Many people keep questioning if food combining diet is really good in helping them lose weight. There has been a belief that eating certain groups or orders will help you get better digestion. If it is so, then does it work for losing weight?
The idea behind food combining diet is the fact that each food has different rate of digestion. Each food also needs different environment to be digested well. Thus, we have to eat different foods that can complement these factors.
However, what is stated in on paper in absolutely different with what happens in field. Food combining diet looks more like a misuse of biochemical information rather than a real effective diet plan. There is still no proof which shows that food combining can better the digestion and thus help us lose weight.
The principle of this diet is to avoid eating carbohydrates and proteins at the same time because they are digested by different enzyme. The proponents of this idea state that if we eat the two foods together, there will be food left undigested or partially digested while the other food is being digested. The c food is waiting for the ‘right’ enzyme to be digested. And, they believe that, during this waiting process, the undigested or partially digested food will be rotten or fermented, which further causes gas, bloating, and other kinds of problems.
Another principle is that fruits must be eaten alone because they are digested faster than other foods. If not, it can rot and cause problems in the stomach.
The problem about this food combining diet plan is that there is no proof yet that there is gut rot if the food is not divided into groups. In fact, the antioxidants of the fruits can be better absorbed when they are eaten along with other foods. So it’s fine for you to enjoy high-protein fruit smoothies. And in fact, it’s impossible to eat carbs and proteins separately since some foods like brown rice and quinoa are packed with both carbs and proteins (amino acid).
The fact is that our body digestion does not work the way the proponents of this idea think. Our body can handle the digestion of different types of foods at the same time over the whole process of eating. And it is not as simple as the food combining diet myth that carbs need basic environment to be digested while protein needs acidic environment. This process has been optimized over the years to extract every nutrient possible from the foods we eat, despite their combination.
If you want to lose weight, stick to old rule: replace sugar and starchy carbs with vegetables so that you can eat fewer calories, eat a little more of proteins, and exercise often and regularly.
Source: www.shape.com
