FOOD COMBINING

FOOD COMBINING

Food is very important part of our lives, daily. We are what we eat and we feel according to what and how we eat.

Next level is proper food combining..it can be a little complicated in tghe beggining just because our society and habits in society are set exactly oposit, but once you get it you will see how beneficial it is! try to start with one meal a day... one step at the time :)

WHY YOU SHOULDN’T DRINK WATER WHILE YOU eat

When you’re settling in to enjoy a meal, your stomach – being the clever little worker that it is – will start releasing the exact amount of gastric juices that are needed to digest the food you’re shovelling into your system. However, if liquid is going in as well, not only does the water dilute the digestive juices, but water is absorbed through the walls of the stomach until the contents are concentrated enough for the digestive juices to act. When this happens, the concentrated substance ends up being thicker than the food your stomach was expecting to accommodate for and you won’t have enough gastric juice to break it down. This leads to undigested food being absorbed through the stomach wall and sneaking into your system.

Cold water, especially, is a problem.

Drinking cold water during meals can slow digestion and may cause cramping if you are particularly sensitive.

If the idea of skipping water during meals all together is too much to handle, slowly wean yourself off it by just allowing small sips of room temperature water.

Aim to hydrate about 15 to 20 minutes before you eat, and then try not to drink too much water until about 30 minutes to an hour after you’ve finished your meal.

1. The Relationship of Water and Digestion in the Mouth: The first phase of digestion process starts in the mouth. The food we eat should get ready for digestion up to 20%-25% in the mouth itself and then enter the stomach. The teeth accomplish this task. But how many of us have the practice and time to chew our food properly? None of us have time to eat our meal peacefully. Everyone is in a rush and wants to end up his meal in a minute or ten and rushes out. Had anyone thought what will be the consequences of such an eating? Here are a few consequences of eating food in a hurry without proper chewing.

(a) It becomes real hard to gulp the food into the stomach without chewing it properly. To overcome this we reach a glass of water. When we eat food or pickles they sometimes get obstructed in the esophagus and induce hiccups. To avoid hiccups we again reach out for water. Some people have the habit of eating food while watching television, reading news papers, talking to fellow mates or straying in thoughts. Since the concentration is not on the food, it leads to over eating and subsequently eruption of gases in the stomach and causes belching. To stop it we drink water. These are the common mistakes we comment and don’t end up here; we pass them to our children too.

(b) When we chew food thoroughly, the required saliva is produced and it moves into the stomach easily without any obstruction. The saliva substitutes the function of water as the saliva contains 98% of water and 2% of digestive enzymes. Saliva helps in proper digestion of food. Saliva also kills or injures certain kinds of bacteria found in the food we eat. When we drink water while eating food, less amount of saliva is produced. Due to reduced saliva and increased water intake the digestive process is hampered. There is no way out but to commit a second mistake. The first mistake takes place in the mouth and second mistake in the stomach. If we chew food properly, the saliva mixes well with the food which in turn enables the food to move freely into the stomach. Saliva not only makes the digestion process easy but also komplete.

2. The relationship of Water and Digestion in the Stomach: The second phase of digestion process begins in the stomach. After swallowing, the chewed food reaches the stomach. Several digestive enzymes and gastric juices are produced over there for digesting the food we eat. One among such acids is the most powerful hydrochloric acid which plays a key role in the digestion of our food. Along with it there as several other enzymes which helps in the completion of digestive process. Hydrochloric Acid kills certain harmful bacteria left over in the food. The food is usually digested in two hours of time when these acids are in concentrated form. Its strength is reduced when water mixes with it.

Let us see what happens in the stomach when we drink water while eating.

· Acids Weaken: The powerful acids in our stomach become mild and lose their potency if we mix water along with food. The mild acid fails to digest food as effectively as the strong one. The stomach is forced to produce double the amount of acid to digest food. The increase in the volume of digestive gases leads to burning sensation and formation of ulcers in the stomach. The stomach gets habituated to produce an excess acid which is a very unhealthy practice. How many of us think about the inner difficulties of our body? Hardly any! We take care of every minute thing of our external body from our hair to nails. If you begin to take care about your inner organs, you are going to lead a healthy and happy life free of diseases.

