In order to achieve the best possible diet for your health and well-being you may choose to eat healthy food combinations. Eating foods in the right combinations is good for your digestive system and helps ensure you get the most benefit from the nutrients in your food, as certain food combinations promote the absorption of vitamins and minerals, while others may be harmful. Understanding what makes a healthy food combination can help you maximize your sense of well-being and get the most from your diet.
Digestion
One of the most important reasons to choose healthy food combinations is to promote digestive health. As noted in "Food Combining and Digestion" eating too many different types of food in one sitting leads to digestive confusion. For example, eating a cheeseburger with all the trimmings stresses your body as it tries to break down protein, fat and carbohydrates at the same time. Instead, choose a more limited range of staple foods -- such as rice, potatoes, and vegetables -- and add extras as an occasional treat.
Nutrients
Certain food combinations are beneficial to vitamin and mineral absorption, and some are harmful, according to "Modern Nutrition in Health and Disease." For example, avoid having tea, coffee or chocolate with iron-rich foods, as they hinder iron absorption. That means no coffee or chocolate cake following a steak dinner! Vitamin C, however, benefits iron absorption, so a spinach salad with a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice is a good meal choice.
Combining Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are fuel for your body, and because they come from a wide variety of food sources you can combine them to create highly nutritious meals. In "What Are You Doing to Your Body?" author Biran Alon Biron notes that healthy food combinations include starchy carbohydrates like rice, pasta, bread or potatoes with legumes and vegetables, This provides protein, fiber and a range of vitamins and complex carbohydrates. This gives your body optimum nutrition in an easy-to-digest form.
Protein and Vegetables
You should not mix animal proteins, such as meat or fish, with starchy carbohydrates, according to Biron. This is because animal protein requires a lot of acid to digest, and takes longer to break down. If it is eaten with starches, the different digestive juices neutralize each other, slowing your body and causing bloating. Vegetables, especially if eaten raw, have enzymes that promote digestion, so they are an ideal accompaniment to protein. Try eating meat or poultry with a big salad, or lightly steamed vegetables, instead of with potatoes.
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