Principles of Food Combining

Part I

            I do want to preface this post by saying that although food combining is not backed by enough research (yet), I’ve experimented with my own body and have not only seen, but also felt incredible results…along with many other people who have adapted this way of eating. I call this a “lifestyle” and not a “diet” because by following food combining, you are not eliminating any food group from your diet all together. You will come to learn in this post that when following food combining, you are just altering how you pair certain foods. I also want to say that there is no “one size fits all” approach to nutrition. Everyone’s bodies are different and therefore, so are their desires and nutritional needs. Please, take what you want from this post and leave what you do not want. Food combining is not for everyone, but if you are curious about this approach, give it a try and feel free to reach out to me with any questions. 

            So what is “food combining”? Food combining is based on the principle that certain combinations of food may be digested with greater ease and efficiency than others. It is a way of eating that pairs different combinations of food that will free up energy in order to optimize digestion and absorption of nutrients. When following the principles of food combining, you want to avoid pairing two different “concentrated foods” (protein and starch) in the same meal. For example, pairing rice, pasta, potatoes, bread with meat, fish, poultry, eggs. This is because starches and protein take different amounts of time to digest in our systems and use different enzymes. Ultimately food combining suggests that we want to free up energy so that food can pass as quickly and efficiently through our GI tract as possible. This will alleviate fermentation of food in the gut, bloating, gas, flatulence, constipation and heart-burn, which many people struggle with today.

            Another key principle of food combining (aside from not combining starches and protein in the same meal) is to have fruit first, alone on an empty stomach. This stems from the idea that fruit digests so quickly and easily through our digestive tract and we should take advantage of that in the early hours of the morning when our bodies are in an elimination phase. This elimination phase is why you may notice that you typically go to the bathroom (have a bowel movement) when you wake up or soon after. By having only fruit when our body is in this elimination phase, we are enhancing our digestion. If just having fruit for breakfast doesn’t sound satisfying to you and you are the type of person who is going to crave a “heartier” breakfast, I recommend having a bowl of fruit first, waiting 20-30 minutes for the fruit to digest and then having what many call a “second breakfast” if you so please. This second breakfast could be a bowl of oatmeal (no fruit on top though because of the fruit alone principle) or avocado toast loaded with veggies. You can also use my graphic down below to build a fruit forward breakfast that will help keep your tummy happy & satisfied throughout the morning. The “neutrals” I have listed are foods that can be paired with fruit according to the principles of food combining. 

            To make this approach as simple as possible, I have broken down the principles of food combining (which I choose to follow daily) in the graphics below. I will follow up in my next post and share my personal experience with food combining and why I love following these principles. 

To be continued…

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