I’ve been playing around with food combining since I finished the 40 Days of Yoga cleanse. Some people find that food combining aids in excellent digestion and an overall feeling of lightness. It’s something I’ve played around with before, but the simplicity of the foods I was eating during the cleanse inspired me to return to this approach to eating.
Natalia Rose’s Raw Food Life Force Energy gives a thorough explanation of how to properly food combine. I’ll give you the short version. Foods are digested at varying rates and in various ways. Some can be digested together and therefore “combine well,” and others are not complimentary when eaten together and can unnecessarily tax the digestive system for some people, potentially leading to decreased energy and general discomfort.
Fruit is an excellent example. The body digests fruit very quickly, in 30 minutes or less. Some people find that when they eat fruit along with other foods that take longer to digest, they experience bloating and stomach aches. When they eat fruit alone, though, they feel much better. There is also a lot of research to support that eating fruit alone increases the the body’s absorption of its vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients.
On the flipside, some people find they feel better when they always eat fruit with another ingredient.
Just like with most food recommendations, there are people that will fall on both sides of the issue. Food combining is a bit controversial, and my opinions expressed here are by no means a consensus at Bauman College. Ultimately, each person has to decide for themselves what works best for their individual body chemistry. That process takes some trial and error, some patience, and regular food journaling will help quite a lot. I can say for myself, though, that food combining makes me feel great. I don’t have much difficulty when I don’t food combine, but the difference I feel when I do take the time and effort to do it makes it worthwhile on semi-regular intervals – kind of like a cleanse.
I’m curious – how many of you have tried food combining? Were your results favorable or unfavorable? Have you read any books that offer great food for thought on the topic, both in support of and against? Are you interested in learning more about food combining?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Sita