I was talking with some folks at the farmers market recently. Naturally, the subject was food, and it led us along a path of ideas, exploring the hills and hollers of our diets—what makes us feel good, what doesn't. We talked about what a shame it is that our diets have gotten so out of whack since we became grocery shoppers instead of hunter-gatherers. The way we eat is so misguided, in fact, that many of us end up suffering from digestive upsets on a regular basis—and we resign ourselves to this discomfort as if it's just a natural part of life. Well, it isn't. And neither are the grouchy, drowsy, moody, depressive feelings that often accompany unhealthy eating habits. Digestion is intimately linked with our health in ways that modern science is ever-so-slowly catching up on. The gist is this: if we don't listen to our “gut feelings” of rumbling and pain, we're stressing our digestive systems, and digestive stress can compromise our health as a whole.
So now there's a brand new branch of the trendy diet tree which deals with pain-free eating. Combining certain foods, they claim, will alleviate bellyaches, creaky joints, headaches, the works. And I believe it's true. What I don't buy is that you need to spend a bunch of money trying to figure out a pain-free eating plan. The concept is relatively simple. These diets propose that proper food combining will help us completely digest our food (so that we're not left with the bloating, gas, and other woes caused by poor digestion). The trick is knowing which foods will digest well together and which ones clash, requiring too much work to be broken down easily.
I did a little research, my favorite source being a book called Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford, and I came up with a basic list of food combinations that'll give your belly a break. It's pretty radical when you consider the way most everybody eats, but if you're ready for a change, this is a place to start.
How to Combine Food Groups
At meals and snack times:
Only eat protein with non-starchy vegetables (this is the #1 most important combination for easing digestive stress)
Starches can be combined with non-starchy vegetables, fats, and oils.
Fats and oils can be combined with non-starchy vegetables, starches, and acid fruits.
Acid fruits can be combined with fats, oils, and sub-acid fruits.
Sub-acid fruits can be combined with acid fruit or sweet fruit.
Sweet fruit can be combined with sub-acid fruit.
Green and non-starchy vegetables can be combined with protein, starch, or fats and oils.
Food Group Examples
Protein (meat, cheese, yogurt, eggs, milk, beans, tofu, nuts, seeds)
Starches (grains, bread, pasta, potato, sweet potato, beet, parsnip, carrot, squash, and corn)
Fats and Oils (avocado, coconut, olives, butter, cream, lard, and all vegetable oils)
Acid Fruits (lemon, lime, grapefruit, orange, tomato, strawberry, pineapple, and kiwi)
Sub-acid Fruits (apple, berries, pear, apricot, peach, grapes, plum, cherry, mango, and papaya).
Sweet fruit (fig, banana, dates, melons, and all dried fruit)
Non-starchy vegetables (leafy greens, cauliflower, broccoli, sprouts, celery, cucumber, onion, garlic, green beans, and peas)
A Few More Tips
Limit sugar and white flour foods to an occasional treat, or drop 'em like a bad habit.
Stop eating before you're stuffed.
Don't eat a darn thing within 4 hours of going to bed at night.
Ditch artificial flavors, colors, fillers, preservatives, and high fructose corn syrup
Do some sort of exercise every day (I love yoga, but that's another column...)
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