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Login Here Signup Here Signup using FacebookI am just a bit confused about some of the aspects of food combining. I have been following links for a few months on this topic as it was discussed on this site. My immediate question is why does one suggestion say to eat nuts with acid fruit, and another place I read to eat them only with greens? Also, I read that lettuce and celery combine well with fruit for a smoothie, but I prefer spinich and fruit. What is the difference? Thanks.
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why does one suggestion say to eat nuts with acid fruit, and another place I read to eat them only with greens?
The simple answer is that “one size does not fit all.” We are all different, have different environments, genetics, and other factors.
Different “experts” have tried different things in “studies”, that is, if they even call what they did a study. Others write about what worked for them and sometimes it comes across as “this is THE way.” Some studies are very focused (like using one variety of a plant that is the most potent is some active ingredient or used a particular processing method/harvesting method) but a generality is publicized for public consumption. This does a disservice since people won’t be replicating the way a study was performed to try and get similar results. Use what the “experts” say as options and ideas to pick and choose until you find the right combination for you. Meaning, keep exploring options until you get to your preferred wellness level. You know the montra… Listen to your body. Do what works for you.
Someone else that is versed in the ins and outs of food combining will need to answer your spinach vs lettuce and celery questions.
To your wellness…
One book that helped me to understand about food combining is “Food Combining and Digestion – 101 ways to improve your digestion” by Steve Meyerowitz. Per my understanding of food combining is that its best not to mix fruits and veggies together since the stomach has certain acids to digest the food. And there is certain digestive acids for fruit and certain digestive acids for veggies (as you might have read on topics of food combining). But I think since nuts are considered a protein, it’s best to eat with veggies (greens). Possibly combining protein, veggies and starches with fruit may slow down the digestive process therefore causing fermentation in the stomach (creating bad blood) which will then get reabsorbed back into the blood rather than being eliminated as the body should do. You can tell if there’s any fermentation in the body by gas, bloating, possibly feeling swollen etc. Again with the whole lettuce/celery and fruit combination, I feel fruits should be eaten separately as a meal (to play safe) and veggies in separate meal. In certain cases, like juicing, you can mix some fruits like pineapple juice with vegetable juice; or apple juice with carrots and other veggies. But these are specific cases when you’re separating the pulp/fiber and the juice from the vegetable or fruit. However, I would look into the book by Meyerowitz which is a simple read and easy to really grasp the whole concept of Food Combining. The more you research into it, the more you’ll pull a unified general concept of food combining because there’s so many contradicting information on the topic you just don’t know what to follow. But I try to make it simple with the veggies in one meal, and then 4-5 hours w/ only fruits in another meal (just to be safe). You can never go wrong. Hope this helps.
I love green smoothies and they are a big part of my raw diet. I don’t know what I would do without them! I just do not like lettuce in them because it makes it bitter. I use spinich just about every time. I am trying to pay more attention to combining by not mixing acid fruit with sweet fruit, and by not mixing almond milk with sweet fruit. However, I must say that the nut and acid edict has me bumfuzzled as I was previously insturcted to only eat them with greens. I appriciate the suggestion about purchasing a book, but right now I am doing well to purchase groceries. I just made a wonderful green smoothie with apple juice, water, dates, bananas, cinnamon, spinich and blueberries. Some of you food combining gurus may be able to tell me if this is a good combo. I juiced the apples because they were wormie and stung up. I had gathered them from a tree beside the road. One less thing I had to purchase! Hee hee hee!
pulse~ Check your local library for this or any other book you might be interested in. If your library doesn’t have it, see if they will purchase it for their collection. Also, check freecycle.com for your area.
Thanks, Bluedolfin, but I have already tried the library. They don’t have books on raw or food combining. They just kind of laughed about purchasing a book for the library. Oh, well, I am sure that I will be able to purchas a book one of these days! Any more book suggestions? I wonder which one would be best?
I think food combining is crap and that you shouldn’t worry about it.
Think about millions of years of evolution, when we wandered around as hominid proto-human primates. When we encountered food, we probably ate as much as we could and either stayed there until everything was gone, or carried as much back to whatever “camp” or wherever it was everyone else was at. I don’t see how food combining could have possibly evolved or been selected for for us homo sapiens. In other words, I don’t think there was a group of primitive peoples who combined foods and then evolved more than those who didn’t. I don’t think anyone would have been able to figure out how to do it, just like now. There’s no benefit.
