separately in a different meal with carbs. Importantly, Diamond advocates that fruits be consumed on an empty stomach, best for breakfast in any amount till satisfied up till noon. The rationale here is to avoid diverting fresh energy from the previous night's good sleep to digesting a heavy meal, preferring rather to channel the available energy to the day's morning pursuits. Simple carbs from fruits are in absorbable form and provides the required energy for the cleansing (waste mgmt) cycle in the morning - when excretion best take place. A logical deduction from here then is for carbs & vegetables to be eaten at lunch - hence allowing the energy it generates to be used through the afternoon (rather than stored overnight). Proteins & vegetables otoh, is best consumed at night to resource muscle repair & recovery after the day's pursuits. This overall eating formula aims to promote digestive health as well as aid effective weight loss - and it works! Caution though that what works for one may not work or be redundant for another. Hence listen to your own body. It's a gem for me.