· Non-digestion of food: When we drink water while eating it goes into the stomach along with food. It obstructs digestive juices from reaching the food directly. The food breaks into small pieces with the help of digestive juices and takes a semi-liquid form. However, when we take water while eating it breaks the food into pieces but cannot digest it completely. The process of digestion takes more time. The weight of water is also more and the natural movements of stomach slowdown. This is also one of the reasons for delay in digestion. With this, the digestion process takes double the time of usual digestion.

· Sagging Stomach: Generally two glasses of water take 15 minutes to mix in blood. However, when we take water along with food, it remains in the stomach till the food takes the form of liquid after digestion. It may take two to four hours. The stomach, which bears the weight of the food and water, sags. As food and water remain in the stomach for such a long time the food is fermented which is the reason for belching. Belly protrudes to some extent even among lean people.

· Heaviness in Stomach: As the water and food remain in the stomach for long period, food gets fermented and gases are produced. It becomes a tight compartment. The heavy stomach puts pressure on the lower part of the lungs and the lungs contract by 20%-30%. As a result you find difficulty and uneasiness while breathing. The diaphragm, which is an important part in breathing process, undergoes pressure and its movements are restricted. Likewise, the muscles of our stomach which help respiration lose their capacity to expand and contract. The fermented gases neither moves up or down push the stomach forward leading to uneasiness and restlessness. In some cases, it may even result in chest pain which is often mistaken as heart ache by many.

· Drowsiness: The oxygen we inhale to a large extent reaches the stomach and helps digestion. As long as the oxygen is in the stomach we feel drowsy. As the food remains in the stomach for a long period, the lungs receive less oxygen and we become dull, drowsy and weak. That is the reason why many people yarn continuously after food and some prefer to go for a nap. If we eat food without drinking water, we don’t experience this drowsiness because the food gets digested quickly.

3. The relationship Water and Digestion in the Intestines: The third and final phase of digestion takes place in the small intestines. The food that was digested in the above two stages reaches the small intestines for final process. The food when digested in this part is absorbed by the intestines in the form of semi juice. When the food is taken along with water, only partially digested food goes into the small intestines. The proteins and fats in the food are digested to some extent in the stomach where as the rest is digested in the small intestines by the digestive enzymes and juices that are produced at the junction where the intestines join the stomach. Since the food is not digested properly more digestive gases are produced for digestion. Here the food is pounded well, turns into liquid form and moves forward. Where there is water these movements are restricted. In this way, the process of digestion in the small intestines is also delayed as in the case of stomach. The intestines absorb the food that is not digested properly. As the food remains in the intestines along with water the food gets fermented and gases are produced. The intestines as such have some amount of gases in them. With the movements in intestines, gas tries to come out. We can also hear some sounds. Two hours after we take food, the digested food is ready to mix in the blood. It is more beneficial if we drink water now. If water is drunk during this period it mixes well with digested food and easily absorbed into the blood.

When the food is not digested properly the body absorbs the juices that are not digested completely. Millions of cells die and millions of new cells are formed in the body. The formation of new cells depends on the energy and essence of the food we eat. When the food is not digested properly, the intestines cannot absorb its full benefit. Almost 50% of the essence of the food we eat is purged out. The food we take initially becomes paste and then juice which is popularly known as glucose. The glucose is absorbed into blood and cells and body receives energy. If the food does not become the paste and converted to juice called glucose, we feel weak and feeble. The cells remain healthy and last long only when they receive properly digested food and nutrients.

FOOD COMBINING

1. Fruit First

Fruit is a food that digests best alone. While you’ll read in #3 that not all fruits digest best together, it has the fastest exit rate of the stomach, therefore should be eaten first or alone. For those concerned about their blood sugar, as long as fruit is eaten without fat and/or with leafy greens, blood sugar will remain stable.

Abundant in nutrients, anti-oxidants, and water, fruit is an excellent snack that is easily digested by the human body but needs to be eaten first!

2. Protein and Starches do NOT Mix

The human body requires an acid base to digest proteins and an alkaline base to digest starches, this can lengthen the time of digestion and cause fermentation in the gut. This can lead to bloating, indigestion, and stinky bowel movements.

To correct his, it is best to eat proteins with non-starchy vegetables and especially leafy greens. Starches can be consumed on their own or with other vegetables, but not with protein.

