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I don’t do food combining myself, but I know that if you go to the “forums” section on this sight and search food combining, somewhere there is a thread with a simple to follow chart that you can print off.
By Dr. Herbert M. Shelton Reprinted from Dr. Shelton’s Hygienic Review
There are sound physiological reasons for eating foods in compatible combinations. In other words, some foods, if mixed in the digestive system, will cause distress! The principles of food combining are dictated by digestive chemistry. Different foods are digested differently. Starchy foods require an alkaline digestive medium which is supplied initially in the mouth by the enzyme ptyalin. Protein foods require an acid medium for digestion- hydrochloric acid.
As any student of chemistry will assure you, acids and bases (alkalis) neutralize each other. If you eat a starch with a protein, digestion is impaired or completely arrested! The undigested food mass can cause various kinds of digestive disorders. Undigested food becomes soil for bacteria which ferment and decompose it. Its by products are poisonous, one of which, alcohol, is a narcotic that destroys or inhibits nerve function. It plays havoc with nerves of the digestive tract, suspending their vital action such that constipation may well be a result! As set forth in Dr. Herbert Shelton’s FOOD COMBINING MADE EASY these are the salient rules for proper food combining.
The Basic Rules of Proper Food Combining:
1. Eat acids and starches at separate meals. Acids neutralize the alkaline medium required for starch digestion and the result is fermentation and indigestion.
2. Eat protein foods and carbohydrate foods at separate meals. Protein foods require an acid medium for digestion.
3. Eat but one kind of protein food at a meal.
4. Eat proteins and acid foods at separate meals. The acids of acid foods inhibit the secretion of the digestive acids required for protein digestion. Undigested protein putrefies in bacterial decomposition and produces some potent poisons.
5. Eat fats and proteins at separate meals. Some foods, especially nuts, are over 50% fat and require hours for digestion.
6. Eat sugars (fruits) and proteins at separate meals.
7. Eat sugars (fruits) and starchy foods at separate meals. Fruits undergo no digestion in the stomach and are held up if eaten with foods that require digestion in the stomach.
8. Eat melons alone. They combine with almost no other food.
9. Desert the desserts. Eaten on top of meals they lie heavy on the stomach, requiring no digestion there, and ferment. Bacteria turn them into alcohols and vinegars and acetic acids.
Wow thanks for that it looks good – may take a little while to get my head round but thanks very much for your help!
One thing that is confusing to me is that nuts are both fat and protein. How can you eat them separately? I don’t eat them often anymore. I do still eat seeds and they have the same issues, fat and protein, but not as much of either. I limit them now where I used to eat them frequently. There are a lot of recipes here that are poor food combinations, but I thought that if they were only eaten occasionally, they shouldn’t cause problems. I made walnut taco salad with guacamole and salsa. I had worsening of MS symptoms for two days. I combined two fats (protein) and acidic fruit. I really felt the effects. Not everyone will have the same experiences. The salad tasted great!
Another thing to consider is sequential eating: http://drbass.com/sequential.html
On this website they have an easy reference chart that you can print out and put up on your refridgerator.
http://www.alderbrooke.com/chart.htm
Great site, Raw Choco, Thanks!
Yeah thanks for that guys, i think it’s starting to make sense – I’ve tried to stick to having as many mono meals as I can because I think that helps my digestion… however I’m not sure if my body wants a fast – things seem to be moving a bit slowly at the moment… I’ll try keeping an eye what I eat with what – it may just be me and my digestion – it’s always been a bit rubbish! The sequential eating looks interesting!
KatyUK, have you read Natalia Rose’s book “The Raw food detox diet”? Because near the beginning of the book is a great and much, much easier food combining rules and chart. Tonight I’m going to copy out that part of the book so I can learn to combine foods a bit better. I’m not really fanatic about food combining, but I do find it helpful. I think you’d like it.
SkyPrincess, thanks for that… I’ve not read that book no but I’ll have a look for it… I’ve already tried to make a concious effort to do the basics like only eat fruit on an empty stomach, no other foods with melon, nuts take 2 hours etc…. think i’m feeling better for it… :-)