FOOD COMBINING
Groups 1 & 2 do not mix well. Proteins need acid digestive juices and carbohydrates need alkaline juices.
Group 3 goes well with either proteins - Group 1 or carbohydrates - Group 2
- Avoid eating avocado, nuts, seeds & coconut together. Nuts & seeds are okay combined. Each of these 4 foods individually is good with green neutral veggies e.g. lettuce, spinach, celery, cucumbers. Avocados are also best with acid or sub-acid fruit.
- Tomatoes combine well with green and non-starchy veggies, avocados & protein.
Group 1 - Proteins Group
- Cheese, Milk & Yogurt;
- Eggs
- Nuts & Seeds
- Fish & Shellfish
- Meat
- Young coconuts
- Poultry
- Soybeans, tofu and all soy products
- Dried beans & peas (legumes)
- Olives
Group 2 – Carbohydrates/Starches
- Grains, including oats, pasta, rice, maize, millet.
- Grain products, biscuits, bread, cakes, crackers & pastry
- Honey & maple syrup
- Sugars & Sweets
- Potatoes
- Starchy vegetables: artichokes, squash, pumpkin,corn, zucchini, carrots & peas
- Chestnuts
- Dried beans & peas (legumes)
- Mature coconuts
- Peanuts
Group 3 - Non-starchy vegetables & others
- Green vegetables – cabbage, celery, asparagus, bok choy,
- Salads & fresh herbs – lettuce, endive, nasturtium leaves, parsley
- Olive oil
- Butter, cream, spreading fats
- Herbs, spices & seasonings
Group 4 - Fruits
* Sub-acid fruit mixes well with both Acid & Sweet but Acid & Sweet together are a poor combination
* Melons – digest the fastest of all fruits, eat alone if you are prone to digestive upsets
Fruit is always best eaten on its own, on an empty stomach. Fruit has the fastest digestive rate and uses different enzymes to the other food groups. If you eat fruit after a meal, it has nowhere to go because it will be stuck behind the cooked food that takes a lot longer to digest, so it starts to ferment. You can expect bloating, flatulence and indigestion.
| Acids | Sub acids | Sweet | Melons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Citrus fruits | Apples | Dates | Watermelon |
| Pineapples | Apricots | Figs | Casaba |
| Plums | Cherries | Prunes | Honeydew |
| Strawberries | Grapes | Raisins | Rockmelons |
| Sour fruits | Mangoes | Persimmons | |
| Pomegranates | Papayas | Bananas | |
| Berries | Fresh figs | ||
| Peach/pear | |||
| Nectarine/kiwi |
Breakfast:
For those who suffer after eating fresh fruit with morning cereals and dairy products, try a different combination:
- Try the cereal/milk mixture without fresh fruit. Instead use dried fruits such as sultanas, cranberries, diced apricots.
- Mix fresh fruit with non-dairy or almond milk for a filling smoothie.
- Eat fruit only! Slice up various fruits into a big fruit salad, add fresh mint and finely chopped fresh ginger, delicious!
Some fruits mixed with green neutral salad greens and vegetables are juicy, sweet and refreshing. Experiment and see if any particular combination upsets your digestion.
- Chunks of fresh pineapple on top of baby bok choy.
- Green grapes & spicy radish on a bed of spinach
- Pears with rocket & walnuts.
- Strawberries with balsamic vinegar sprinkled over nasturtium leaves
