Food Combining – Understand How Poor food Combinations Can Negatively Affect Bloating, Gas, Upset Stomach and More.
Most people think all foods, especially healthy foods can go together with no problems to your body. This is not true. Poor food combining leads to digestive problems such as gas (flatulence or burping), fatigue after eating, upset stomach, bloating, heart burn, acid reflux and non absorption of critical nutrients. The first few of these are signs of gas trying to escape and are system caused by different enzymes that do not mix well trying to break down foods that should not be combined. This leads to an acidic internal environment that will promote illness and disease.
Proper food combining leads to immediate improvement in health, lightening the load of the digestive organs, creating a healthy alkaline environment, allowing for better digestion, assimilation and less fermentation and gas.
Often food allergies can disappear as a result of proper food combining. For example, in his book Food Combining Made Easy, Dr. Herbert Shelton
explains that starchy foods should to be eaten alone because starches are digested with enzymes different from those used for any other food group. Dr. 
Shelton has found that combining green, leafy vegetables with every food group produces favorable results. With a high nutritional value and lots of fiber, there are several benefits of adding greens to other foods. The fiber in the greens slows down the absorption of sugar from fruit. This makes drinking green smoothies, for example, possible, even for people with high sensitivity to sugar.
Below is a list of some of the basics of food combining. I know this is a lot of information at first, but don’t be overwhelmed, take one compination every couple of days until it comes more natural. The chart may be easier to understand than the concepts. I personally, do not fret too much about food combining when it comes to combining within fruit groups, but as always I suggest listening to your own body and the severity in which these food groups mix poorly for you. People may notice combining opposing fruit groups may not be a big deal but everyone will feel a negative result from mixing dense carbs and protein, as the standard American diet (S.A.D.) promotes. People who believe are not affected by this usually are out of touch with their body or so accustomed to eating toxic food that it’s just normal for them. The principles of my nutritional plan is based on having more energy and mental clarity after eating, something most people experience the opposite of feeling like they need a nap after a meal or that passing a lot of gas is normal.
1. Drink Liquids Alone
In normal eating situations, it’s actually best to wait 15 minutes after you drink something to begin eating or to drink liquids after the food you were eating is finished digesting! Why? water will dilute the hydrochloric acid and flushes some of the food that hasn’t completely been broken down yet out of the stomach. In following this rule, it is still important to drink enough water in the off eating times to make up for the water not consumed as normal during meals. Eight glasses a day of purified or spring water is recommended and a gallon if taking any herbs or herbal teas since they help to detoxify the body.
2. DO NOT COMBINE DENSE PROTEINS
(That is meats, fish, eggs, dairy, avocado, dried beans, nuts, seeds) WITH DENSE CARBOHYDRATES (bread cereal, corn, crackers, grains, potatoes, pasta, yams) This is the most common food combining mistake made. So many of our traditionally accepted American meals break this rule in a major way. Examples are hamburgers with French fries, meat & bread or potato combinations, rice & beans, meat or egg sandwiches, milk and cereal, pasta with meat sauce or meatballs. To ensure proper digestion of each food, according to Dr. Wayne Pickering, a naturopathic doctor who has written a lot on food combining, wait two hours after eating a starch before eating protein. And wait three hours after eating protein before eating a starch.
3. Fruits ALONE (Not even with vegetables)
This rule, when I follow it properly, definitely works wonders for remaining gas-free. You’ve got to wait enough time after eating fruit to eat something else, and it really is best not to combine fruit with other meals. Restaurants often create “exotic” salads mixing greens with fruits like mangos in kale salad or nectarines in Chinese salads or melons or strawberries in with other greens. The digestion of fructose and the rest of the fruit requires certain enzymes that are not best mixed with other digestive enzymes.
Eat fruit 30-60 minutes before dinner. The same applies if you want to eat another piece of fruit. Some f this you know naturally. Acidic fruits, such as lemons for example, also do not combine well with starches. Lemon and banana is but one example of a combination that is sure to lead to gastrointestinal upset…
Many people consider tomatoes a fruit, yet it’s commonly added to salad. Dr. Pickering classifies tomatoes as a “fruit-vegetable,” because even though they don’t have the sugar like most fruits, they’re still an acidic fruit-vegetable. As such they’re okay to combine with other vegetables. He suggests the following recipe for an excellent salad:
“Any kind of vegetable that has seed in it; for example summer squash, zucchini, eggplant, cucumbers, bell peppers, and okra—those are all fruit-vegetables. Your tomatoes go well with those. And since lettuce and celery have a neutral effect, as far as the breakdown of food, the celery and the lettuce combine very well with all of that. You can also add avocados.”
4. Avoid Combining Acid Fruits
(Citrus, pineapple, pomegranates, strawberries) with Sweet Fruits (Bananas, Dates, Figs, Prunes, Raisins) This is not the most important in my personal experience as I notice people often mix bananas and dates with strawberries in a smoothie, but be aware of how it effects you after. If you have gas or a churning stomach than avoid mixing.
5. Melons and Watermelon Alone
Both Melon and Watermelon contain more water content than other fruits and do not take long to digest and so should be eaten alone so that they are not delayed causing gut fermentation. Another rule I’m not super strict about but awareness of your body is key here as well.
Sugars in melons are in a less stable form and decompose quicker than those of other fruits. Alfalfa sprouts may be combined as a green vegetable. During the sprouting process, the carbohydrate and protein components of the sprouting seed tend to diminish, and the composition becomes more like a green vegetable instead of a legume, grain or seed.
6. Starchy Vegetables don’t mix with fruit.
High Starch vegetables. such as:
carrots, beets, broccoli, zucchini, cauliflower, cabbage, brussel sprouts, eggplant, pumpkin, okra, peas, corn, green beans, don’t combine well with fruit because of their high starch content. While nutritious, their high starch content makes them unsuitable for use in sweet smoothies.
If you do not want to mix sweet fruit into your green smoothies, you can use non-starchy vegetables such as:
Tomatoes, cucumbers, bell peppers, avocados, celery and others. You can also consider using low–glycemic index fruit such as berries (any kind), apples, cherries, and plums.
Tomatoes should especially not be used with starches. This includes avoiding pizza (bread and tomatoes) and pasta with tomato sauce.
Good Food Combinations:
– Any non-starchy vegetables (greens) combine well with proteins or starch.
– The use of fat (avocados) with starch is considered acceptable, provided a green salad is included in the meal. Since avocados are high in fat, they tend to slow down the digestion of foods that normally require a shorter digestion time. Regarding avocado fruit combinations, they only mix well with sub-acid and acid fruit. They are usually considered a poor combination with sweet fruit (bananas can be an exception), especially dried sweet fruit (if combined the dried fruit should be soaked overnight). Avocado should never be used with nuts, which are also high in fat, nor should they be used with melons.
In summary,
All raw, fresh, whole, ripe fruit; chlorophyll, vitamin, and mineral-rich raw, leafy green vegetable, sprouted seeds and raw, unsalted nuts and seeds are valuable. Eat lots of them according to food-combining rules. Do not complicate them with oily dressings and your body will easily adjust and progress toward optimal health.
Disclaimer
By utilizing the information presented on this site, you agree to and understand that author, Bill Farr is not a doctor or any other type of certified health care professional, and his opinion is not a substitute for professional medical prevention, diagnosis, or treatment. Please consult with your doctor or your other health care providers concerning your symptoms and medical requirements before following any of the remedies or other suggestions he offers. His opinion is based on his own research and is to be used for educational purposes only. Bill Farr’s wellness plans and advice are meant to be used in conjunction with standard allopathic or osteopathic medical treatment and care.
