Food Combination (Trophology)

The idea behind food combining diets is that different foods digest at different rates and require different digestive environments, thus foods need to be eaten in groups that compliment these factors. While this sounds good on paper, it appears to be more of a misuse of biochemical information than anything else, as there is no real evidence to show that food combining diets improve digestion or enhance weight loss.

All food combining guidelines take into account the speed at which food digests. Fruit digests the quickest, then greens, then non-starchy vegetables, then starches and finally, digesting the slowest is protein. Eating foods in the correct order (according to their transit times) ensures a traffic jam-free (and toxin-free) digestive tract.

When you get the combining right, your body gets to use the nutrients in the food. This leaves you with more energy, which inevitably equals more beauty.

In the beginning, the easiest way to get into the habit of food combining is to divide your meals into categories.  Later on, when it is second nature to you, it is not necessary to be so structured.  Right now, for the sake of simplicity, try to think of your meals like this:

Breakfast = Fruit

Lunch = Protein + Veggies

Dinner = Starch + Veggies

Depending on the day that you are having, it is totally fine to swap your lunch and dinner meals.  However, always keep fruit in the morning and by itself.

Here are the food combining basics:

• Fruits are best eaten on an empty stomach
• Fruit + Raw greens = OK (except melons)
• Starches + Veggies = OK
• Starches + Starches = OK
• Proteins + Veggies = OK
• Plant Proteins + Plant Proteins = OK
• Proteins + Starches = No No
• Animal Proteins + Animal Proteins = No No
• Fats + Carbohydrates = OK
• Fats + Starches = OK
• Fats + Proteins (animal or plant) = No No (or pair moderately)

Examples:

*Yogurt:

Plain, non-sweetened yogurt, then flavoring it yourself with stevia, raw honey, or other natural sweetener of choice. Cinnamon, vanilla, or another natural extract would be a delicious addition, as well! Remember, fruit should be eaten by itself 20-30 minutes before eating anything else, so topping your yogurt with fruit isn’tan ideal combination. If you want the fruit, eat it first, then follow with yogurt later.

To keep the meal properly combined with yogurt, you could eat anything else from the “flesh” category– including eggs, meat, fish, or cheese– and any raw or cooked, non-starchy vegetables you like. You could even make a creamy salad dressing using yogurt as the base, and serve it over a pile of leafy greens and crunchy veggies!