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Food combining
| 'Food combining' refers to the combination of foods which are compatible with each other in terms of digestive chemistry. Food combining is a basic component of optimal nutrition because it allows the body to digest and utilize the nutrients in our foods to their full extent. |
The discomforts of indigestion are so common in today’s society that indigestion is almost considered normal. The fact that over 2 billion dollars are spent each year on antacids is proof of this. Rather than using drugs to suppress symptoms, wouldn’t it be wiser to remove the causes of indigestion?
| Food combining is based on the theory that different food groups require different digestion times. Digestion is helped the most by using foods which have roughly the same digestion time. |  |
Correct food combinations are important for proper digestion, utilization, and assimulation of the nutrients in our diet. The principles of food combining are dictated by digestive chemistry. Different foods require different digestive enzymes to aid in the digestive process - some acid, some alkaline. As any student of chemistry will assure you, acids and bases (alkalis) neutralize each other. When acids and alkalines come in contact, they neutralize each other and this retards digestion.
Protein foods require a highly acidic environment for digestion while carbohydrates (starches, fruit and sugars) and fats require a more alkaline medium. Anytime 2 or more foods are eaten at the same time, and those foods require opposite conditions for digestion, the digestive process is compromised.
When starches and proteins are combined their stimulation to the digestive juices generates a conflicting response and produces a medium which does not digest either food very well. This situation often leads to indigestion, bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and poor absorption of nutrients. Any quick digesting foods - such as fruit - must wait until the slowest digesting foods leave the stomach before they can leave - a process which can take up to 6 or 8 hours. While waiting, the fruit and some of the starches undergo some decomposition and fermentation, producing gas, acid and even alcohol along with indigestion.
Proponents of food combining advocate the following principles:
The most important rule, is this: Don't mix starch foods with protein foods at the same meal.
Here are the other principles which proponents of food combining adhere to:
| 1.
Eat starches and acids at separate meals. Acids
2. Eat carbohydrate foods and protein foods at 3. Eat only one kind of protein food at a meal.
4. Eat proteins and acid foods at separate meals. 5.
Eat proteins and fats at separate meals. Some 6.
Eat proteins and sugars (fruits) at separate
7. Eat starchy foods and sugars (fruits) at 8.
Eat melons alone. Melons combine with almost no
9. Forget the desserts. Eaten on top of meals they |
Food combining: chew all food close to liquid consistency
One principal of food combining which I find hard to argue with is the idea of chewing all foods close to a liquid before swallowing, to help digestion.
In the
14th edition of Howell's Textbook of Physiology (p.777) is
some very interesting research:
Abbe Spallanzani
(1729 - 1799), one of the oldest observers on gastric
digestion, found that grapes and cherries, when
swallowed whole, even if
entirely ripe, were usually passed unbroken in the
stools. "As proof
that
the triturating power (ability to reduce to a powder by rubbing or friction)
of the stomach is not very great, he swallowed some wooden tubes made
very thin, so that the slightest pressure would crush them, and they were
voided uninjured."
This shows
the tremendous importance of thorough mastication of all
foods. We can assimilate only those foods which are the most liquified.
Food combining: try it for yourself
Food combining is a controversial practice. Many people swear by it, while others find it ineffective and frustrating. There is no detriment to the food combining diet - if it works for you, use it.
Food combining is an area where everyone seems to have an opinion. One way to find out what is right for yourself is to experiment. Try it and see how you feel. Listen to your body. What works for one person may not work for another person.
2012
- The year to Be like a little child.
Healing
through Women Inheriting the Earth.
Oprah
Winfrey discusses her experience with Transcendental Meditation.
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