What Is The Food Combining Diet?
What is food combining?
Food combining is the term for the idea that certain foods pair well together, while others do not. The belief is that combining foods improperly, like eating steak with potatoes, can lead to negative health and digestive effects. Food combining principles have been around for over 100 years, and they’ve become a foundation for many modern diets.
Generally, food-combining diets assign foods to different groups, which are broken down into carbs and starches, fruits, vegetables, proteins and fats. Alternatively, some plans classify foods as either acidic, alkaline or neutral. Food-combining diets specify how you should combine these groups in a meal, for the best health and digestion.
How it works
Most of us typically pair meat and starch together at almost every meal time. Some examples of this is having a turkey sandwich for lunch, which is combining starches and proteins, or having eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast, which is once more combining starches and proteins. And on a food combining diet, you never eat protein and carbohydrates together.
Followers of the food combining diet believe that when you eat the wrong foods together, your digestion becomes impaired. As a result, undigested food is left in your stomach and it rots or ferments. This condition, they believe, can lead to illness and/or weight gain. So they designed food combinations for weight loss and better health.
What to eat
Below are some general food combining rules that give you examples what types of foods you can eat on a food combining diet. In addition, the food timing rules let you know how long you should wait between different food groups, and the best times to eat certain foods.
Food combining
● Starch with Fat / Non-Starchy Veg
Example:
½ sweet potato with butter and steamed spinach
½ cup Edamame pasta cooked with olive oil and zucchini
● Protein with Non-Starchy Veg / Fat
Example:
4 oz salmon with sautéed kale and avocado
● Eat fruit only with seeds or fruit
Food timings
● Wait 30 minutes between fruit and any other food except seeds
● Wait 1 hr between protein and starch
● Bowls - Eat grain or starch with veggies first and then eat protein an hour later
● Bowls - Eat protein by itself and then starchy veg an hour later
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Modifications
This diet's rules are pretty strict and many food combining believers are unlikely to support modifications to its basic principles. It could, however, be adjusted to accommodate some dietary needs, such as celiac disease or gluten intolerance. Moreover, while most of the foods are approved on the Low-FODMAP diet, there are a handful that could be modified to fully meet the Low-FODMAP rules.
However even with the approved modifications, the food combining diet would be hard to follow as a vegetarian, because plant-based proteins, such as legumes and quinoa, also contain carbs.
Pros & Cons of food combining
Like any diet, there are always going to be pros and cons that come with it. Some may feel that the pros outweigh the cons and vice-versa. It is up to you to decide whether or not the pros of food combining are worth the cons.
Pros
whole foods
A food combining diet will lead to you consuming more whole foods. This is because the food combining principles ban all foods with added sugars, which eliminates a lot of processed foods like sauces, granola bars, and cereals. It's also easier to keep different types of food separate from each other, if they are eaten closer to their natural state. Processed foods are usually a combination of protein, carbohydrates, and different kinds of fat.
possible weight loss
The strict rules of food combining require you to be thoughtful about your food choices. So when you eliminate empty calories and carefully plan each meal or snack, it is very likely that you will reduce your calorie intake and lose weight. In addition, having to follow these rules and separating foods could lead to eating less of them. Eating a piece of chicken without any sauces or side dishes is boring, so you probably won't eat as much of that chicken.
Cons
Most foods are mixed
Most foods can't be categorized as simply acid or alkaline. For example spinach is an alkaline, but it also provides the body with protein, since most proteins are considered acidic. Grains like quinoa provide as both a starchy carbohydrate and a protein. It is nearly impossible to neatly categorize foods according to the rules of this eating program, and it can be especially hard if you need to make modifications for a vegan or Low-FODMAP diet.
it’s not sustainable
Diets in general can be hard to follow for some, and diets like food combining are even harder. For that reason, some may find it difficult to stick to the food combining diet for the long-term. In addition, once you were to return to your old eating habits, you would most likely gain back any weight that you lost and possibly even more.
Lifestyles that might benefit and ones that wouldn’t benefit from food combining
Unlike other diets and nutritional plans, there are certain lifestyles that might benefit from food combining, while others are likely not to. If you recognize that you fall within one of these lifestyles, you can choose to either pursue a food combining diet or not. However if you don’t relate with one of these lifestyles, it is up to you to decide from all the previous information if a food combining diet is right for you.
Why IBS lifestyles might benefit
Those who have any digestive issues, bloating or skin problems, might find that they benefit from the food combining diet. This is because most find that it hugely improves their IBS symptoms and overall well-being. A food combining diet may even lead to having a flatter stomach, reduced waistline, regular bowel movements and a much better skin complexion. It may be an ideal diet for those who experience IBS related issues.
Why fatigue lifestyles might benefit
Those who find themselves fatigued often may find that they benefit from the food combining diet. This is because most who start food combining find that their digestion isn’t as sluggish as it used to be, and that their metabolism stabilizes. Food combining also gives you more energy and a clearer mind, which will allow you to concentrate better at your work and on daily tasks. It may be an ideal diet for those who suffer from fatigue.
Why food obsessed lifestyles might not benefit
Those who obsess over their food may not find food combining to be the best diet for them. This is because they could become just as obsessed with their food and the correct combinations, especially if they’ve had previous tendencies of obsessing over food. Food combining is also about timing your meals to keep a minimum of 4 hours intervals between each one. It may not be an ideal diet for someone who easily obsesses over their food.
Why diabetic lifestyles might not benefit
Those who have diabetes may not find that a food combining diet is best for them. This is because people with diabetes should not consume carbs without another food present. Diabetics need some type of protein or fat along with carbs to keep blood sugar levels from spiking. It may not be an ideal diet for those who have diabetes.
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Food combining may appeal to some due to its departure from traditional dieting rules. However, food combining diets may be overwhelming and unmanageable for a lot of people because of the many complicated rules they entail. If you feel that the rules of food combining work for you, then you should certainly continue with it. But if your diet isn’t broken, then there’s no need to fix it.
Extra tips for food combining
Eat fruits and fresh juices alone on an empty stomach.
Never mix starches or proteins.
Don’t overdo the oils or cooked fats.
Always have a raw salad before every cooked meal.
