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Food combining is an approach to nutrition in which proponents advise combining certain foods at certain times.  This food combination approach is also known as trophology.  Timing and combination are said to have a major impact on weight management, health and overall wellness.

According to this doctrine, the most important rule of food combining is that one never combine carbohydrate rich foods, including cereals, breads, pastas, or high carb veggies like carrots and yams, with protein rich foods such as eggs, meat, milk beans, seeds, and nuts.  The reason for this is that advocates say that the enzymes made to digest carbohydrates (amylase) are countered by those used to digest protein (pepsin).  Likewise carbohydrates are not to be ingested at the same time as citrus fruits.

Fruit is to be eating alone about twenty to thirty minutes before eating anything else.  In this way the fruit can pass through the digestive tract.  Fruit does not require the same gastric juices as other nutrients.  Mixing various digestive enzymes can be detrimental to digestion according to food combination advocates.

The ‘father of food combining’ Herbert Sheldon believed that mis-combining different foods was responsible for a variety of conditions.  These bad or mis-combinations apparently create a backlog of indigested materials.  This backlog then is responsible for contributing to conditions such as irritable bowel syndrome, acne and colon disorders. 

Most importantly for Sheldon the lack of energy after meals that were poorly combined was one of the major drawbacks of current dietary regimens.  Food combiners claim that by combining foods in the right way and steering clear of bad nutrient combinations, they are more energetic and feel less lethargy than they did on regular diets.  Some proponents have taken this approach and gone further combining it with the raw foods movement.

Herbert Sheldon has published two main books on the issue, including Food Combining Made Easy, and The Science and Fine Art of Food and Nutrition.  And while medical researchers have yet to discover any surefire evidence for the claims made by those advocating food combining, the testimonials are rather impressive.

Many people have claimed that following food combining principles has brought them relief from their recurring or chronic ailments.  Conditions said to be greatly improved by this approach include most of the digestive ailments associated with modern dietary practices.  Thus, food combinationists suggest that their approach can help deal with bloating, acid reflux, stomach ache, gas and fatigue. 

Although the jury is still out on just how much of an impact food combining has on weight management in particular and other disorders more generally, you would have to give it a try to see for yourself whether it might work for you.  Bringing greater awareness to our eating and lifestyle habits will nevertheless often help us to make better, healthier choices.