Food Combining - You Are What You Eat

[MarlaGaz]

I'm reading "You Are What You Eat," by Gillian McKeith and I've read the section on food combining. Maybe if anyone has knowledge on this topic you can help me out.

I understand the premise of food combining -- you only combine food groups in a meal that require the same digestive enzymes, for proper digestion and absorption. For example, fruit digests very quickly; protein digests slowly. If you eat fruit after a meal it can't go anywhere -- it gets stuck behind food that takes longer to digest and it will ferment in the gut, resulting in bloating, gas, indigestion, malabsorption, cramps, constipation, etc.

So ... since we're not supposed to combine protein & carbs in the same meal, how do we reconcile the recommendation from so many experts that we always eat protein with carbs to slow digestion in order to balance blood sugar levels? Food combining sounds interesting, but I thought it was best not to eat carbs alone due to insulin/blood sugar levels being unbalanced.

This would also mean you really should never have milk with cereal, wouldn't it?

Anyone have knowledge on this?

Thanks!

 

[allwildgirl]

"There is no scientific proof that the human body needs to separate out protein and carbohydrate foods at different meals because it can not cope with digesting them together. This idea of ‘food combining’ came originally from work at the end of the 1800’s by Dr William Hay and has been popularised through various food combining diet books published over the last ten years. Humans have one stomach and a medium-length gut which makes us omnivores and quite capable of handling for example, a steak (protein and fat) and potatoes (carbohydrate) at the same meal."

 

[Aquajock]

All hail Shelley.

Limecat, that was a great quote about yet another quack food program. Thanks for posting it.

A-Jock

 

[MarlaGaz]

Hi Shelley,

Thanks for your quote. Whose quote is it? Is it from a book? I might want to read it.

Thanks!

 

[allwildgirl]

Good morning!

Actually, I just googled "food combining myths" and that website popped up. Here is another good link to an article from WSC Berkeley's Wellness Letter

http://www.purifymind.com/FoodCombining.htm

 

[feelin_good]

I've got a book or two on food combining. I think it can be good for a lot of people.

However, I think if you just take some Digestive Enzymes along with your meal you'll have it covered. That's often what I do!

 

[AllisonT]

Way back when, when "Fit for Life" was popular, I lost a lot of weight on its combining diet - nothing but fruit before noon, then no mixing of proteins and carbs in any meal. I lost weight not because of the enzyme digestion nonsense, but because I ate a TON of vegetables. I don't think food-combining is unhealthy, it's just that the reasoning behind it is bogus.