What is food combining ?

Food combining is the correct combination of eating food for best digestion and health. We do not want to eat concentrated proteins with concentrated starches. What is meant by a concentrated starch is usually a food with a 20 percent or more carbohydrate content. Potatoes, rice, bread, noodles, corn on the cob, and all grains such as wheat, rye oats, etc, would fall into the category. These foods need to be chewed well so that the enzyme ptyalin, which is secreted in the saliva, can start acting on the starch. The ultimate aim is to break down these starches down into simple sugars, which is the only way they can be absorbed into the blood stream. very simply, starch moves into the stomach, where it is churned up while the ptyalin continues to act on it.This mixture called chyme, then passes into the small intestine where further digestion takes pace with the aid of amylase or starch-spitting enzymes. The simple sugars that result from this breaking-down process are then absorbed into the blood stream and used by the body.

Concentrated protein are those foods that contain 15 percent or more complete protein, such as meat, chicken, fish, eggs, and some cheeses: in fact , all animal products other than the fats such as butter and cream are protein. Most nuts and seeds fall into this category.These foods digest in a somewhat different way compared with that of the concentrated starches. They are not acted on by the ptyalin but merely broken down mechanically by the teeth. The chewed protein then passes into the stomach, where hydrochloric acid is stimulated in direct proportion to the amount of protein present. Pepsin, the protein-digesting enzyme, is activated by this hydrochloric acid. The pepsin then proceeds the action of breaking the protein down into amino acids. Further digestion takes place in the small intestine to complete the process. The body can only absorb the protein once it is in this broken-down form.

If you were looking at a line graph representing the pH balance at the time of digestion, you would find that protein digests easier, faster. And more efficiently in a more acidic environment than starch . Protein prefers a pH level from three down, whereas starch prefers a pH level of four or higher. When you combine the two together, the hydrochloric acid has a neutralizing effect on the more alkaline ptyalin and in turn, this suspends or stops the digestion of the starch before completion. The partially digested starches then begin to ferment, thus causing protein to putrefy. What results from this fermenting mess is alcohol, acetic acid (stronger than vinegar) , and ammonia. These substances are all poisonous to the body and end up in the blood stream with partially digested protein, contributing to a condition known as leaky gut syndrome. In my case, and thousands of other people, this condition results in various allergies. Gas, wind, and flatulence are also a result, as is acid indigestion or heartburn. These conditions are ideal for the hiatus hernias (also known as reflux) and spastic colons to start acting up. People with Irritable Bowl Syndrome (IBS) , diverticulitis, Chron’s disease, and ulcerative colitis have all benefited from this basic principle.

As far back as 1888 Dr. James Salisbury , in his research documented in The Relation of Alimentation and Disease, found that starches ferment readily in the stomach, resulting in acetic acid. This in turn leads to a variety of symptoms and conditions including headaches, throat congestion, mucus expectoration, pains in the heart, sour perspiration, alternate fever, rapid pulse, and chills (menopausal woman who suffer from hot flashes are often cured when they combine properly). Dr. Salisbury even found that vinegar could, through a chain of events, cause tuberculosis. He also found that vinegar tends to leak phosphorus from the body and stimulates the thyroid gland. As phosphorus is depleted , so in turn is the function of the adrenal system. ( The vinegar formed in the stomach through bad combining is no different from any other vinegar, except it is stronger. It is a by-product of fermentation. Even so-called healthy vinegar, such as apple-cider vinegar or balsamic vinegar, are fermented products and could cause the above symptoms. Fresh lemon juice is preferable if you want a tang to your food.)

As a result of the suspension of the digestive process caused by poor combining , food is not broken down completely and the maximum amount of nutrients cannot be absorbed. This results in various deficiencies. Many people with so-called iron deficiencies have had perfectly normal iron levels after only a few weeks of correct food-combining. It can also double the time it takes to digest a poorly combined meal so that the body has to expend a lot of energy and time trying to sort out the mess in the stomach. The result is of course lack of energy. One of the most immediate benefits of correct food-combining is the increase in energy levels. You wake up feeling rested and refreshed, never groggy or listless. If you have any digestive problems, allergies, or suffer from a lack of energy the best thing you can do is to try combining your foods correctly, for at least a month.

Food-combining just common sense when you get down to it. You may find, for example, that you can eat certain foods together that may cause discomfort in others(this could be dependent on the quantity of food you eat and the efficiency of your digestive tract), but even if you notice no difference in digestive comfort you should notice a huge difference in energy levels.

Keep your meals as simple as possible by eating only one concentrated food at each meal. Concentrated foods are foods that make you feel full, such as starches and proteins.

If it is as easy as that, the skeptics say, if we were not meant to mix starch and protein together, then why do they occur naturally in all foods? Yes they do occur naturally in all foods, but they are not found in an equally concentrated form in all foods.

The second argument favoured by skeptics is that early man could not have combined his food correctly. My answer is that early man ate simply , and would not have mixed his foods. We know from research that without refrigeration, early man ate whatever food was most readily available. If he killed an animal to eat, he would have to have consume as much as possible in a relatively short period before the carcass went bad. In the absence of a fresh kill, he would quite easily have made a complete meal of the berries, fruit , roots, or tubers that he found in abundance. It is unlikely that these two sorts of meals would ever have been eaten at the same time as the food group theory had yet to be created.

What about the food pyramid?

If you look at how the process of mixing the food groups came about, we find that it is mainly due to the marketing plan put together after World War II , when the economy, including agriculture, needed a kick start. What they taught in schools and colleges around the world was that to get all the nutrients you need for good health, you must mix the (then) three food groups. These were also known as the main agricultural groups, namely grain, fruits and vegetables, and animals. Grains and starches are for energy, fruits and vegetables are for vitamins and minerals, and proteins from animals are for building strength. This had very little to do with actual science and everything to do with the economy.

Within a few years the dairy industry became more powerful and wanted their own food group and a few years later so did the fat industry. Did our health improve? absolutely not. In fact, since WWII heart disease, cancer, diabetes, obesity, autoimmune diseases, and digestive diseases increased.

As research started to show how our health had deteriorated and that we needed to be eating simpler with less protein and less fats, the food industry attempted to change things by introducing the food pyramid. Here there is anything from five to eleven food groups just to make sure everyone receives a share of the market. Has it helped? absolutely not! But if you feel the need to follow a pyramid when it comes to choosing food, the University of California’s food pyramid is probably the best; this is one with fresh fruits and vegetables at the base. The one with grains at the base appears to be put together by the breakfast cereal industry. In the last year we have seen the introduction of twelve food pyramids with rainbow-colored, vertical stripes, just to confuse us further.

Smoothie

4  Ripe spotty bananas
1  Cup frozen Mango
2  Tblspn Hemp Seeds

Blend and enjoy!

*Taken from “The Natural Way” – Mary Ann Shearer