The types of foods you eat and the amounts you eat them in, both play a role in proper health, energy, and weight, or lack thereof.
But, how you combine your foods as part of your meals is also important to consider, as different types of food require different enzymes, pH levels, and digestion times!
Food combining is based on the concept that certain foods go well together and compliment each other biochemically, while others interfere with each other’s digestion resulting in many problems, like:
- Malabsorption of nutrients
- Fatigue
- Mental fog
- Bloating
- Indigestion
- Excess or unpleasant gas
- Constipation or diarrhea
- Toxicity
- Food sensitivities
If you have poor digestion, or would like to improve or support your digestive system’s function and your energy levels, here are the most useful and important food combining guidelines:
- In general, fruits should be consumed on their own, on an empty stomach either before or in between meals, as they are the fastest and easiest to digest.
- Some fruits combine well with leafy greens, for example as part of green smoothies, and some can be paired with real grains, such as a bowl of oatmeal or buckwheat.
- Non-starchy vegetables combine well with starchy vegetables, such as asparagus with potatoes.
- Most vegetables also combine well with beans and real grains, for meals like veggie soups, chilis, and whole-meal salads.
- Animal foods, like meat or eggs, combine well with most water-rich vegetables, but not starchy vegetables or grains. If you eat such foods, having some meat or eggs with a common salad would be fine, whereas having them with potatoes, rice or bread would not.
- Isolated and concentrated fats, like oils, do not go well with most foods high in starch or protein. Try healthy fats from whole plant foods instead, like nuts, seeds, avocados, coconuts, and olives, mainly with vegetables.
Overall, simple meals made of whole, real plant foods are the best, rather than meals made of many different refined foods!
Note, that food combining is not nutrient combining and some food combining guidelines can be faulty, complicated, or impractical by focusing on isolated nutrients too much.
Food is a collection of nutrients, not a single nutrient. Beans, for example, are high in both protein and starch, and animal foods are high in both protein and fat.
Disclaimer: This is not to be taken as medical advice. Please advise a healthcare professional or nutritionist before making any drastic changes to your lifestyle.