by Frederic Patenaude
You
might disagree, but hear me out on this.
I think one of the best ways to improve
your digestion is to follow some very
simple food combining rules.
One question I get a lot is, “When
you eat raw foods, do you have to avoid
certain combinations?” The answer
is yes. But then, it doesn't have to be
complicated.
I will show you some very simple ways
you can use food combining to your advantage,
and I will also list some food combinations
that are perfectly fine, although many
people still shun them.
Sugar and Fat
The main combination to avoid is sugar
and fat. Sugar being any type of sugar
such as fruits, dates, refined sugar,
or anything sweet. Fat includes oils,
avocados, nuts, and any other type of
fatty foods.
The reason is that fat takes a longer
time to digest, while sugar tends to digest
quickly. When the two are mixed together
in sufficient quantities, the sugar will
ferment. Say hello to gas and bloating!
So the combinations to avoid include:
dates and nuts, nuts and dried fruits,
adding fat to fruit smoothies (including
oils, nuts, etc.), and obviously eating
fruit or sweets at the end of a meal.
However, let me also say that although
this is the most important rule to follow,
it is not completely rigid either. A little
occasional combo of fruit and fat are
okay, but generally, you'll find that
avoiding this combination most of the
time will solve a lot of your digestive
problems.
Sugar and Starch
Another very bad combo is the combination
of cooked starch and sugar, so this one
obviously doesn't apply to a raw food
meal. Starch includes bread, potatoes,
pasta, etc.
This combinations leads to a lot of gas
and fermentation. Examples include: raisin
bread, all pastries, all cakes, all cookies,
and eating sweets after a meal!
Concentrated Foods
You can understand the philosophy and
science of food combining by understanding
one simple idea: it's best to eat only
one type of concentrated food at a meal.
Concentrated foods include anything that's
not a fresh fruit or vegetables, or anything
that's high in fat. For example, bread,
meat, potatoes, nuts, seeds, avocados.
The reason is that concentrated foods
take more time to digest, and when they
are mixed together, they tend to conflict
with each other and cause digestive problems.
So the idea is in one meal to have just
one type of concentrated food, and accompany
that with lots of vegetables. It's also
best to eat fruits alone.
Unnecessary
Rules
There are several “rules”
of food combining that are really not
necessary. Once you become more fluent
in the “language” of food
combining, you'll understand why. Let
me give you a few:
Melons - There's no reason not
to mix melons with other fruits. You can
mix melons with any other fruit you want,
without any problems. Just don't mix them
with concentrated foods.
Fruits - Fruits may be combined
with each other without problems. There's
no need to divide them in categories of
their own. The only exception is the banana,
which should not be mixed with very acid
fruits such as oranges. The reason is
that bananas contain starch and this conflicts
with the acidity in certain fruits.
Tomatoes - Although we eat tomatoes
as a vegetable, it is a fruit in reality
so it may be combined with other fruits
if desired.
Greens Don't Count - Greens such
as lettuce, celery, spinach, and other
green leaves, don't even count in food
combining. The reason is that they combine
well with anything. They combine well
with fruit as well as with any other food.
Simplify Combos
So those were a few tips to help you improve
your diet and get you started with some
food combining concepts.
The whole idea about food combining is
to simplify meals. It means that a meal
with 5 ingredients will digest more easily
than a meal with 10. And a meal with 2
ingredients will be easier to digest than
a meal with 5.
It's more important to vary our diet from
meal to meal, rather than get all that
variety in one meal!
As you learn more about food combining
and a simple and easy raw food diet, you'll
find that it's really the best way to
stay healthy with a “silent”
digestion, and best of all, it's also
so enjoyable to eat that way!
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