Food Combining

Every year, over 2 billion dollars are spent on antacids in the United States. Indigestion is so common in today’s society that it's almost considered normal. Rather than using drugs to suppress the symptoms, wouldn’t it be wiser to remove the root causes of indigestion?

'Food combining' refers to the practice of eating a combination of foods which have compatible digestive chemistry. Correct food combinations are important for proper digestion, utilization, and assimilation of the nutrients in our diet. Whenever two or more foods are eaten at the same time and those foods require opposite conditions for digestion, the digestive process is compromised.

For example, protein foods require a highly acidic environment for digestion, while carbohydrates (starches, fruit and sugars) and fats require a more alkaline (or base) medium. When acids and alkalines come in contact, they neutralize each other and this retards digestion. Therefore, when starches and proteins are combined their stimulation of the digestive juices generates a conflicting response and produces a medium which makes digestion of both types of food difficult. This leads to bloating, gas, abdominal discomfort, and poor absorption of nutrients.

Any quick-digesting foods, such as fruit, cannot be processed by the body for six to eight hours, the time it takes for the slowest digesting foods leave the stomach. While waiting, the fruit and some of the starches decompose and ferment, producing gas, acid and even alcohol, along with the familiar sensations of indigestion.

Source: www.healingdaily.com