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It turns out that different enzymes are
involved in digestion of different groups of foods.
Proteins
The Food Combining theory recommends
avoiding consuming of carbohydrate foods like potatoes,
bread or rice with acidy foods like: tomatoes, citruses:
grapefruits, lemons, oranges, pineapples etc…
Ptyalin, digestive enzyme which is
responsible for carbohydrate foods breaking down and for
optimal digestion requires alkali environment, is easily
destroyed even, by weak
acids.
Starchy foods optimally are digested in
alkali environment by salivary digestion, when eaten
with fat foods and leafy
vegetables.
Acidy foods are digested by gastric
digestion process with completely different digestion
mechanism.
Acidy foods completely neutralizing the
action of the enzyme and harden digestion process.
Combining the wrong kinds of foods may cause to
appearance of fumes (gas) or discomfort.
The Ten Golden Rules of The Food
Combining Diet
1. Eat acidy and starchy
food at separate meals. Alkaline environment required
for starch digestion is neutralized by acids and results
are fermentation and indigestion.
2.
Eat proteins and carbohydrates at separate meals.
Protein foods require an acid medium for digestion.
Carbohydrates
significantly slowing down secretion of gastric juice
and when proteins and carbohydrates are consumed
together the stomach become activity
depressed.
3.
Eat fat and protein foods at separate meals. Fat foods
require longer time for digestion. Nuts for example,
with over 50% of fat content, require hours for
digestion. Fats
slow down action of gastric glands and secretion of
gastric juices, which in turn affects protein
digestion.
4. Eat proteins and acid
foods at separate meals. The acids of inhibit the
secretion of the digestive acids required for protein
digestion. Undigested protein affects bacterial
decomposition and produces some potent poisons.
5.
Eat sugars (fruits) and starches at separate meals.
Eating
Starch and concentrated sugars is not recommended
because Fruits are
not digested in the stomach and are held up if consumed
with foods that require digestion in the stomach.
6. Eat protein and sweet
(fruits) foods at separate meals.
7. Eat one kind of
protein in a meal. It's not recommended having various
proteins in the meal because each protein requires
different strength of digestive juice to be secreted.
It’s recommended to avoid having meat and nuts, or meat
and milk, cheese and eggs together because of the reason
above.
8. Eat melons alone. They
can’t be combined with almost any other foods because of
the easy and swift
decomposition.
9. Milk, the natural
food, has to be taken alone, never in combination with
any other foods.
10. Deserts have to be
eaten after meal or else they lie on top of the meals in
the stomach. As they require salivary digestion in
alkali medium, they ferment. Bacteria turn them into
alcohols and acids.
The diets' pros and
con’s
The theory of Food Combining is
festinating but to be more accurate with facts it should
be noticed that almost all known foods are mixtures of
fat, carbohydrate and protein. There are some foods that
determining to which category they belong, is not so
easy. Moreover, human digestive system has adapted
varied nutrition and is able to successfully handle
consuming various kinds of foods consumed at the same
time.
Furthermore, the claim that this kind of
diet is promoting weight loss has to be thoroughly examined because
of the doubt that weight loss, if any, might be caused
because of restrictions on consumed calories and not
because of proper combination of
foods.
It’s recommended to pay attention and have
well balanced meals during Food Combining Diet and
ensure adequate intake of necessary mineral and vitamins
as: Vitamin B12 and vitamin D, calcium and
zinc.
On the other hand, properly planned
Food Combining Diet might be beneficial too: many
nutrition and health experts believe that combining of
starchy foods with proteins and fat can assist in
maintaining stable blood sugar and insulin levels to
keep the appetite suppressed and prevent food
cravings.
Summary
Food Combining Diet, since appearance in
the beginning of 20th century, and until present time is
causing disputes among health and nutrition experts.
To talk about all the facts, almost all of
them agree that to preserve good health, the human body
has to get all various foods with content of necessary
micronutrients, minerals and
vitamins.
The food Combining Diet encourages dieter
to consume more raw vegetables and fruits, avoid sugars
and processed foods. Same principle, of eating at least
5 servings of fruits a day, is accepted by Dietary
Guidelines for Americans.
On the contrary, there is a lack of proved
information on how Food Combining Diet promotes, if any,
weight loss. Anyhow, food consuming according to the
guidelines of Food Combining Diet
The dieter should be aware to his eating
habits, avoid having unnecessary food cravings,
consuming balanced diet and help to preserve the body in
better health
condition.
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