Food Combining Rules

There are many physiological reasons that make compatible food combinations beneficial for our digestive system. Sometimes we are oblivious of the type of food are we consuming, i.e, it is rich in carbohydrates, proteins or fats. Wrong food combinations lead to digestive distress and stomach disorders. It also leads to weight gain. To avoid crash diet, dietitians and nutritionists have formulated certain food combining rules that can be followed, to maintain good health along with a sound digestive system.

Food Combination Art

The art of food combining involves separating specific food items from other food types, for optimal absorption by the digestive system. Food combining rules helps us to understand the different healthy food groups that are supposed to be taken, combining with other food groups. For simple understanding, we should never eat quick-digestive food simultaneously with slow-digestive food. The following points shall make your concepts clear.

• Acids and starches should be consumed at separate meals. If acids and starch are combined together, it leads to fermentation and indigestion as acids neutralize the alkaline medium, required for digestion of starch molecules.
• Proteins and acids should be taken in separately. The acids inhibits the secretion of digestive juices, that are also acidic in nature. Hence digestion of protein is hampered. Undigested proteins often release poisons and odor, due to bacterial decomposition and food poisoning.
• Proteins foods must not be combined with carbohydrates as well. The reason is same, and proteins require acidic medium for breakage, while carbohydrates need alkaline medium for digestion.
• Also avoid two concentrated protein in the same meal. This is because, each type of protein requires a particular strength of digestive juices.
• Fats and protein combination is also a big no. Fat delays the activity of gastric juices and lowers the secretion of appetite juices, thus hampering the digestion of proteins.
• Acidic fruits must not be consumed with proteins. Acid and proteins lead to putrefaction and indigestion.
• Starch and sugars must not be eaten together. Sugars hinder secretion of the enzyme ptyalin that is essential for starch digestion.
• If you consume concentrated food, eat a particular type at each time. For example, you can consume one concentrated starch meal at one time.
• Carbohydrates and acids should not be combined together. The enzyme ptyalin, required for digestion of carbohydrates, acts in alkaline medium and destroys any amount of acid present.
• Do not combine desserts with your meal. It should be taken alone.

Applications of Food Combining Rules

Application of the rules lie in the food you consume during breakfast, lunch or dinner. In the next content you will come to know how the rules work.

• Do not eat rice, potatoes and bread with citrus fruits like, orange, tomatoes, lemons, grapes, etc.
• Nuts, cakes, candies should not be combined with eggs, cheese and meat or with potatoes, bread and cereals.
• Avoid eating eggs and meat, milk and nuts, milk and egg together. Milk is best to be consumed alone.
• Butter, creams and oil should not be consumed with eggs, cheese and meat.
• Citrus fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, pineapples, lemons, etc. should not be combined with meat, nuts, eggs, cheese, etc.
• Do not combine jams, honey, jellies, butter on bread, cakes, etc. or even with cereals and potatoes. Similarly combining sugar with cereals is also wrong.
• Watermelon should not be consumed with any other type of foods. Muskmelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon should also be consumed alone.

Now you must be a little aware of what type of food combination rules must be followed during different meal times for a balanced digestive health. For breakfast, you can have a combination of acid fruits like orange, pineapples, grapes, ripened bananas, etc. After 2-3 hours, you can take a sweet breakfast. Dates, raisins, figs and prunes are a good combination during winter season. In lunch you can eat salads of lettuce and celery combination. Avocado, alfalfa sprouts can also be taken in. One cooked green vegetable with starch is also a good combination. For dinner, cooked non-starch vegetables and proteins is a good diet. You can also take chicken soup alone. Raw vegetable salad is also ideal for dinner.

Food combination rules are formulated, depending on the actions of digestive enzymes on food. Calorie count is not the preference here, rather digestive chemistry holds much importance in the art of food combining.