Food Combining Principles

   I bet you thought eating healthy was easy. You're probably thinking that if you stick to only eating organic unprocessed whole foods, that you are good to go! Except, the key to optimal health and digestion lies not just in what you put into your mouth, but how!


   According to Herbert Shelton, who was a founder of the natural hygiene movement, properly combining foods is the key to health. Eating certain foods together, which I will explain in greater detail shortly, is the leading cause of toxic buildup and unpleasant digestive side effects such as bloating, gas, indigestion, allergies etc along with the malabsorption of vitamins, nutrients, and minerals.

   The main reason it is so important to properly combine foods lies within the physical structure of the digestive system. Our digestive tract by nature is not designed to digest complex meals with multiple forms of starches, proteins, and acids at once. Each form requires its own enzyme in order to break down and the stomach has no way of distinguishing between the two. When foods are improperly combined, fermentation results in toxic build up and excess weight gain due to the fact that digestion is halted because of one source or the other.

Food Combining Made Easy by Herbert Shelton:

1.) Eat acids and starches separately- For example, starches begin digestion with an alkaline enzyme called pytalin in the mouth. If it is combined with an acid fruit which requires an acidic enzyme, the pytalin enzyme is destroyed. Therefore the digestion of the starch will inevitably come to a halt and result in toxic build-up. It will then begin to ferment within your digestive tract and any of the nutritional benefits you would have received are rendered useless. Acids also refer to vinegar, such as apple cider, balsamic, etc when combined with starches. So if you choose to eat a salad containing a vinegar based dressing, do note that the vinegar is strong enough to halt starch digestion as well.

2.) Eat protein foods and carbohydrates separately - Proteins require an acidic gastric juice for digestion. This protein destroys pytalin which is necessary to digest starch or carbohydrates.Typical improper combinations would include: Meat and Potatoes, Chicken or Fish and starchy vegetables, Sandwiches, etc.

3.) Eat one protein food at a time - Proteins require specific timing within the digestive tract in which the gastric juices are the strongest. For example, gastric juice is the strongest during the last hour of digestion when eating eggs versus it is the strongest within the first hour for milk. The digestive process has no way of modifying the secretion of gastric juice when combining two separate proteins so it is best to avoid mixing them. Typical improper combinations would include: Surf and Turf, Quiche, Meat Chili, Nuts and Cheese in dishes or salads, etc.

4.) Eat acids and proteins separately - This pertains to acid fruits as well as lemon juice and vinegar when paired with protein meals. Acid fruits destroy the gastric acid required to digest protein. Therefore it is best to avoid eating an acid based salad before a protein meal or to eat fruit on an empty stomach.

5.) Eat fats and proteins separately - Fats such as cream, butter, or oils inhibit the flow of gastric juice required to digest protein. Typical improper combinations would include: Salad with nuts and cheese and an oil based dressing, cream based sauces or soups with meats or legumes, etc.

6.) Eat protein and sugars separately - Sugars that are processed sugars, maple syrup, honey, sweet fruits, etc also inhibit the flow of gastric juice upon protein. Since sugar is digested in the intestine only, when taken with protein, it begins to ferment while awaiting digestion of the protein in the stomach. If eaten alone, sugar is digested quickly. Therefore it is best to either make a meal of fruit such as breakfast on an empty stomach. Typical improper food combinations include: Dessert, Salads containing sweet or acid fruits with nuts and cheese, etc.

4.) Eat starches and sugars separately - Since starch digestion begins in the mouth and sugar within the small intestine, when improperly combined together, sugars begin to ferment in the stomach upon waiting for digestion within the intestine. This creates toxic build-up and voids any nutritional value you would have received. Typical improper combinations include: Cinnamon Raisin bread, Pancakes with Maple Syrup, Jelly and Toast, Pastries, Cakes, Sugary Cereals, etc.

5.) Eat melons alone or as a meal- Melons undergo no digestion in the stomach. If taken with foods that require a lengthy time to digest within the stomach, they will begin to ferment and create toxic build-up. It would be best to eat a meal of melon for breakfast and not between meals to allow for proper digestion.

6.) Drink/ Eat Milk alone - Milk coagulates upon entering the stomach. When taken with other proteins, carbohydrates, or acids, it will form a barrier around the other food particles and will prohibit the flow of gastric juices. It is best to either skip it altogether ( more on dairy later) or to drink it only after a meal of acid fruits. Typical improper food combinations include: Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, Yogurt and Granola, etc.

7.) Eat fruit on an empty stomach - Digestion of fruit begins in the small intestine. When eaten alone, it quickly passes through the mouth and stomach and begins digestion. When combined with other foods it will ferment. It should also be noted that sweet fruits and acid fruits require two different enzymes to digest so one is likely to ferment when combined. Typical improper combinations include: Banana and Strawberry smoothies, Raisins and Oatmeal, etc.

Proteins	Starches	Non Starchy/ Green Vegetables	Fats/ Oils	Acid Fruits	Sub Acid Fruits	Sweet Fruits	Melons
Nuts	Cereal	Lettuce	Olive Oil	Orange	Pear	Banana	Watermelon
Cheese	Legumes	Spinach	Sesame Oil	Grapefruit	Peach	Dates	Honey Dew
Eggs	corn	Kale	Soy Oil	Pomegranate	Nectarine	Figs	Cantaloupe
Legumes	Squash	Cabbage	Sunflower Oil	Tomato	Apple	Raisin	Casaba
Milk	Artichokes	Brussel Sprouts	Coconut oil	Lemon	Apricot	Mango	Sugar
Seafood	Carrots	Cucumber	Corn oil	Lime	Plum	Prunes	Canary
Poultry	Cauliflower	Celery	Canola oil	Pineapple	Blueberry	Papaya	Galia
Meats	Beets	Asparagus	Butter	Kiwi	Raspberry	Cherry	Persian
Dry Peas	Potatoes	Broccoli	Margarine	Cranberry	Blackberry	Persimmon	Christmas
Seeds	Grains	Turnip	Nuts	Strawberry		Coconut
		Eggplant	Avocados	Tangerine		Grapes
		Onions	Cream	Clementine
		Garlic	Olives
		Sweet Pepper