Diet is one of the fundamental pillars of our health and well-being.
Beyond maintaining a balanced weight, it's extremely important to eat healthily to be and stay healthy: remember Hippocrates' quote "Let your food be your first medicine", which we talked about in a previous article!
However, there are a multitude of diets on the market today, some of which are more harmful than beneficial. This is particularly true of many restrictive diets, which impose deprivation of certain food groups. This can lead to nutritional deficiencies, eating disorders, loss of muscle mass and reduced energy. Restrictive diets can also lead to feelings of guilt about food and a loss of pleasure in eating.
So it's best to adopt a balanced, varied diet over the long term to provide our bodies with all the nutrients they need and limit the risk of eating disorders.
There are several non-restrictive diets that allow us to eat everything in reasonable quantities, while respecting the principles of healthy eating.
In this article, we'll describe several ways of eating healthily without drastic restrictions: the Shelton (or dissociated) diet, the Seignalet diet and Chrononutrition, before reviewing Marchesseau's recommendations.
The Shelton (or dissociated) diet
The dissociated Shelton diet, or dissociated diet, is a dietary approach that advocates not combining certain food groups at mealtimes.
Foods are then consumed in precise combinations to respect the biological capacity to assimilate nutrients, while respecting digestion times.
The idea is that certain foods form a bad association when eaten together and interfere with digestion, leading to incomplete digestion, fermentation, increased gas production and other digestive problems. On the other hand, by ingesting only similar food categories simultaneously, less energy is expended on digestion and assimilation of nutrients, leaving more energy available for other physical and intellectual activities.
Here are some key principles of the dissociated Shelton diet:
1 - Separate proteins and starches: According to this diet, it's recommended not to eat proteins (such as meat, fish, eggs) and starches (such as bread, pasta, potatoes) at the same meal.
2 - The dissociated Shelton diet also suggests avoiding meals that combine several types of protein or several types of carbohydrate. For example, it's recommended not to eat meat and fish at the same meal, or to mix different starchy foods such as rice and pasta.
3 - Eat fruit separately: According to this approach, fruit should be eaten on its own, between meals (or even at the beginning of meals), and should not be mixed with other foods to avoid fermentation in the stomach (it is digested much faster than other foods).
4 - Respect meal intervals: The dissociated Shelton diet recommends leaving sufficient time between meals. It is recommended not to eat a new meal until the previous one has been completely digested.
The aim of this diet is above all to improve digestion and general well-being.
The Seignalet diet (also known as the hypotoxic or ancestral diet)
This diet was developed to alleviate the symptoms of certain autoimmune and inflammatory diseases (rheumatoid arthritis, Crohn's disease...) by returning to an ancestral, original and hypotoxic diet. According to Dr. Jean Seignalet, the numerous molecular transformations undergone by the foods we eat (GMOs, etc.) have rendered some of them toxic to the body.
Here are the basic principles of this plan:
1 - Avoid inflammatory foods: This includes so-called "modern" cereals, especially those containing gluten (wheat, rye, barley, but also corn...), dairy products, which are highly sensitizing for adults, processed industrial foods (including refined sugars) containing additives, preservatives and artificial ingredients, and omega-6-rich oils (such as sunflower oil).
2 - Focus on fresh, natural foods, as organic as possible: The Seignalet diet emphasizes unprocessed foods that are rich in nutrients and easy to digest. It recommends eating vegetables, fruit, lean meats, fish, eggs, nuts, seeds, olive and rapeseed oils, as well as minimally processed cereals such as rice, quinoa and buckwheat.
3 - Encourage gentle cooking: Dr. Seignalet recommends low-temperature cooking of foods, such as steaming, to preserve nutrients as much as possible and avoid the formation of potentially toxic substances.
4 - Individualizing the diet: The Seignalet diet emphasizes individualizing the diet according to each person's intolerances and sensitivities. It encourages the observation of individual reactions to food and the personalization of the diet accordingly. Chrononutrition
The principle of Chrononutrition is based on the idea that our bodies follow natural biological rhythms, called circadian rhythms, which regulate many physiological processes, and that nutrition must be adapted to these rhythms. Nutritional intake must be organized according to the body's needs throughout the day. No food is forbidden, but the right food groups must be consumed at the right time.
Here are the different principles of Chrononutrition:
1 - Adapt your diet to the different times of the day: we recommend eating high-fat, high-protein foods in the morning to provide energy, proteins and starchy foods at lunchtime to promote satiety, a sweet mid-afternoon snack (with "good sugars": dried fruit, dark chocolate, etc.) and light, easy-to-digest foods in the evening (lean proteins, vegetables, etc.).
2 - Eat slowly and chew: Chrononutrition emphasizes conscious eating, taking the time to eat slowly and chew food well. This promotes better digestion and assimilation of nutrients.
3 - Avoid snacking: Chrononutrition recommends limiting snacking between meals, as this can disrupt biological rhythms and encourage weight gain. It's best to stick to a regular meal schedule.
4 - Adapting diet to physical activity: Chrononutrition recommends adapting your diet to your level of physical activity. For example, it is advisable to eat carbohydrate-rich foods before intense activity to provide energy, and protein-rich foods after exercise to promote muscle recovery.
5 - Drink enough water: Chrononutrition stresses the importance of hydration. It is recommended to drink water regularly throughout the day to maintain good hydration.
Food according to Marchesseau
Pierre-Valentin Marchesseau is considered one of the pioneers of naturopathy in France. He was known for promoting a holistic approach to health, emphasizing natural healing principles and respect for the body's equilibrium.
The food hygiene taught by Marchesseau must be individualized: we're all different.
He also recommends not straying far from the physiological diet of each species: our digestive system is adapted to a specific diet, and if this diet is denatured, we wither away.
According to Marchesseau, man has a digestive system similar to that of anthropoid apes, and like them we are designed to eat mostly plant products, preferably raw and organic (80% of our diet). Around 15% of our diet should be reserved for animal products (shellfish, eggs, raw dairy products...), and the remaining 5% for carbohydrates and legumes.
All the dietary recommendations reviewed in this article, which are in fact quite complementary, enable you to eat in a healthy, balanced way, providing your body with all the nutrients it needs to function properly.
It should be noted, however, that before adopting a specific diet, even a non-restrictive one, it is advisable to consult a health professional or nutritionist for advice tailored to your individual needs.