BEST SUGGESTIONS
#1. Protein foods are best digested when eaten with fresh vegetables (different vegetables can
be eaten together).
Primary protein foods such as nuts, seeds and soybeans also combine very well with acid fruits
like oranges, pineapples, grapefruit and lemons, and fairly well with sub-acid fruits, like grapes,
pears, apples, berries, apricots and peaches. These vegetables and fruits are rich natural
sources of vitamin C which helps protein digestion.
#2. Avoid mixing proteins and fats at the same meal.
Fat in foods inhibits the secretion of gastric juice through the small wall. When fat-concentrated
foods are taken with protein foods, gastric catabolism will decrease by the degree of liquid
concentration in the stomach. Fat will remain undigested in the stomach until gastric juices
complete their work on the complex protein molecule.
Although all primary protein foods contain high concentration of fat, such lipids will be held in
suspension, awaiting catabolism in the intestine, without impeding gastric action. Free fats like oil,
butter, and milk tend to coat the gastric mucosa, thereby inhibiting its effort to secrete gastric
juice. Fat surrounding fried foods is also regarded as free fat and it interferes with gastric
catabolism.
#3. Avoid mixing carbohydrates and acid fruits in the same meal.
The starch-splitting enzyme ptyalin in the saliva plays an important role as the food is chewed. It
converts the complex starch molecules into simple sugars. Ptyalin requires a neutral or slightly
alkaline medium for proper functioning and this is the normal condition of the saliva in the mouth.
However, when acid foods are taken, theaction of ptyalin is halted. It is, therefore, necessary to
avoid acid fruits in the same meal as sweet fruits or starches. Tomatoes should not be eaten with
starches especially potatoes or bread.
Refined sugar products are also acidic, both in the mouth and in the blood stream.
The acidifying of the saliva by sucrose is one of the main causes of tooth
decay. It can also cause severe damage to the digestion. Food combining is designed to facilitate
easier digestion.
MEALS
An important point to remember about meals is that the smaller the number of courses they
consist of, the better it will be. They should approximate to a one-course meal as much as
possible. Simple meals in every way are more conducive to health, than more elaborate ones, no
matter how well they may be combined.
A meal consisting of proteins, carbohydrates and fats may remain in the stomach for six to seven
hours before the stomach is emptied. If carbohydrates are eaten without proteins, they remain in
the stomach for a relatively short period. A fruit meal remains in the stomach for even shorter
time.