All raw foods have the enzymes present in them to digest themselves when they get catalyzed by our chewing, in addition to our plentiful digestive enzymes (in a raw foodist, anyway), and our stomach acids, which are just the right pH for digesting all manner of plant food (except for grass).
I absolutely don’t think you need to worry about it one bit.
ciao4now and Mickmaster out.
agree with you somewhat mickmaster, but for the same reasons that you gave are why food combining makes sense (to me). you won’t see carrots growing next to melons or bananas next to oranges (as examples if you do or don’t not really sure, but you get my point) so back in the days people likely didn’t combine fruits and veggies that way. so they ate foods that were in close proximity of each other. don’t think they had fancy ass charts and said ‘no can’t eat almonds, we had fruits just 5 mins ago’
talked on this in another thread. here’s what i did and worked out well for me. had a few food combining charts (most of which provided conflicting info) and loosely followed some of them. more importantly kept a food journal for 6 six weeks. noting all the food that i ate, activities i took part in and most importantly how i felt (gassy, poop sched, etc). during the 6 weeks, i started to notice patterns in how i felt. now i have my own food combining chart that works for me (that i loosely follow). everyBODY is going to react differently to different things. i don’t believe there is a ‘one-size fits all’ solution.
Food combining is crap?? try to eat beans with bread and you’ll most likely need to provide gas masks for anybody around you…then eat beans alone (or veggies) and this ugly result won’t happen….( a non RAW example to make a point)
Back in the days would have been impossible to mix too many ingredients as people used to eat food that was locally grown (someone eating bananas would not have access to apples as they grow in different regions) today thanks to commerce (imports) we have all at our disposal..that’s why we need to pay attention not too mix too many things together.
BTW: “apple juice, water, dates, bananas, cinnamon, spinich and blueberries” it may taste good no doubt…but I eat fruit separately and only one fruit type a the time.
BK and melaverde—I’ll buy what you’re saying to a certain extent. You’re right that there was a limited selection of foods in a geographical area due to soil conditions, etc.
As for beans, that’s not a good example because we can’t completely digest beans no matter what. Doesn’t matter what you combine them with.
Sure, eat a whole bunch of different foods together and you might get some of them reacting together in your belly. However, we would have found berry bushes growing in the same field as apple trees, and probably some tubers and nut trees too. Some of them thrive on the assistance (shade, soil nitrogen-fixing capability, vining support, etc.) of others and birds and mammals (including hominids) would have eaten whatever was edible depending on which of them they could get to, etc.
I just think it would be very difficult, if not impossible to factor all that stuff out and I think people might unnecessarily be concerned about it when they don’t have to, and unnecessarily restrict certain foods that they don’t have to.
And if everybody truly is different enough, then the charts won’t work anyway like you said, BK.
Peace.
So, CanarsieBK, could you share with me some of your wisdom? (Or any one else!) I know that everyone is different,but I have a whole family to feed, all with different needs. Some of us have digestive issues, some have a hard time putting weight on, and some have a hard time taking it off, ect. So far proper food combining and raw seems to me to be what is going to be the best way for us all to meet in the middle. And I am waaay too busy not to have us all meet in the middle with our meals! Thanks.
mickmaster. we are saying the same things different ways. i believe in food combining (to the individual or group) and you don’t believe that there is one ‘master’ food combining chart, which i totally agree with. there are way too many things to factor in for there to be one solution. no doubt.
pulse. the only wisdom that i can bestow is about my own body. for you and your family, my suggestion would be for everyone to keep a food journal and maybe you can monitor all of them. you’ll start to see what works for who and take it from there.
i am sure that you can find someone who will talk to you about food combining (or raw foods or any subject for that matter) and preach like what they are saying is the gospel. personally, i’m not into that b/c i don’t believe that there is a one-size fits all solution. each person will vary slightly. it’s up to you (or the individual) to find out those differences.
hopefully this helps.
Hi pulse, are we having a day? You are right by what you say. Some are very good at eating all fruit. and others at food combining. My body needs a well rounded meal.Put it all together and it will be happy.By the way when I eat raw beans with raw corn bread and mango salsa. Nooooo problem, and when I was cooked vegan and ate cooked pino beans with corn bread and salsa. Nooooo problem. At that time I was told it was the meat that was the problem. Seems to be so. I will still eat my 1/2 watermelon by itself, don’t want anything to get in my way of food combing here.