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Most people believe that eating less and exercising more is enough for optimal health and weight, but they rarely think about optimal food combining. When it comes to long-term health and losing weight, what happens in the digestive tract and stomach tends to be quite important. Unlike their ancestors, most of the people of today do not have sufficiently healthy inner ecosystems in order to keep them healthier and stronger by helping them digest the foods they eat.
People often complain about fatigue, their inefficient digestive tract and poor overall health, which are all signs of an unhealthy inner ecosystem. Fortunately, combining the right kinds of foods and avoiding the wrong combinations can enhance an individual’s digestion so they may gain more energy and are able to maintain a healthy weight.
Food Combining Principles
What are the foods that should not be eaten together?
1. Acidic Foods & Foods Containing Carbs
Sour, citrus fruits, including tomatoes, should never be eaten with foods that contain carbohydrates, such as bananas, bread, dates, potatoes, peas, etc.
Ptyalin , an enzyme that aids the predigestion of starches, is only active in an alkaline medium, and even a mild acid can destroy it. Along with preventing carbohydrate digestion, fruit acids may also cause starches to ferment and become toxic within the body. Eat acidic foods and foods containing carbohydrates can lead to discomfort since the starches will not be easily digested.2. Foods Containing Concentrated Carbohydrates & Protein foods
This means that any foods containing carbohydrates, such as the ones mentioned above, should never be eaten with foods containing protein, such as cheese, eggs, meat, nuts, etc.
This is another reason that most modern day burgers and sandwiches are quite unhealthy from the dietetic perspective. The digestive system cannot simultaneously carry out gastric digestion, which is acidic in nature, and salivary digestion, which involves alkaline. As mentioned above, once the acidity of the stomach rises, it will prevent carbohydrates from getting digested entirely, which leads to fermentation.
3. Acidic Or Fatty Foods & Foods Containing Proteins
This means that any foods containing proteins, such as the ones mentioned above, should neither be eaten with acidic foods/fruits nor with fatty foods, such as butter, cream, oil, etc. When fats are present in the stomach, gastric juices for proteins to be digested are not adequately produced.
The gastric glands become less active due to fatty acids, as a result of which the amount of hydrochloric acid and pepsin is reduced. Arguably, eating fatty foods and foods containing proteins may diminish the overall performance of the digestive system by 50%. Acids from sour, citrus fruits also have a similar effect.
4. Milk Should Always Be Consumed On Its Own
Eating other foods with milk is not recommended. Milk is a natural gastric insulator, and its cream can decrease the amount of gastric juices being produced in the stomach for quite some time. Moreover, the digestion of milk takes place in the duodenum rather than the stomach. Hence, when milk is present in the stomach, the stomach does not properly respond with its gastric juices. This prevents the stomach from effectively digesting any other foods consumed along with milk.
A Food Combining Plan To Maximize Digestion
There are plenty of other food combinations that can wreak havoc on the human body. However, here is a plan that shows how people should combine and eat different categories of food for each balanced meal in order to maximize digestion.
Protein
Proteins should always be consumed first at each meal. Unlike starches and vegetables, the most digestive enzymes are required in order to digest proteins. If protein-rich foods are consumed after starches or other foods, then as mentioned, enough gastric acids will not be produced to digest them. However, there is no harm in combining green and non-starchy vegetables, whether cooked or raw, with foods containing proteins.
Starches
Starches should be consumed after foods containing proteins, or better yet, protein foods should be avoided altogether when eating starchy foods. It is fine to combine starches with green and non-starchy vegetables, whether cooked or raw.
Salad
When planning to eat proteins or starches, or a combination of the two, raw vegetables and sprouts should be consumed afterward. Starchy vegetables and sprouts contain their own enzymes that effectively digest them, so it is best if the gastric juices in the stomach are allowed to digest the proteins and starches first.
Food Combining for OPTIMAL Digestion
Conclusion
Proper food combining is somewhat of an art and practicing it can ensure that the human body is effectively nourished and overall wellness is promoted.
