The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean Diet

Made popular by Dr. Herbert Shelton, the natural hygiene diet is about the science of living. He and fellow practitioners had great success in restoring health. It requires discipline, but the benefits are worth it.

A thumbnail sketch of the dietary principles:

• Eat in harmony with the natural cycles of the body:
• 4am - 12pm: Elimination - nothing but raw fruit and fresh fruit juice should be consumed.
• 12pm - 8pm: Digestion- all food should be eating during this period allowing enough time that digestion is complete by 8pm.
• 8pm - 4am: Assimilation and use of nutrients.

• Make high water content food the foundation of your diet.
• A proper food combining diet is not necessarily vegetarian, though it is highly recommended.
• Fresh fruit should be eaten on an empty stomach and at least 20 minutes (longer for bananas) should pass before anything else is consumed.  Fruit requires little digestion.  If consumed with other foods it begins to ferment them.
• Concentrated carbohydrates such as pasta, bread, potato, yam or rice, should not be combined with heavy proteins such as meat, poultry or fish.  Proteins require an acidic medium for digestion while starches require an alkaline environment.  Combining the two slows down the digestive process.
• Milk and milk products are not recommended any time but if one must have them occasionally they’re best eaten alone.  If that’s not possible wait several hours before eating anything else to give your digestion a chance to recover 😊
• Nuts and beans contain both carbohydrates and proteins and should be eaten alone or with vegetables only.

Hygienists recommend fasting if one becomes ill to allow the body to cleanse and heal. Some practitioners suggest fasting one day each week to maintain good health.  Most prescribe an annual fast for the routine maintenance of good health.

Following these guidelines can result in abundant health and energy as it maximizes digestion while using a minimum amount of energy!

The best-selling 1985 book Fit for Life covers all the principles in depth.

Herbert Shelton wrote extensively on the pristine lifestyle man was born to live. 

Natural Hygiene in its purest form is about right living, consuming only what the Earth provides and only in the amount needed and conducting oneself in a manner befitting the most highly evolved creature on the Planet. It encompasses every aspect of one’s life.  It’s a diet and lifestyle for the seeker.

*Revised February 2023