3. Melons Go Alone

Melons are a type of fruit (and should be eaten alone), but they digest completely different than other sweet treats. For optimal digestion, melons should be consumed alone and on an empty stomach.

4. Leafy Greens Abound

Greens are easily ruled as one of the best foods for mankind. Loaded with amino acids (building blocks of protein), essential minerals and nutrients (B vitamins, magnesium, iron, and more!), and fiber (great for digestion), they food combine well with all foods, and therefore should make a regular appearance on your plate.

For example, a salad is a great contribution to every meal and the live enzymes will help your other food digest smoothly.

5. Fat Rules

While fats and oils combine well with everything (except fruit!), they should be used in limited amounts as they are very caloric dense and slow down digestion. Therefore, save your hearty meal with fat for early dinner or allow your body at least 4-5 hours to digest a dense lunch before feasting again.

6. Time Lengths

Because foods digest at different rates, you can lessen the taxation on your body by waiting until the previous food has exited the stomach and is being digested in the intestines. Wait the following amount of time between foods that don’t combine:

1. Two hours after eating fruit

2. Three hours after eating starches

3. Four hours after eating protein

The following food combining chart gives a visual representation of the rules expressed above.

In nature, it is common for animals to eat simply and usually no more than one or two foods together. Man’s diet has become overstimulating and very difficult to digest, therefore most individuals’ stomachs are in a constant state of shock. (Read More: “Eating Alive” by Dr. Jonn Matsen N.D.)

To reduce health illnesses, experience better elimination, improve digestion, and feel your best, consider adopting the simple food combining rules which may drastically change your life!

It is not what we eat but what we digest and assimilate that adds to our health, strength & usefulness.

An unhampered or unimpeded digestion may be guaranteed only to the extent to which we guard our stomachs against food combinations and mental and physical conditions which disturb and impair digestion. A stomach that is reeking with decomposition will not supply to the body the "calories" and "vitamins" originally contained in the food eaten.

The specific action of the digestive enzymes, the careful timing of their secretion and the adaptation of the strength and character of the digestive secretions to the character of the food upon which they are to act was seen in our study of the processes of digestion. The more these facts are studied, the more it appears to be utterly impossible to digest the conglomeration that makes up the usual meal of the average man or woman.

Following Proper Food Combining Rules will allow you to make excellent Food Combining Recipes that would constitute a very healthy Food Combining Diet. A Food Combining Chart is available for easy referencing.

Acid-Starch Combinations

1. Never eat carbohydrate foods and acid foods at the same meal. Do not eat bread, potatoes, peas, beans, bananas, dates, or other carbohydrates with lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, tomatoes or other sour fruit.

The enzyme, ptyalin, acts only in an alkaline medium; it is destroyed by a mild acid. Fruit acids not only prevent carbohydrate digestion, but they also favor their fermentation. Oxalic acid diluted to one part in 10,000, completely arrests the action of ptyalin. There is enough acetic acid in one or two teaspoonfuls of vinegar to entirely suspend salivary digestion.

Tomatoes should never be combined with any starch food. They may be eaten with leafy vegetables and fat foods. The combination citric, malic and oxalic acids found in tomatoes, (which are released and intensified by cooking), is very antagonistic to the alkaline digestion of starches in the mouth and stomach. They should not be used on salads at a starch meal.

In cases of hyperacidity of the stomach, there is great difficulty in digesting starches. Much discomfort is caused by eating them. They ferment and poison the body. Acid-starch combinations are very rare in nature—the sour apple coming nearest to being such a combination.

Protein-Carbohydrate Combination

2. Never eat a concentrated protein and a concentrated carbohydrate at the same meal.

This means do not eat nuts, meat, eggs, cheese, or other protein foods at the same meal with bread, cereals, potatoes, sweet fruits, cakes, etc.

The Earl of Sandwich is credited with having invented the sandwich—a modern dietetic abomination. The hamburger, a similar abomination, is also a modern dietetic innovation. Egg sandwiches, cheese sandwiches, ham sandwiches and similar protein-starch combinations are of recent origin. Dr. Tilden used to say that, "Nature never produced a sandwich." How true are his words!

