What is the hypotoxic diet really worth?

The hypotoxic diet is not new: in 1996, Dr. Jean Seignalet published Food or the third medicine published by François-Xavier de Guibert, a book of seven hundred pages. In this book, its purpose is such that beyond allopathic medicine (medicine as we know it) and so-called “unconventional” medicine (alternative medicine, soft medicine, etc.), there is a third medicine : food.
"May your diet be your only medicine" said Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician. A famous quote that Dr. Seignalet offers as an introduction to his book, accompanied by a comment: "The message had to be neglected by most of his successors (the successors of Hippocrates, editor's note) and, at the present time, dietetics have only an insufficient role in therapy", he writes.

Thus, according to Doctor Seignalet, the contents of our plate would have a preventive and curative action on autoimmune diseases (type I diabetes, Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, psoriatic arthritis, multiple sclerosis … ), diseases that result from a dysfunction of our immune system. A good diet would then fight against these diseases, since certain so-called toxic foods disturb our body and invite our immune system to react or overreact, and this is inflammation.
Two other types of diseases would not resist the hypotoxic regime, namely “clogging” diseases (osteoarthritis, gout, migraine, fibromyalgia, cancer, etc.) and “elimination” diseases (acne, asthma, hay fever, urticaria…) as Dr Seignalet calls them.

"The primary goal of hypotoxic eating is to avoid foods that are likely to cause inappropriate pro-inflammatory responses.", wrote Jacqueline Lagacé on her personal website dedicated to the subject.
This other figure of the Seignalet regime has published two works with Editions Fides: How I overcame chronic pain and inflammation with food, in 2011, then, in 2016, A targeted diet to preserve or restore the health of the intestine, subtitle The pain-relieving effect of the hypotoxic diet, whose objective was to popularize the main principles of the hypotoxic diet, principles which today are widely available online, in articles punctuated with advice and recipes. But what are these principles? Should we trust it?

What should you consume (and not consume) in the hypotoxic diet?

The hypotoxic diet is generally compared to the paleo diet, since it proposes to return to an ancestral diet, that is to say, free of all the foods that would require our body to put too much effort in digestion.
If we really want to question evolution – after all, our body has also adapted to our diet and our way of eating – let's list the main principles of the Seignalet diet, between authorized foods and prohibited foods:

• Processed industrial products should be banned. Everything must be home cooked.
• It is necessary limit the intake of chemicals and artificial products as much as possible (generally present in industrial products).
• This diet is gluten free, since gluten is the cause of many intolerances. "Modern" cereals, as Dr Seignalet calls them in his book, are therefore prohibited, such as wheat, oats, rye, barley, corn, wheat, spelled (yes, it is wheat!) and all their derivatives (pasta, bread, flour…).
• The Allowed cereals are white rice, brown rice, red rice, wild rice, buckwheat or sesame seeds.
• The dairy products are prohibited. Not only milk of animal origin must be eliminated, but also their derived products (dairy products, cheeses, butter, creams, etc.). Soy milk or even rice milk are allowed. Butter can be replaced with oils (virgin olive oil, rapeseed oil, walnut oil, etc.).
• We are heading primarily towards organic food, in order to limit pesticides, herbicides, hormones, antibiotics, GMOs, etc.).
• Fat is an enemy, except in avocado, nuts, olive …
• It is imperative to limit sugar. The ideal is to opt for foods that are naturally sweet (maple syrup, honey, etc.).
• Fish, seafood and meats are tolerated, provided you eat it in moderation and turn to organic farming. Legumes (lentils, chickpeas, etc.) are obviously allowed, as well as eggs, if possible organic. These food groups provide protein.
• Raw cold cuts are allowed.
• All fruits and vegetables are welcome. Ideally, they should be eaten fresh, but it is possible to eat frozen vegetables (canned, however, should be avoided).
• Food must undergo low temperature cooking, i.e. at a maximum of 110 degrees. Thus, they retain their nutrients and vitamins. "The softest types of cooking are steam, a double boiler, and stewing. You can also poach or boil even though the minerals and vitamins often dissolve in the cooking water ", writes the doctor in his book since reissued by Editions du Rocher.

Should we believe (and try) the hypotoxic diet proposed by Doctor Seignalet?

The Seignalet diet is not about weight loss, unlike many diets, although there is a good chance that the scales will take advantage of this to shed a few pounds less. Moreover, 78% of people who undertake to adopt these new therapeutic food reflexes lose weight, according to Dr. Seignalet.
Only, originally, this diet was intended to preserve the walls of the intestine and thus lead to a cure of chronic autoimmune diseases, and also to bring shape and tone. So anyone could "give it a try" to feel good about themselves and in good health. Moreover, many principles of this diet are already followed naturally by some individuals (gluten-free, milk-free, etc.).

But is it a truth? And above all, is it a risk-free truth?
To date, no study can attest to the benefits and effectiveness of this hypotoxic diet, although its supporters claim otherwise. Only, they are based on testimonials. On the website www.seignalet.fr it is possible to consult three tables of results (of the diet) on autoimmune diseases, fouling diseases and elimination diseases, all leaving hope for a better tomorrow. . For example, for rheumatoid arthritis, we can read that out of 297 patients, the number of complete remissions is calculated at 127, the number of net improvements at 100, the number of improvements at 50% at 18, and the number of 'failures at 52, which gives a success rate of 82% (this result includes half of the improvements). In his book, Dr Seignalet explains that this diet may show the first positive effects as early as two weeks in some subjects, while others will have to wait two years. Thus, the minimum duration of this regime should be two years, the minimum period to observe results on health …

See also >>> Permitted foods of the paleo diet

The risks of the Seignalet diet

The Seignalet method, although presented as a medical regimen, must be supervised by a healthcare professional, since it can entail several risks:

• Risks of deficiencies : the Seignalet diet remains rather restrictive.
• Risks of frustration, which can then lead to eating disorders (anorexia, orthorexia…).
• A risk ofnocebo effect, which, unlike the placebo effect, is defined as "taking the flu" in one food (or more) and blaming it for pain. For example, a person will then think that milk is responsible for their condition, rather than assume that this diet is not suitable for them!
• Finally, another risk fits into the promise of this panoply of new eating habits, that of stopping treatment prescribed by a health professional. This mode of nutrition does not replace the advice of a doctor, even if you feel you are doing yourself good and fighting your chronic pain.

Obviously, the Seignalet diet, like other restrictive diets, should not be followed with closed eyes, let alone by pregnant or breastfeeding women, children and the elderly.

A balanced diet comes down to "Eat everything a bit and a bit of everything". Only a doctor can lead you to ban this or that product from your diet, so do not listen to all the advice you are given and do not jump into this kind of nutritional program without advice.

See also in video >>> Vitamins and minerals you need! :

Some reads to learn about the hypotoxic diet

Food or the third medicine, by Dr Jean Seignalet, published by François-Xavier de Guibert, republished by Éditions du Rocher. 32 €
How I overcame chronic pain and inflammation with food, by Jacqueline Lagacé, Fides editions. € 22
A targeted diet to preserve or restore the health of the intestine, by Jacqueline Lagacé, Fides editions. € 22.50
The Seignalet diet in 60 recipes, Anne Seignalet and Valérie Cupillard, editions Le livre de Poche. € 7.20
Silence 100 diseases with the Seignalet diet, by Jean-Marie Magnien, Thierry Souccar editions. € 22
I eat hypotoxic, whatever food you need, milk-free, gluten-free, gentle cooking, by Damien Leretaille, Eyrolles editions. € 13.90