Ever felt bloated and uncomfortable after a meal? Wonder why you are gaining weight and feeling unwell though you may be eating right? Are you confused about when to fit in fruits and salads into your schedule? It is not only ‘the what’ of eating but also ‘how’. Read on to learn the do’s and don’ts of combining different varieties of food

What do ‘food combinations’ mean?

Food combination means which type of food you are eating with which type of food. For eg: dal- sabji-roti, rice-rajma, bread-butter, etc.

Why are food combinations important?

Food combinations are important for:

1. Weight loss
2. Better energy levels
3. Nourishing the body with nutrition
4. Good health & being illness-free
5. Better digestion

Different types of food need different type of digestive juices for digestion. When we eat something, body secretes juices based on the type of food we have eaten. Certain combinations of food may be digested with greater ease & efficiency than others.

If we eat foods in wrong combinations, body takes more time & has to work harder to create different types of digestive juices at the same time. As a result, food has to wait longer for digestion & in the process it may rot.

It is such rotten food that makes us feel uncomfortable through gas, flatulence, heartburn, indigestion.

Rotten food is of no use to the body, the body doesn’t get the nutrients available in food. If foods are properly combined, they are fully broken down, absorbed & utilized by the body.

Rotten foods create toxic waste. While the body was already working hard to digest food, now it has to continue working hard to eliminate toxic waste from the body. Hence, if you are feeling low on energy, it maybe because you are eating the wrong food combinations.

Accumulation of toxic waste in the body leads to weight gain & illnesses.

A Simple Guide To Food Combining

There is a lot of confusing information out there on what to eat with what & what to not eat with what. We have cut through the clutter & listed below a few rules that are commonly stated at many places. These are the rules we have ourselves been following & feel quite convinced about them. There can be a few aberrations here & there at times, but we mostly try to follow these food combinations.

1. Every meal you eat should contain either of fruits or vegetables.

It is important for the human body to be constantly cleansed of the toxic waste that builds in it. The following lead to toxicity/acidity in our body:

1. Improper food combinations
2. Insufficient natural food
3. Artificial foods containing additives, preservatives, chemicals & other un-natural items
4. Polluted environment
5. Stress
6. Lack of sleep & rest

A toxic/acidic body shows symptoms such as bloating, excess weight, balding, dark circles & illnesses.

The most effective way of cleansing toxic waste is through consumption of fruits & vegetables. As fruits & vegetables (raw or lightly steamed) are easy to digest, it gives rest to the digestive tract & thereby frees up energy to be utilized in cleansing, repair & weight loss.

Also, fruits & vegetables eaten in whole natural form are full of nutrition. They provide all the desired nutrients to the body for its efficient functioning.

Hence, every meal you eat should contain either of fruits or vegetables.

2. Eat fruits alone. Do not mix them with veggies or any other food item.

Fruit requires less energy to be digested than any other food. Fruits stay in the stomach for a very short time, post which they break down & release nutrients in the intestines. Hence,

1. Eat fruits alone. Do not mix them with veggies, nuts or any other food item.
2. Eat fruits on an empty stomach. If you have eaten a cooked meal, give a gap of 2-3 hours before you eat fruits.
3. If you have eaten fruits, give it 30 min to an hour to digest, before you eat anything else.

Eating fruit in wrong combinations can lead to discomfort. For eg: You eat paratha and then you eat an apple. The apple can go through the stomach into the intestines fairly quickly, but is unable to because the paratha is blocking the way. The apple may sit there & rot & the rot may spread to the paratha meal that is touching the rotten apple in the stomach. The correct way would be to eat the apple first, give a gap of half an hour to an hour & then eat the paratha. By the time the paratha reaches the stomach, apple would have been digested & no problems will occur.

3. Fruits should be eaten as the first meal of the day.

Fruit is easily digested, it provides more energy than it uses in the digestive process. You need energy surplus in your body to kick start the day instead of energy deficiency caused by efforts to digest a heavy breakfast.

4. Every time you eat a cooked meal, it must comprise a generous serving of vegetables. Vegetables are rich in enzymes & facilitate the digestion of other food eaten with it.

1. The best way to eat vegetables is in their raw form as a salad because this ensures the enzymes are not killed by cooking.
2. Else eat lightly steamed veggies as sabzi, soup or in a curry.

5. Eat your dinner 2-3 hours before sleeping. The idea is that by the time you retire to bed, food is out of the stomach & hence body’s digestive work is finished. You can then enjoy a restful sleep & body can focus on the task of repair & maintenance!!

6. A non veg food meal takes more time & effort to digest as compared to fruits, vegetables & other cooked veg food. Combine it with a generous serving of vegetables, salad & lightly steamed, to help facilitate digestion.

Conclusion:

1. Eat lot of fruits & veggies.
2. Eat fruits alone.
3. Eat vegetables alone as salad, juice, soup or sabzi.
4. Don’t mix fruits & veggies.
5. Eat vegetables with all cooked meals, lunch & dinner comprising of cereals, pulses, non-veg, dairy etc.

Recommended read:

1. Chapter – More about foods. Book: What you eat today will determine how early you are inviting disease. Author: Dr M Ted Mortar
2. Chapter – Food combination. Book: Become healthy or extinct. Author: Darryl D’Souza
3. Chapters – The principle of proper food combining, the principle of proper fruit consumption. Book: Fit for life. Author: Harvey & Marilyn Diamond
4. Chapter – Secrets of food combining. Book: Nature Cure. Author: Dr H K Bakhru