FOOD COMBINING

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FOOD COMBINING
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Don't you just love a good buffet? But does a good buffet love you? We've all suffered the consequences of eating too many different kinds of food at the same sitting - indigestion, abdominal pain and swelling and intestinal gas. What you may not know is that eating the wrong kinds of food at the same time can even cancel out much of the nutritional value of the food.
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Proper and complete assimilation of food is a result of the action of digestive enzymes. Different kinds of food require their own unique enzymes. When many different ingredients are eaten at the same meal, the body becomes confused and may not be able to manufacture all of the necessary enzymes at the same time or, in its attempt to do so, it may throw itself into a vicious cycle.
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One of the most common problems is eating protein and carbohydrates at the same meal. The reason this is a problem is that the digestive juices necessary to break down a protein food are acid and the digestive juices needed to break down carbohydrates are alkaline. Acid and alkaline substances neutralize each other. So if you eat, for instance, spaghetti (a carbohydrate) with meatballs (a protein) the enzymes that your body secretes to digest these substances will actually neutralize each other. Then the body continues to secrete more and more digestive juices in its attempt to assimilate this food that is just sitting in the stomach. Finally, after many hours it will just kind of dump it, still largely undigested, into the intestinal tract. In the meantime the meatballs have begun putrefying, the spaghetti is fermented and you are suffering from heartburn, indigestion, stomach pain, gas or any combination of these symptoms. It is also believed that the fermented food produces alcohol in the body with the same potential to cause liver damage as does drinking too much alcohol. This seems to be more prevalent in some people than in others.
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In fact, some people seem to be able to handle certain food combinations that others can not. But the percentage of people in this country who are having a problem with the way we commonly eat is undoubtedly large, as evidenced by the enormous amount of Rolaids, Mylanta, Tums, Pepto Bismal, Milk of Magnesia and Gas-X we are purchasing. Believe it or not, it is not normal for so many people to be suffering from stomach problems on a day to day basis. Many nutritionists believe that improper food combining is at least partially responsible for the increased incidence of ulcers, stomach cancer and other degenerative diseases of the digestive tract.
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If you would like to avoid the immediate and long-term consequences of combining the wrong kinds of foods, here are some simple guidelines to follow.
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1. Do not eat proteins and carbohydrates together. This may seem like a pretty tall order. After all, some of our most common meals are put together this way, like steak and potatoes, hamburgers, pizza. But you can learn to have your hamburger without the bun, or better yet, eat a veggie burger. When dining at a restaurant one can easily forego the baked potato with the steak and opt for an extra vegetable instead. Pizza? Well that's another matter, but you can make it without cheese as my vegan son and daughter-in-law do.
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2. Eat your concentrated protein foods at the beginning of a meal as they require a lot of acid digestive juices and if eaten at the end of a meal the acid juices may be too depleted.
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3. While proteins, fats and starches should not be eaten together, they all combine well with green and non-starchy vegetables such as cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, celery, asparagus, radish, cucumber, zucchini, onions, garlic, mushrooms, green beans, peas, fresh corn and seaweed. So, include plenty of these vegetables in your diet.
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4. Fruit and sweetened foods should be eaten completely alone. While fruit can be combined with green vegetables, it digests very rapidly (especially melon) and causes other foods in the stomach to ferment. So avoid eating it with protein or starches. However, fruit is very cleansing and healthful and should be an important part of everyone's diet. So enjoy your apple, orange or melon salad but eat it at least one hour before or three hours after eating anything else. Total-fruit meals or snacks are an excellent way to combat constipation and an all-fruit breakfast is a very cleansing and detoxifying way to start the day.
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5. If you drink milk, drink it alone as well. Milk that is consumed with other foods tends to curdle around the other food, insulating it from proper digestion.
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Don't feel that you have to eliminate soups and stews from your diet. When a variety of foods are cooked together in one pot, with ample water, the chemicals of all ingredients interact more completely and, in a sense, begin the digestive process before we even eat them, making the job much easier for our digestive tracts.
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You may wonder whether avoiding certain food combinations is natural. If you've ever had children, you may remember how they would often want to "pig out" on one item on their dinner plate and ignore the rest while you struggled to get them to eat a "balanced meal." People who are ill will also tend to eat only one or two items at a time and instincts are usually stronger in childhood and when one is ill. Also, people who adhere to a simple lifestyle, including the way they eat, tend to be very healthy. The bottom line is that you know your own body better than anyone else does but if you are having problems you may want to apply these food-combining principles and see whether you can get some relief. It could make a world of difference.
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This article is intended for informational purposes only. Nothing in this publication is intended or implied to be a substitute for professional medical diagnosis and advice. Always seek the advice of your physician or health-care provider before starting any new diet or procedure involving your health. Prompt professional medical guidance is recommended for any health problem.