The digestion of carbohydrates (starches and sugars) and of protein is so different that when they are mixed in the stomach they interfere with the digestion of each other. An acid process (gastric digestion) and an alkaline process (salivary digestion) can not be carried on at the same time, in an ideal way in the stomach. In fact, they cannot proceed together at all for long, as the rising acidity of the stomach contents soon completely stops carbohydrate digestion, and this is followed by fermentation.

Dr. J. John Marshall showed that undigested starch in large amounts in the stomach absorbs pepsin and, thus, prevents the acid from entering into combination with the proteins, thereby increasing the free hydrochloric acid.

Beans contain about 25% protein and approximately 50½% carbohydrate or starch. This, doubtlessly, accounts for their difficult digestion and the readiness with which they ferment. Prof. McCollum says that, navy beans have a peculiar and indigestible carbohydrate. But McCollum knows nothing of combinations. Beans are a "bread and meat" combination, and each of their two principle constituents requires entirely different processes for digestion. The starch of the bean lies in the stomach, while its protein is being digested and, except under the most favorable of circumstances, ferments, producing gas and toxins.

One of the best rules for eating, which I can offer you, is to eschew all beans. This does not include green beans, which contain little starch. Matured or "dried" beans, of all types, are known by everyone to quickly ferment when eaten, and produce much gas. The strong gastric juice of the stomach, which is engaged in digesting proteins, impedes starch digestion. Pythagorus advised that, "We eat no beans." We subscribe to that plan, making an exception only in the case of green beans.

Candy, sugar, etc., greatly inhibit the secretion of the gastric juice and markedly delay digestion. Consumed in a large amount at a time, candy is very depressing to stomach activity.

Whatever may be true with reference to the effects of the starch-protein combination upon the digestion of protein, it is certain that this combination is disastrous to starch digestion. There is no doubt that the gastric juice destroys the ptyalin of the saliva and stops salivary digestion.

Protein-Protein Combination

3. Never consume two concentrated proteins at the same meal.

Do not eat nuts and meat, or eggs and meat, or cheese and nuts, or cheese and eggs, etc., at one meal. Do not use meat and milk, or eggs and milk, or nuts and milk at the same meal. Indeed, if taken at all, milk is best taken alone. An exception may be made to this in the case of acid fruits. The popular superstition that lemons, berries, cucumbers, etc., with milk is dangerous, has no foundation.

Two proteins of different characters and different compositions, which call for different types of digestive juices, each of different strength and character, and being poured into the stomach at different times, should not be consumed at the same meal. One protein at a meal should be the rule.

There is protein in everything one eats, but in most foods there is such a small amount that we ignore it when in combinations. All the rules for combining foods should be recognized and applied only to the concentrated starches, sugars, fats and proteins.

Protein-Fat Combination

4. Do not consume proteins with fats.

This means do not use cream, butter, oil, etc., with meat, eggs, cheese, nuts, etc. Fat depresses the action of the gastric glands and inhibits the pouring out of the proper gastric juices for meats, nuts, eggs, or other protein. Fats, mixed with foods, delay the development of appetite juice and diminish its quantity.

The presence of fats in the stomach diminishes the production of chemical juice. Fatty acids lessen the activity of the gastric glands, the gastric juice, and lower the amount of pepsin and hydrochloric acid. It may also lower the entire digestive tone more than fifty per cent. This inhibiting effect can come even from fats in the intestine. Oil introduced into the rectum decreases the amount of gastric juice, though it does not alter its quality. (Oil enemas are bad.)

Acid-Protein Combination

5. Do not eat acid fruits with proteins.

This is to say, oranges, tomatoes, lemons, pineapples, etc., should not be eaten with meat, eggs, except with protein fats such as avocado, cheese or nuts.

Prof. Pavlov positively demonstrated the demoralizing influence of both, fruits' acids, and the acid results of fermentation upon digestion. Acid fruits, by inhibiting the flow of gastric juice—an unhampered flow which is imperatively demanded by protein foods—seriously handicaps protein digestion and results in putrefaction. Nuts and fresh cheese are about the only protein foods that do not quickly decompose under such conditions, and these have their digestion delayed. Acids do not inhibit the flow of gastric juice, any more, or any longer, than does the oil of nuts or the cream of cottage cheese.

Instead of orange juice, grapefruit juice, pineapple juice, etc. assisting in the digestion of proteins when taken along with these, as is taught in certain quarters, these acids actually retard protein digestion.

