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Although the principle of food combining has gained popularity in more recent years, the concept has been around for decades. In 1951, Dr. Herbert Shelton released a book titled "Food Combining Made Easy", that shook up the way people thought about nutrition and this principle continues to do so today.
Food combining is based on the theory that the body (here, namely the digestive system) operates with its own set of natural laws, and if these laws are violated many problems will result.
A lesson in the basics of food combining would start with the proper way and time to eat fruit. Fresh fruit should only be eaten ALONE, on an empty stomach and it should be the only thing you consume for the first several hours after awakening. The reason for this is because fruit is a cleansing food. It demands almost no energy for digestion, which allows the excess energy to go to other bodily functions such as cleansing the body of toxic waste. In food combining the correct consumption of fruit is the most important principle, and fruit is considered the most important food you can eat.
A second major rule in food combining is to never mix a starch and a protein in the same meal. The reason behind this is because a protein needs an acid digestive juice to break it down, and a starch needs an alkaline juice for digestion. When these two juices are in the digestive system simultaneously, they neutralize each other which means the food simply sits in the stomach and putrefies itself. This putrefaction releases toxins in the body which cause excessive tiredness as well as a host of other problems such as gas, heartburn and indigestion.
Another principle of food combining, one which is prevalent no matter what nutritional program you look at, is to eat food in its natural state. Have fresh fruit instead of canned, whole-grain breads instead of white, etc.
Those who have adopted and adhered to the food combining lifestyle swear to the benefits of it. They have lost weight and gained a youthful energy and vitality they thought may have been long gone.
Besides Dr. Shelton's writings, an excellent resource that will explain further the principles of food combining is Fit For Life by Harvey and Marily Diamond (New York: Warner Books, Inc., 1985).
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