When I tell people that you are not supposed to combine certain types of foods, they just look at me with a look of disbelief. So what exactly does food combining mean? Foods can be broken down into 4 types of foods. Proteins, carbohydrates, Fats and Oils, and fruits. 'Food combining' refers to the combination of foods which are compatible with each other in terms of digestive chemistry.
You can’t watch TV nowadays without viewing a commercial on indigestion. The industry spends over 2 billion dollars a year on antacid promotion. Not million, Billion, with a capital B. It used to be that you could take a pill and in a bit of time, your problems would be solved. Now, you take a pill before you know you are going to over indulge.
Have you ever wondered why you get indigestion? Are you just eating too much food? Are you eating the wrong foods? Well, not exactly. Somewhere down the line, food was transformed from nutritional based consumption to what it is now, a form of entertainment. It has become the norm to gorge on all types of foods at one meal.
This is not good. It is time to get a bit scientific. Don’t worry, I won’t get too nerdy. Let’s take 2 types of foods, a protein and a carbohydrate. First, before I go on, you might thing that this is over the top and a pain in the rear to do, but let me assure you, this is worth picking up. The very core of good health starts right here. At least as far as nutrition goes. Just remember, change can be hard at first, but it takes no time at all to get used to it. So, back to the protein and carbohydrate conversation. Let’s take a good ole American meal. Steak and potatoes. Your steak is a protein and the potato is a carbohydrate. Different foods require different enzymes to aid the digestion process. Some are acidic and some are alkaline. Your steak is a protein that needs a highly acidic environment to be digested. The potatoes need a more alkaline environment. Let me take you back to science 101. If you mix alkaline with an acid, what happens? They neutralize one another. We won’t get into the 20 part acid to 1 part alkaline discussion here. Do you see the problem? Your stomach becomes a war zone. Your stomach keeps pumping in more acid to break down the proteins and it also is trying to do the same with alkaline to break down the carbohydrates. Nothing gets accomplished. Leave some food on the counter for a day or two and watch what happens. Turn up the heat in your house to 98 degrees and watch what happens. The same thing happens in your body. Undigested proteins putrefy (rot). Undigested fats go rancid and undigested carbohydrates ferment. Filling your body with toxins. This situation often leads to indigestion, bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort. The stomach finally gives up and pushes it to the intestines. This is where most of the nutrient absorption is accomplished. Since the food is not broken down the absorption of nutrients is minimal.
Here are some rules of thumb in food combining
- The most important rule is, do not mix starch and proteins at the same meal
- Eat proteins and sugars (fruits) at separate
meals.
- Eat starchy foods and sugars (fruits) at
separate meals. Fruits undergo no digestion in the
stomach and are held up if eaten with foods which
require digestion in the stomach.
- Drop the desserts. Eaten on top of meals they
lie heavy on the stomach, requiring no digestion
there, and ferment. Bacteria turn them into
alcohols, acetic acids and vinegars.
Do you remember when your mother told you to slow down and chew your food? For the most, I am guessing she was not quite sure why, but there was a good reason. The more you chew your food, the less work your stomach has to do. This means that the stomach does not have the time to destroy the nutrients. I also want to add that it also works to your advantage to eat a meal that is void of any stress. Stress creates acid in your stomach. It does not go well with starches.
Here is a good chart of what food that you can and can not combine.
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!