Sugar-Starch Combination

6. Do not consume starches and sugars together.

Jellies, jams, fruit butter, sugar, honey, syrups, molasses, etc., on bread, cake, or at the same meal with cereals, potatoes, etc., or sugar with cereal, will produce fermentation. Hot cakes with honey or syrup are an abomination.

The practice of eating starches that have been disguised by sweets is also a bad way to eat carbohydrates. If sugar is taken in, the mouth quickly fills with saliva, but no ptyalin is present. Ptyalin is essential to starch digestion. If the starch is disguised with sugar, jellies, jams, syrups, etc., the taste buds are deceived, and carbohydrate digestion is impaired. Monosaccharides and disaccharides ferment quicker than do polysaccharides, and are prone to ferment in the stomach while awaiting the completion of starch digestion.

Sugar combined with starch results in fermentation. It means a sour stomach. It means discomfort. Those who are addicted to the honey-eating practice and who are laboring under the popular fallacy that, honey, which is a "natural sweet" that may be eaten indiscriminately, should know that this rule (not to take sweets with starches) applies to honey as well.

Honey or syrup, it makes no difference which, with your hot cakes or cereals, or honey or sugar to sweeten your cakes — these combinations spell fermentation. White sugar, brown sugar, “raw” sugar, imitation brown sugar (that is, white sugar that has been colored), black strap molasses, or other syrup with starches means fermentation. Soda will neutralize the resulting acids; it will not stop the fermentation.

Starch-Starch Combination

7. Eat but one concentrated starch food at a meal.

The rule to consume only one starch food at a meal is probably more important as a means to avoid the over-consumption of various starches, than as a means of avoiding bad combinations. While the overeating of starches may lead to fermentation, there is no certainty that the combination of two starches will do so.

Sugar-Sugar Combination

8. Eat sugars (fruits) and starchy foods at separate meals.

The rule for combining various sugars, resulting from various food classifications such as starch or fruits, may result in indigestion, due to bad food combining practices that would lead to fermenting some of the sugars from these food classifications. The major reason for this fermentation process would simply be due to the various digestive times required to break these foods into sugars that the body would accept.

An example of this rule would be the combination of acid-fruit sugars, which must be digested within an hour, with sweet fruit sugars such as cherries, dates, figs, raisins, and grapes, that require up to three hours to be properly digested. The sugars from the acid-fruits would be held up, waiting up to three hours or more to be digested, and would ferment, because they were not properly digested within their allotted time frame of one hour. Starchy foods require two hours or more, before the various digestive stages convert the starch to a sugar that would be accepted by the body cells as nutrients. Again, the sugars from the acid-fruits would be held up while waiting to be digested for up to two hours or more, and would ferment. In addition, the acids from these fruits would destroy the starch enzymes, and whereby starch digestion would be suspended.

Melons Alone

9. Do not consume melons with any other foods.

Watermelon, muskmelon, honeydew melon, pie melon, casaba melon, cantaloupe, and other melons, should always be eaten alone. I know of no physiological reason for this rule. We do know that these foods decompose very quickly in the stomach and are almost sure to cause trouble if eaten with other foods. If eaten alone—a meal made of them—so that they are quickly passed out of the stomach, they form excellent and delightful foods.

Milk Alone

10. Milk is best taken alone, or let alone.

Milk is the natural food of the mammalian young, each species producing milk peculiarly and precisely adapted to the various needs of its own young. It is the rule that, the young take the milk alone and not in combinations with other foods. Milo Hastings once objected that calves will take milk and, a few minutes later, eat grass. But, we are not to forget that the calf has a few more stomachs than we and can do this without difficulty.

Milk acts as a gastric insulator. Its cream inhibits the outpouring of gastric juice for some time after the meal is eaten. Milk does not digest in the stomach, but in the duodenum, hence, in the presence of milk the stomach does not respond with its secretion. This prevents the digestion of other foods introduced along with the milk. Perhaps milk could be taken with starch, if it was pure starch, but no starch food is pure starch. The use of acid fruits with milk does not cause any trouble, and apparently does not conflict with its digestion.

