Food Combining
Concept of Food Combining
- Too much elaborate food causes decreased assimilation of nutrients, intestinal gas, abdominal pain and swelling.
- Food combining follows the central physiological principle: optimal assimilation of foods is a result of the action of digestive enzymes.
- Different types of foods require their own unique enzymes.
- When many different foods are eaten at the same meal, the digestive system is not efficient to produce all the necessary enzymes simultaneously.
- If the enzymes are insufficient, the result is excessive bacterial digestion creating poisonous by products such as alcohol, acetic acid, lactic acid, toxic amines.
- Some people tolerate various combinations better than others.
- During the time of illness or crisis, it is important to adhere to stricter than usual rules of food combining.
- The food combining principles reflect the eating pattern of our earliest ancestors. Such primitive eating patterns are the foundation of our digestive capacities.
- Children pattern of eating is very simple, as they are more in touch with their instincts.
Food combining rules for better digestion
Rule 1:Place highest protein foods at the beginning g of the meal. Generally, the high protein foods are animal products, legumes, nuts, seeds.
Rule 2:The salty foods should be eaten before foods of other flavors. Salty foods will activate and encourage digestion.
Rule 3:Proteins, Fats and Starches combine best with green and non-starchy vegetables. Non-starchy vegetables are the good addition to any meal containing animal proteins or vegetarian type of meal. If bean and grain meals are consumed, the ratio 1:3 is advisable for better digestion.
In any meal protein foods are the most difficult to digest completely. Excess of fat slows the digestion even more. Best to minimize consumption of fat, especially in the protein rich meals.
Rule 4:Fruit and sweetened foods should be eaten alone, or in small amounts and at the end of the meal. When eaten with the meal they digest very fast and ferment disturbing efficient digestion of other ingredients.
Rule 5: Slow and mindful eating, good chewing and mixing with saliva helps to improve digestive efficiency.
Rule 6: Cold water or other fluids should never be drunk before or during the meals, as they dilute the digestive enzymes and make it more difficult to break down the nutrients. They also cool down the temperature in the digestive tract slowing digestion. Small amount of warm fluids is a better choice, water can be drank 1 hour or more after the meal and in-between meals.
Pesticides
Plant foods with highest pesticide content, “dirty dozen”
Strawberry
Spinach
Nectarines
Apple
Grapes
Peaches-Apricots
Cherry
Pears
Tomatoes
Celery
Potato
Sweet Bell Pepper
It is important to choose organically grown produce from the above list to minimize pesticides intake from foods.
source: Environmental Working Group, www.foodnews.org
Produce typically Low in pesticide residue:
Onion, sweet corn, pineapple, avocado, asparagus, sweet peas, mango, papayas, eggplant, domestic cantaloupes, cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli.
GMO foods avoidance:
Corn and corn derived ingredients: 90% of corn in USA is GMO
Soybean: 93% is GMO
Sugar: sugar beets 95% are GMO
Vegetable oils: (canola, soybean, corn oil)
Papaya: 75% of Hawaii papaya is GMO
Zucchini and yellow squash, FEW varieties are GMO
Sweet corn: FEW varieties
Apples: NEW variety of “arctic” apples that do not turn brown
