Optimising Digestion

Optimising Digestion Through Food Combining

You are not what you eat but what you digest and absorb.

Food combining Simplified. What is is, how it works and how to try it on for yourself…

Food combing is a way of eating that optimises digestion

It incorporates following a particular way of pairing foods together to create combinations that are easy on our digestive system. Different foods digest with different enzymes. Starches, proteins, vegetables, fruits all use different enzymes to breakdown and digest within our body. Different foods are digested at different speeds in the gut, combining a fast-digesting food with a slow-digesting food causes a “traffic jam” in your digestive tract, leading to negative digestive blocks and over time can cause inflammation and health consequences.

We use most of our energy to digest the food we eat, so eating in away that optimises digestion allows the body to use that energy in a way that is beneficial to us, like allowing us to live our lives and heal. Inflammation in the body is the sole reason for disease, simple. Food combining is a way of eating that is anti inflammatory, and when the body is in an anti inflammatory state we create the perfect internal environment for our bodies to heal themselves and to function to their optimum. 

Easy guidelines to follow 

Fruit First

On an empty stomach

Alone or leave it alone 

At a meal pick either a:

Starch                                          Protein 

           & Pair with vegetables 

Starches INCLUDE : all grains, squash, potatoes, yams, oats

Proteins INCLUDE: dairy, eggs, cheese, animal meats, fish

Some Crossovers:

Legumes and pulses can be combined as either a starch or protein 

INCLUDING : legumes, chickpeas, beans, lentils

Bananas can be considered a starch 

Simple Exceptions:

Nuts and seeds combine best alone 

INCLUDING: All nuts; almonds, peanuts, cashews, sunflower seeds, nut and seed butters

Dried fruits are best combined alone or can be combined with nuts 

Foods that pair well with anything:

• Vegetables 
• Coconut 
• Oils 
• Cacao 
• Coffee
• Honey & sweeteners 
• Lemons & limes 

For Food Combing Success: 

Eat light to heavy 

Through out the day 

Why Food Combining Works

I believe why food combing seems to be extremely successful within clients, is not only for the less taxing way of our bodies digesting, but more because our bodies thrive of fibre. Fibre keeps us full and supports a healthy gut microbiota. The food combing philosophy relies heavily on a foundation of a vegetable heavy diet, as these pair well with almost everything and are considered neutral in the digestion process. Plant foods contain many poly phenols and digestive enzymes. With highlighting fruits, vegetables and other foods have natural digestive enzymes this is a huge benefit to improve digestion.

Food Combing is A Guideline. It’s a lifestyle and a way of eating that promotes healing and makes choices simple. It’s totally ok to not be 100% perfectly combined all the time. Remember the main purpose of food combing is to reduce inflammation and improve digestion, if you are stressing about details with combining you simplify are defeating the purpose of the way of eating. As the stress will cause inflammation and in-proper digestion. We are not what we eat but what we digest.