If your digestion is sluggish and in need of a makeover, you may like to consider some very simple food combining principles that offer instant results.
What is Food Combining?
Food combining is a nutritional approach that bases its principles on specific food combinations designed to promote digestive health. The technique combines specific types of food whose ingredients complement one another in the digestive process and absorption of nutrients. Proper food combining may also dramatically reduce the amount of energy required for digestion, thus leaving an individual with more energy, improved digestion and an overall better state of health. On the other hand, improper food combinations result in an unhealthy digestive environment that not only prevents optimal digestion but also creates a breeding ground for bacteria.
Foods Chemicals and Their Different Digestive Environments
While a balanced diet is essential to keep the mind and body at peak performance, certain types of protein, such as meat and chicken, cannot be combined with starchy carbohydrates like green beans, potatoes and rice. Moreover, some foods should be eaten alone so the stomach's hydrochloric acid can complete its tasks, which consist of breaking down and absorbing nutrients.
Foods are broken down into chemicals that in their different combinations may allow for easy digestion or a digestive nightmare. Individual enzymes in the stomach then require either alkaline or acidic environments to function in breaking them down. For example, the enzymes that work to break down carbohydrates require an alkaline environment to function, whilst those that break down meats require an acidic environment.
When alkaline and acidic foods are combined, they relatively cause the secreted juices in the stomach to neutralise one another, leaving only a watery solution that offers very little assistance with digestion. This results in undigested food in the gastrointestinal tract, causing a build-up of unhealthy bacteria, and symptoms such as bloating, gas and nutrient malabsorption.
The Digestive Speed of Different Foods
Some foods digest faster and more readily than others. Concentrated proteins may take more than a day to digest efficiently, whilst a simple piece of fruit takes a couple of hours at the most. Combining foods that digest at unequal rates to each other can cause a digestive mess as the faster digesting food gets stuck and may cause symptoms such as gas, bloatingand discomfort.
Food Combining Principles
Food combining entails the combination of different food groups such as:
- Proteins – red meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, seeds and nuts
- Starches – breads, rice, pasta, potatoes, peas, legumes
- Sugars – fruits, syrups, refined sugar, jams, honey
- Melons – honeydew, rockmelon, watermelon
- Vegetables – leafy greens, root vegetables, cabbages
- Acids – citrus fruit juices, picked products, vinegars
- Fats – avocados, olive oil, butter
Foods that are beneficial to combine include:
- Non-starchy vegetables and proteins
- Vegetables and fats
- Starches and fats (in moderation)
Foods that incite poor digestion include:
- Starches and proteins
- Starches and fruits
- Proteins and fruits
- Fats and proteins
Other food combining tips
- Melons and leafy greens are digested quickly and therefore best eaten alone.
- Avoid following your main meal with a sugary, starchy dessert.
- Follow the example of your ancestors and eat your fill of one food at a time for easier digestion.
- Avoid drinking a lot of water (especially cold water) throughout your meals, as it may dilute and inhibit the enzyme activity required for digestion.
- You may also like to consider taking a high-quality enzyme supplement with meals to improve your digestion.
If you are interested in learning more about the principles of food combining and how these may improve your digestion, please speak to a professional nutritionist or naturopath for more information.
Originally published on Nov 08, 2011
