A juice diet is a temporary fast that involves the consumption of fruit and vegetable juices. The goals of juice fasting including weight loss and cleansing. Food combining, also known as trophology, is the practice of combining specific types of food at each meal. Advocates of food combining believe that it promotes weight loss, improved digestion and better overall health.
Theory
Food combining was popularized by the physician William Howard Hay, who believed that fast-digesting foods, such as fruit, would ferment if they were consumed at the same time as slower-digesting proteins or fats. Hay also believed that starches are best digested in an alkaline environment, while proteins require an acidic environment for proper digestion. In Hay's view, combining proteins and starches lead to improper digestion.
Food Groups
Dr. Hay classified all foods into eight categories: Acid fruits, sub-acid fruits, sweet fruits, melons, protein, non-starchy vegetables, starches and fats. Most food combining advocates adhere to a similar scheme, although there are variations from author to author. Hay advised that fat and protein should not be eaten together, but either of those food groups could be combined with non-starchy vegetables such as broccoli, celery and lettuce. Because fruits digest more quickly than other foods, they should be eaten alone, according to Dr. Hay.
Juicing
Some food-combining rules are applicable to juicing. Dr. Hay advised against combining vegetables with fruit, or combining melons with any other type of food. He also warned against combining acid fruits, such as lemons, pineapples, and tomatoes, with sweet fruits, such as bananas. Other fruits, such as apples, peaches and strawberries, are classified as sub-acid and can be combined with either acid or sweet fruits.
Benefits
Advocates of food combining say that it promotes weight loss and can cure many ailments, ranging from allergies to arthritis. They also claim that it can relieve gastrointestinal ailments, including indigestion, constipation and flatulence.
Criticism
Most doctors and dietitians say that food combining is not supported by scientific evidence. In an article for the Food Diva website, nutritionist Monica Reinagel points out that many foods, such as grains and legumes, contain protein as well as carbohydrates. A study by A. Golay and colleagues published in the "International Journal of Obesity" in 2000 found that food combining had no effect on weight loss.
Member Comments