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food combining

Is food combinging really as important to a raw lifestyle as everyone makes it out to be? I have heard both sides of the story: it is super important because of the order foods digest, or it’s not important at all when you eat all raw because the food already has the enzymes it needs to digest. What is everyones personal take on this? And if you agree with food combinging what are some general rules on how to?

Comments

  • spiritedmamaspiritedmama Raw Newbie

    I personally do not food combine. I consider myself still relatively new to raw food (just under a year), and for me my focus is just staying raw. If I had to worry about food combining on top of that I know I would end up going back to cooked food.

  • My tummy is very sensitive and I know that when i follow the “rules” i dont get quite as upset. As far as what you should do i think its just personal preference. If its healthy its healthy, no matter when you eat it; besides eating raw isnt about set rules, its a lifestle for me. I eat it because i want to not because someone said its “better” and should be this way…

  • LucyLucy Raw Newbie

    The only rule that I follow is when I eat mellon,or watermellon.We are not suppose to eat anything else. I try to eat fruit before a salad,and I don’t mix too much fruit with vegetables.At home,Brazil,I used to eat bananas and pineapples with salad,and avocado is a dessert with honey there.In US I’ve learned that I can eat an avocado with salad,and I got to like it,but I still love avocados with honey.My major thing is to follow my body.

  • The most important thing about food combining is the way your body feels. If you mix all the wrong things together and you don’t feel any distress then do not worry about it. If you seem to get cramps, gas, bloating etc. then you need to worry about it and follow the rules. Most people who have been on a clean diet for a while will eventually need to follow some of the food combining rules.

    Just to quash a big myth in the raw food movement, the enzymes in the foods we eat eventhough they remain intact do not help with the digestion. They are enzymes that aid the plant to do it’s living processes and do not aid in digestion. If they were able to digest the plant the plants would already be digested before we eat them. These enzymes are actually digested by our body and when needed they are assimilated into our body as components of the enzymes.

  • uhh….what? socal, where did you read that?

  • socal’s viewpoint is actually supported by the well-respected Dr. Joel Fuhrman of Eat To Live fame. For example, see his answer to a reader regarding enzymes in raw food here: http://www.drfuhrman.com/ask/archives/2004_7_12…

  • This is not only logical since these enzymes would digest the food even before we eat them if they were able to digest them but supported by many doctors and scientists. Joel Fuhrman is one, Doug Graham is another. I disagree with Furhman however because even steaming or boiling vegetables changes their chemical composition enough so that there are several chemicals created and changed from the raw state that we will not get the whole food nutrition that the raw food delivers. It is true that in certain cases like with tomatoes and lycopene there is more bio-availability but it is not getting a certain amount of the nutrient that is important but getting them in the ‘right’ proportions and with the right co-factors that is important. More is not always better.

  • I’m not sure about food combining – I’ll admit I’m trying 2 be somewhat concious of it because I do have a history of a senstive tummy. I read a few places about eating fruit only on an empty stomach, and one source even suggested to eat ONLY fruit 4 breakfast until noon? I’m still a newbie at raw, so I still love my breakfast (I know some of you don’t need it until later in the daY), but is this accurate?

  • I just try to have citrus alone w/o anything else. My DP told me to eat melon alone as well. Other than that, I just try not to put too much into a smoothie. If I do, I make sure I’m only using 1 fruit (two if they are in the same family) and whatever water, almond, extras I want. Green smoothies are usually 1-2 greens and one fruit or no fruit. My only complicated meal is a salad (usually my largest meal) or if I’m making a “dish”.

    My only digestive issue I have are grains, so I stay away from them for the most part. Other than that, I dont worry. I’m only a few weeks into this so only time will tell what I’ll do months from now.

  • Food combining can get confusing, but the basic chart deffinately can help. I am in remission from crohns so I deffinately find it worthwhile to follow the rules as a precaution.

    Only thing that really helps I find is melon alone always, and mono mealing, 1 fruit then waiting 45 minutes – 1 hour, then more of the same fruit. Not mixing things within a few hours helps too.

    If you arent sensitive though it may just be a pain to be following rules/be overly cautious!

    be raw enjoy! isnt all about more rules/ideals to follow

  • rawdancer, did you resolve the Crohn’s with natural hygiene? I used to have ulcerative colitis but in 2005 I healed myself with natural hygiene and I am now following the 811 diet to stay clear of any chronic illnesses, so far so good!

  • I sure did resolve the Crohns with natural hygiene. Its completly mind blowing to be able to go out without taking any tablets now after being on 30 a day.

    So treding carefully with the food combining is worthwhile to keep my well and fighting fit!!

  • Is there a book or site on internet that explain food combining?, i am transitioning to raw foods so am new to the subject….

  • http://www.internethealthlibrary.com/DietandLif…

    This was a useful chart, makes a start of a complicated subject!

  • I had UC for nearly 20 years. Wish I found out about natural hygiene a lot earlier. Don’t you believe that UC and CD are not really diseases at all but are just symptoms of a bad lifestyle? I have no idea why there are foundations seeking to find the cure to UC and CD when there is no cure. The way to remove the causes is very simple and right in front of our face. I believe the same for most all ‘diseases’ like cancer, alzheimer’s, diabetes, heart disease, etc. etc…All are self inflicted by the victim. It’s a matter of educating people.

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