The Science Behind The Mayr Method Diet

It’s Q&A Day at 10almonds!

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In cases where we’ve already covered something, we might link to what we wrote before, but will always be happy to revisit any of our topics again in the future too—there’s always more to say!

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❝I enjoy reading your newsletter! I have a question to ask. A friend recently came back from a Mayr Method retreat and is giving rave reviews of it. Is it backed by actual science? Keep up the good work!❞

Thank you, and, that’s an interesting one!

Firstly, in terms of what research has been done into the Mayr Method specifically, here is the current sum total of the world’s published scientific research into the Mayr Method:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=%22Mayr+Method%22

So, at time of writing, nothing.

Ok, technically something can exist and not be on PubMed, but that really is the repository of scientific research in English, which these days, is most scientific research, even when it was conducted in other languages, here’s generally an English language publication of it.

However, let’s break it down and look at the parts. The Mayr Method consists of:

• Enjoy plenty of fruits, vegetables, proteins, gluten-free grains, nuts, seeds, healthy fats, herbs & spices, and water
• Avoid gluten, dairy, added sugar, processed foods, caffeine
• Prioritize alkaline foods and avoid acidic ones
• Chew each bite of food 40–60 times
• Have the biggest meal early
• Stop when full
• Eat only cooked food after 3pm
• Stop eating at 7pm

The “enjoy these foods” list is good, assuming you have no relevant allergies, and assuming that in the “proteins” section you do skip red meat.

The instruction to “avoid gluten” is not helpful if you do not have a gluten intolerance, allergy, or Celiac disease.

See also:

• Gluten: What’s The Truth?
• Is Flour As Bad As Sugar?
• Why Going Gluten-Free Could Be A Bad Idea
• Bread & Weight Gain/Loss: What’s The Truth?
• Grains: Bread Of Life, Or Cereal Killer?

It’s probably not going to do you any harm to not have gluten for a few weeks either, that said.

As for dairy, in reality dairy is quite a mixed bunch healthwise, ranging from butter with its greatly increased mortality rates (Butter vs Plant Oils: What The Latest Evidence Shows), to thinks like Greek yogurt that can be very healthful, assuming you don’t have an allergy/intolerance.

See also: Is Dairy Scary?

Added sugar is indeed generally good to avoid; see: Which Sugars Are Healthier, And Which Are Just The Same?

Enjoying or avoiding caffeine is really not an issue for most people, if consumed in moderation: Caffeine: Cognitive Enhancer Or Brain-Wrecker?

So, consume it or not, it’s up to you.

You might also be interested in: How Much Does Caffeine Affect Sleep, Really?

The “alkaline diet” part of the Mayr method is interesting

As for focusing on getting an alkaline diet, we wrote about this here: Can An Alkaline Diet Help You? ← short answer is “no”

Our body has a very nice homeostatic system that (amongst regulating many other things) keeps our pH where it’s supposed to be. And where is it supposed to be? Well, that depends. Different parts of us are supposed to have different pH balances. For example, our stomach contains a strong acid, while our blood, saliva, and vaginal fluids are varying degrees of alkaline (or, technically, basic).

The pH of what we consume will not really change that, unless extreme, and doing extreme things to your body is usually not a good idea. But yes, if you eat a pound of chalk, you will neutralize your stomach acid for a while and be very will. On the other hands, picking apples (alkaline*) over oranges (acidic) really isn’t going to change a thing in your body’s pH balance.

^{*or again technically, apples contain ionic compounds as salts containing alkali and alkaline earth metal elements that accept a hydrogen ion in solution. But while a chemist would say that, a nutritionist would just say “it’s alkaline”. Or possibly not know that it’s alkaline since, as we say, in nutritional terms it really doesn’t matter.}

In short: unless its pH is so far from 7.0 that it’s dissolving your mouth, don’t worry too much about the pH of your food, unless you have a specific pre-established medical reason to do so. If you want to look after your teeth, try not to consume too much with a pH under 5.5, so stop drinking neat lemon juice, for example. But that’s not a dietary thing, that’s a “don’t dissolve your teeth” thing. Your mouth (and teeth) are quite comfortable with foods/drinks in the 6/7 pH range.

Onwards…

The more behavioral parts are interesting too

Chewing your food well is good for the health: Interoception: Improving Our Awareness Of Body Cues

Eating your good mindfully is good for the health: Mindful Eating: How To Get More Out Of What’s On Your Plate

Counting to make sure that you are chewing every single bite 40–60 times is disordered eating.

See: What’s the difference between an eating disorder and disordered eating? and Dietitian Explains: Why Disordered Eating Happens In Midlife

For which reason: Eating Disorders: More Varied (And Prevalent) Than People Think

Meal timings are worth being aware of, but don’t sweat it

We’ve written about this before, for example in: What Breakfast Means For Metabolic Syndrome and indeed Skipping Breakfast? Not So Fast!

Yes, eating the largest meal as the first meal of the day is generally considered good, as is not eating too late at night.

Contrary to beliefs about fat accumulation, this does not appear to having any bearing on that at all, and is more a matter of keeping our circadian rhythm cues stable:

The Circadian Rhythm: Far More Than Most People Know

Speaking of fat accumulation…

The main marketing for the Mayr Method seems to be less about healthy living and more about fat loss.

Those two things are often conflated, but they often shouldn’t be.

Regular 10almonds readers will remember: Fat’s Real Barriers To Health

Nor are the numbers on the scale usually as important as they are made out to be, as per: When BMI Doesn’t Quite Measure Up

We recommend, instead, such as ideas as: How To Make Your Body Fat Heart-Healthier

One last thing

Pretty much any health retreat that is not outright harmful will tend to have at least some positive effect.

It means taking a vacation away from the stresses and responsibilities of everyday life.

And that’s always worth doing once in a while when you can, because: Burnout Isn’t About How Much You Do

Take care!