Five Famous Fibs and Fables: The Worst Nutritional Advice Ever Given

How to Determine if Food Combining is right for You

Fib 1. The Philosophy of food combining, in which certain foods are said to compliment or oppose each other in the digestive process, is based primarily on cooked food and cooked food only! When you are following a Raw foods diet, which is bountiful in the enzymatic activity that aids digestion, proper food combining is not as critical. It does become critical, however, for people with poor assimilation, digestion problems, low energy levels, diabetes, and high performing athletes.

Fib 2. If you are eating a completely Raw diet or trying to convert to mostly Raw diet these rules should apply only if you are not experiencing any health concerns, these food-combining guidelines will be helpful to you and your energy levels throughout the day.

Fib 3. Not properly mixing foods that require different digestive times and enzymes can cause food digestion to be difficult or slow. This is a very true fact my friends and you should experiment with this a little try to pay attention to times you feel really sluggish and not energetic I can guarantee it is something you ate that is having a hard time digesting. Starch Digestion, for example begins in the mouth and requires alkaline digestion secretion; but protein digestion begins in the stomach, where acid secretions such as hydrochloric acid and pepsin are found. When mixed, the alkaline and acidic secretions neutralize each other, resulting in poor digestion of both starch and protein.
Fib 4. Drinking beverages simultaneously with meals does not affect the diluting of your digestive juices. Yes it does and ideally try to drink one half-hour before a meal or one and a half hours after. This is also great for weight loss drinking lots of H20 will fill you up without filling you out and when your meal comes around you will already feel full.

Fib 5. It is good to mix fruits and vegetables together. I don't know about you my friends but that doesn't even sound good. Fruits and veggies are not generally best when mixed together. The exceptions to this rule are avocado (a fruit), which combines well with vegetables, and celery and lettuce, which combine well with fruit. Avoid combining acidic fruits such as grapefruit with sweet fruits such as raisins, because acidic and sweet fruits require different digestive times and secretions. Not to sound inapropriate or anything but people who find themselves complaining that fruit gives them gas can blame it on improper combining or the fact that that the fruit is cleansing bacterial overgrowth from the digestive tract.

For optimal digestion, try to eat light foods before heavy foods, because the lighter foods (being more watery) will be digested more quickly. Eat fats and proteins at separate meals. Example: 1 tspn of Organic Peanut Butter and a small sliced apple or 3 oz of albacore tuna fish with 6 low salt Triscuits. Those are great mini meal ideas with the right combination! Save Raw desserts such as cakes, cookies, and puddings to be eaten at least an hour after a meal and only a couple times per week. I hope these tips help you my health and fitness friends. Have a healthy and happy day!

By, Natalie Pyles

Health & Fitness Expert, Nutrition Specialist, Author, NSA Speaker