Diet basis

JEAN SEIGNALET worked as a doctor and professor in the Montpellier Hospital (France). He was the administrator of the renal graft department during 30 years, and a pioneer in organ transplantation, especially renal. His wide knowledge as a doctor and biologist allowed him to create a global theory that related a big part of autoinmune diseases with modern diet, designing a diet that aplied with success to his patients. At first, he designet a diet to eliminate the possible stimulators of the immune system in autoinmmune diseases, specially in reumatologic ones: rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, Behcet disease… The good results obtained moved him to apply his diet to autoinmmune diseases from othes specialities, and after that even to other diseases of unknown cause. The results are shown here. In 1998 published “L´Alimentation ou la Troisième Médecine” (Alimentation, the third medicine) where he exposes the basis of a healthy diet, and healing/preventive for many diseases.

JEAN SEIGNALET sets his proposal of diet following a basic idea: some modern foods are modified from “ancestral” ones, whereas our digestive system has not modified. This modification of the food is given by the genetic mutation caused by agriculture, in the case of some cereals, or by cooking at high temperatures, that modifies the protein structure. Thus, the proteins we eat may not be digested completely, altering the balance of the intestinal flora and passing from a fermentation flora (fisiologic) to a putrefaction flora (non fisiologic). This alteration of the flora and of the intestinal content creates toxins that are absorved and disturb the body balance. This alteration may be given by the elimination of the excess of toxins, in the case of the elimination diseases, by the accumulation of this excess of toxins, in the accumulation diseases, or by the stimulation of the immune system by strange proteins, in the case of the autoimmune diseases. The philosophy of the diet involves eating non-modified foods, that are completely assimilable.

Basic principles:

• Exclusion of cereals, with some exceptions.
• Exclusion of dairy and dairy products.
• Preferential consumption of raw products (more than 70% of the diet should be raw).
• Use of virgin oils, obtained by cold pressure.
• Priority to biologic products.
• Frequent consumption of probiotics.

EXPLANATION:

1.- Cereals:

- Modern cereals are forbidden, as they are mutated because of agriculture selection. It is known that modern wheat has 21-23 cromosomes, whereas “ancestral” wheat had 7. This modification affects the protein structure, that can act as a toxin not being completely digested. This toxins act in the intestine too, modifying the intestinal flora and creating a putrefaction flora that affects the intestinal wall and creates even more toxins.

- Wheat is dangerous, for the reasons above. Thus, foods containing it must be eliminated: bulgur, cus-cus, italian pasta, cakes, bakery… Farro is not admitted, because despite being sold as “ascestral” wheat, it has 22 cromosomes. Kamut isn´t valid neither for the same reasons. Only the variety minor escanda is valid, because it contains 7 cromosomes.

- Corn is dangerous for the same reasons that wheat: the original plant measured half a meter, whereas the modern plant measures 3 meters high.

- Barley, rye and avoine are from the wheat family: must be excluded.

- Rice is accepted. It has remained in his wild prehistoric form, and the clinical experience proves that it´s rarely harmful, even cooked.

- Buckwheat is very well-tolerated by the patients and is allowed. Probably sesame is very good too.

- About the african cereals (millet, sorghum…) and others (amaranth, quinoa…), Seignalet doesn´t have a clear opinion. They are probably inoffensive, as have never reached masive farming. Recent studies show that millet is also probably a mutated cereal, and so should be excluded.

- It is possible to use flour, but from the accepted foods: buckwheat flour, quinoa, soya, chickpea, rice, banana…

- Thus, the traditional italian pasta is not allowed (made of wheat semolina), nor cus-cus, nor bulgur. Many other foods also contain wheat of other forbidden cereals; carefully read the ingredients on the labels to be certain.

- The corn and wheat starch are allowed, as they don´t contain proteins if purified.

2.- Dairy and dairy products:

- Cow´s milk is a very nutritive food…for a growing calf. Humans just can digest milk from our species, and during the lactancy period. The main protein from milk, casein, is hard to digest completely by humans, creating the problems mentioned above.

- Dairy is forbidden (cow, sheep, goat…), and dairy products as well (butter, cheese, cream, yogurt…)

- This supresion doesn´t provoke a calcium deficiency, as the foods we eat are already rich in calcium, and the body will absorb calcium depending on its needs. More information here.

- Soya milk and yogurt are good substitutes for classic dairy. Other vegetable milks are also available: almond, hazelnut, rice…

3.- Meat:

- It´s preferable to eat raw meat (carpaccio, steak tartare…) or just a bit done.

- Raw grocery is allowed (parma ham, sausages, salami…) and cooked grocery is forbidden (cooked ham…).

- True foie-gras (goose – duck liver ) is allowed, as its fat is known to be healthy. Common paté isn´t, because it usually contains milk and flour.

4.- Fish:

- As for meat and eggs, the less cooked, the better. However, cooked fish is less dangerous than cooked meat. It can be steamed or cooked at low temperature.

- Shellfish is allowed. And if eaten raw (oysters…) even recommended.

5.- Eggs:

Better raw or poached, never hard-boiled.

6.- Greens and fruits:

- All greens and fruits are allowed (and recommended). They should be eaten in big quantities.

- Pulses or leguminous are allowed the same as greens, it´s admitted as an exception cooking in a pressure-cooker.

7.- Dry fruits:

He advises to eat a lot of them: figs, dates, almonds, walnuts, hazelnuts, olives…But always raw, never toasted.

8.- Other foods:

- Seignalet advises eating honey and pollen. Also aprouted grains of leguminous (soya, lentils…).

- Chocolate has to be black, biologic and with brown sugar or other natural sweeteners (agave, maple syrup, honey).

- White sugar must be eliminated and replaced by brown sugar, much richer in minerals and vitamins.

9.- Oils:

Seignalet recommends the following oils:

- olive oil because it contains monoinsaturated fatty acids.

- walnut, soy and canola oil that bring alfa-linoleic acid.

- onagra and borage oil that bring beta-linoleic acid. But any oil is good whenever it´s virgin and extracted by first cold pressure.

10.- Condiments:

All allowed: salt, pepper, vinegar, lemon, garlic, parsley, mustard, curry…He recommends to limit the salt consumption and not taking refinated, but complete salt (Maldon salt, Himalaya salt…)

11.- Drinks:

- Tap water and mineral water bring us oligoelements and minerals.

- Drinks rich in white sugar are excluded: soda, commercial juices.

- Beer is excluded, because it contains barley proteins.

- Coffee and tea are tolerated in reasonable quantities.

- Achicoria consumption is recommended.

- All alcoholic beverages are allowed (beer excluded) in moderated amounts.

OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS

- Avoid as much as possible cooking food. It´s important to eat as much raw food as possible (over 70% of diet should be raw), and when cooking is necessary/inevitable, temperatures shouldn´t overpass 110Cº or even 100ºC, preferably steaming. Over this temperature (and specially over 200ºC) a lot of mutagens, Maillard molecules and isomers are created, that turn into toxins once inside our body.

- It´s allowed to fry very lightly, stewing, steaming or dehydrating, because all of these methods don´t reach high temperatures.

- Frying is not recommended if 200ºC or more are reached, nor is oven-cooking, which can even reach 280ºC.

- Eat smoked foods with moderation because of the carcinogen effect in the stomach.

COMPLEMENTARY MEASURES OF THIS DIET

- Not smoking.

- Doing physical exercise as a routine

- Taking probiotic products to regulate intestinal flora.

This is a diet that needs the person to understand the reason that lies under this type of alimentation, and then using his intelligence and willpower to follow it correctly.