HELLO EVERYONE!!
It's seem to me that many of you have an interest in food combining, but are not really sure what it is or how it works.
Let's begin!
We eat for many different reasons, the physiological reason for eating is to get nutrients into the blood so that we can build new cells to replace the ones that are constantly dying. Dead cells and other body wastes are removed from the body through the systems of elimination. When food is not properly digested, nutrients are not released, and it takes extra energy to remove the undigested waste from the system. This is why you may notice low energy, heartburn, indigestion, constipation, flatulence, bloating, bad breath, cellulite, and weight gain when you eat meals that are not properly combine.
Tha principles of food combining are based on an understanding of how the digestive process works. Different foods are digested in different ways, and they require different digestive juices to release the nutrients that promote efficient digestion and make the process extremely efficient.
The Five Food-Combining Rules:
1. Eat fruit alone. Every morning you will have a breakfast consisting of fresh fruit. Fruit is a great detoxifer for the body. It has the highest water content of all foods, and travels through the body very quickly. Besides the nutrients that it provides, the fiber in fruit acts like a brush to keep the intestinal walls clean and clear. The soluble fibers in fruit also help to lower cholesterol in the blood.
Fruit is a very simple food. It contains natural sugars that are ready for the body to utilize, and provides it's own enzymes, so it does not need much time to be digested in the stomach as quickly as possible, so that it's nutrients will be absorbed rapidly through the walls of thre small intestine and colon. This is why you should not combine fruit with other foods, or have it too soon after eating protein or starch. If you do, the sugar in the fruit will ferment in the stomach, causing bloating and gas pain among other things.
2. Do not combine protein with starch. Protein foods and starchy foods require different digestive juices in order to be properly broken down and used by the body. The digestion of starches begin in the mouth with the enzyme ptyalin, which is contained in your saliva. Proteins are mainly broken down in the stomach, by hydrochloric acid and the protein-splitting enzyme pepsin. Please avoid the traditional American dinner of meat and potatoes, or meat and other starches, as well as sandwiches containing cheese, meats, eggs, or other proteins. When you think about how regularly we consume these combinations, it is no wonder that indigestion remedies are among the best-selling over- the -counter medicines in this country!!
When protein and starch are eaten together, ptyalin is not effectively produced in the saliva, and so the starch is not predigested in the mouth. It enters the stomach and begins to ferment, producing gas. To make matters worse, protein needs to be digested in an acid environment. So, when starches and proteins are combined, the acid and alkaline digestive juices neutralize each other! All this decaying food is held up in the stomach, causing gas and discomfort. More important, the nutrients you need to rejuvenate and replenish your cells are distroyed in the decaying and fermenting process. This dietary cycle can eventually lead to premature aging and illness.
When I speak of protein I am referring mainly to animal proteins. Some plant protein foods, such as beans, contain natural combinations of sarches and proteins. If these foods are eaten alone, the body is able to digest them properly by releasing the proper digestive juices in the proper sequence. Even so, some people do feel uncomfortable after eating beans.
3. Protein with vegetables is okay. Vegetables are high in water content and are relatively easy to digest. They can be broken down in either an acid or alkaline enviroment. And so they can be combined with proteins as well as with starches. The enzymes in the vegetables actually enhance the digestion of protein. The fiber contained in vegetables helps to move the non-fiber protein foods rapidly through the intestines.Since protein requires the most energy to break down, it's best to enjoy your protein meal in the midday between 12:00 and 3:00 pm.
4. Starches with vegetables are okay. Since vegetables do not require their own specific digestive juices, they can be digested in the alkaline environment required by starches. I recommend that you have your protein meal in the afternoon and your starch meal in the evening. You will feel and see the benefits right away when you begin to eat your lighter meal in the evening rather than at lunchtime. Your body will respond by speedliy digesting your dinner meal while you sleep. By morning it will be ready for it's final flushing with a fruit breakfast.
5. Do not drink with meals. If you drink water, tea or any other beverage along with your meal, you dilute the digestive juices that are needed to break down your food, preventing it from being properly digested. The best time to drink fluids is between meals-at least a 1/2 hour before or 1 1/2 after. Remember you need to consume at least 1 ounce of water for every two pounds of body weight. If you are eating fruits and vegetables and drinking plenty of fluids between meals you should not be thirsty. If you do find that you are thirsty after eating, you may be consuming too much salt.
These are the basic rules......let me know your thoughts! BEST WISHES