Food Combinations In The Intestine

Bearing in mind the facts known about intestinal digestion, it seems probable that, proper combinations are important even in intestinal digestion. In other words, a properly combined meal is properly combined throughout the whole course of the digestive tube; while, an improperly combined meal is probably wrongly combined throughout the whole course of digestion. A few facts may help to make this clear. Prof. Pavlov says, "the existence of fat in large quantities in the chyme restrains in its own interest the further secretion of gastric juice, and thus impedes the digestion of protein substances; consequently a combination of fat and protein-holding food is particularly difficult to digest."

While the processes of digestion in the intestine all take place in an alkaline medium and it is ostensibly logical to assume that combinations make little or no differences in the intestine, Dr. Cason states that the digestion of starches in the small intestine when accompanied by proteins produces a distinct stasis. This would indicate delayed digestion. It seems certain that the putrefaction and fermentation that begins in the stomach as a consequence of wrong combinations will continue in the intestine. Good salivary and gastric digestion would seem to be essential to good intestinal digestion.

1. Fruit after a meal.

Natural Hygienists have known for a long time that fruit doesn’t combine well with other foods. The reason is that fruit contains simple sugars that require no digestion. Thus, they will not stay for a long time in the stomach. Other foods, such as foods rich in fat, protein and starch, will stay in the stomach for a longer period of time because they require more digestion. So if you eat fruit after a meal, the fruit sugar will stay for too long in the stomach and ferment.

2. Lasagna or Grilled Cheese Sandwich.

Protein-starch combos inhibit salivary digestion of starch. Protein and starches need different enzymes and different levels of acidity to be digested. When eaten together, your body is forced to make a choice to digest protein but not starches. According to Dr Herbert Shelton, the champion of original Natural hygiene ideas, undigested starchy food undergoes fermentation and decomposition and overtime leads to poisonous end-products. Supposedly, adding greens to hard-to-digest cheesy dishes makes them easier for the stomach. Arugula salad, please!

3. Cheese and meat omelet.

In general protein/protein combinations are not recommended. One single concentrated protein per meal is easier to digest and won’t require as much energy. Go for veggie omelet instead.

4. Tomato and cheese pasta sauce.

Tomatoes are considered acidic and are not advised to be mixed with starchy carbs such as pasta. Food combining theory recommends to avoid mixing carbohydrates with acids. Adding dairy to this already difficult combo turns it into a recipe for digestive problems and after-meal fatigue since your body will require a ton of energy to digest this meal. Have pasta with pesto and grilled veggies instead!

5. Cereal or oatmeal with milk and orange juice.

Acids in orange juice or any acid fruits destroy the enzyme that is responsible for digesting starches present in cereal. Also, acidic fruits or juices can curdle milk and turn it into a heavy mucus-forming substance. To keep your breakfast healthy, try having fruit or orange juice 30 min before the oatmeal.

6. Beans and cheese.

Dairy protein and beans is a common combo in any Mexican restaurant. Eaten with a hearty serving of guacamole and hot sauce, it is almost guaranteed to lead to gas and bloating. It is not the beans on their own that cause it, but the combination as a whole. Try skipping cheese and tomatoes if you have a weak digestion or working on detoxifying your body.

7. Melon and Prosciutto.

Melons should be eaten alone or left alone. The same rule goes for all high sugar fruits. In general, it is preferred to eat fruits separately from proteins or starches, especially if you are looking for a quick energy boost from a fruit.

8. Bananas and milk.

Ayurveda lists this combination as one of the heaviest and toxin-forming. It is said to create heaviness in the body and slow down the mind. If you are a fan of milk-based banana smoothies make sure that banana is very ripe and add cardamom and nutmeg to stimulate digestion.

9. Yogurt with fruit.

Ayurveda and food combining theory, don’t advise mixing any sour fruits with dairy as it can diminish digestive fire, change the intestinal flora, produce toxins and cause sinus congestion, cold, cough and allergies. Ayurveda suggests avoiding congestive and digestive fire dampening foods like cold yogurt mixed with fruits. However, if you can’t resist the temptation of a yogurt parfait, there are ways to make it more digestion friendly. First of all, go for a room temperature natural unflavored yogurt. Secondly, mix a little bit of honey, cinnamon, and raisins instead of sour berries.

10. Lemon Dressing on Cucumber and Tomato Salad

Nightshades such as potatoes, chillies, eggplant, and tomatoes are not supposed to be combined with cucumbers. While lemon does not go well with either.