Facts on Food Combining Diets

1. Eat Foods That Digest at the Same Rate

The food combining diet is a method of eating that encourages not eating certain foods together. Some foods produce an acid response while others produce an alkaline response in the mouth, stomach and digestive tract. Proteins, for example digest in an acidic environment and starches in an alkaline environment. When the wrong combination of food is eaten together in one meal, or in a close proximity to each other, the food putrefies during the digestive process and ferments, causing heartburn, stomach ache, gas, discomfort and weight gain.

2. The Lone Fruit

Fruit digests very fast, mostly in the mouth. Chew it well to avoid a stomach ache and eat it by itself. If you eat protein or starches with it, the fruit has to wait until the other food finishes digesting before it can leave the stomach and putrefies. Get the fruit in, through and out to clean your system. Melon should only be eaten by itself and not with other fruits because it digests extremely fast.

3. No More Meat and Potatoes

Never eat starch and protein together. This cuts out a lot of American staples including cheeseburgers, stew, chili, turkey and stuffing, tuna sandwiches and biscuits and gravy. Proteins and fats digest more slowly than anything and should only be eaten with vegetables. So a steak and a salad with no croutons would be ok. Chicken and steamed asparagus, pork and broccoli and a plain hamburger with cheese and no bun would not cause indigestion.

4. Got Milk?

As a general rule, most ardent food combiners will not drink milk. It digests in the duodenum instead of the stomach which can cause digestive problems all on its own. More liberal schools of food combining will allow milk to be taken alone if you aren't lactose intolerant and some will advocate eating an acid fruit like an orange or strawberry with milk.

5. Hold the Water, Please

Water should be taken intravenous drip style throughout the day, continuously and in small quantities but never with or near meals. Water dilutes the enzymes in the food and prevents it from digesting. In fact, no liquids of any kind should be taken with food or 1 hour before and after you eat. Food combining experts also recommend that ice not be added to water because it shocks the digestive track and causes it to seize up which can compromise the cleansing effect of water.