Examples Of Food Combining

Examples of Food Combining

Jan 4, 2011 | By Adam Dave, MD

Food combining garnered attention in the 1980s largely due to the popularity of Harvey Diamond's "Fit for Life" diet book. Diamond, who argues that nothing improves digestion as much as food properly combined, holds that your body is not designed to digest one concentrated food at a time, and from this premise the principles of food combining follow. Before starting any new treatment or diet, talk to your doctor.

Vegetables Combine with Everything

Vegetables are high in water and are therefore less concentrated than foods such as protein, grains and oils. As such, vegetables can be eaten with any of these foods, or with other vegetables. For each vegetable-based meal, it is best to choose one and only one concentrated food. Examples include vegetables with fish, or an avocado and cucumber sandwich, rather than fish with rice, as both fish and grains are concentrated foods, according to Diamond.

Avoid Protein with Starch

Animal protein may be eaten with vegetables, but should not be combined with starch, acids or oils, according to Dr. Robert O. Young, Ph.D., in his book, "The pH Miracle." Young argues that the acid present in protein, which is made up of amino acids, blocks the action of an important salivary enzyme necessary for proper starch digestion and results in gas and bloating. Because vegetables contain water and fiber important for optimal digestion, Young recommends to combine either animal protein or grains with vegetables.

Eat Fruit on Its Own

Both Young and Diamond agree that fruit should be eaten on its own. Fruit is rapidly digested and may result in indigestion and gas if combined with protein, while eating fruit with starches, be they grains, or vegetables such as potatoes, can lead to fermentation in your digestive tract. As fruits are cleansers and vegetables are builders, Young believes that you unduly stress your body by asking it to do opposites simultaneously.