Good Morning. How are you feeling today? Have you taken your vitamins and fish oils this morning? How was your morning workout? Do you feel energized or are you feeling fatigued and not well rested? I am asking you these questions because the fatigue, high/low acid stomach,and inflammation could be due to how you are eating. Really? How can that be Adrienne? Well now that I have your ear, I’m going to let in on some information your Dr. might not know about food and how eating it in wrong combinations can cause these and many other chronic symptoms occurring in y9our body.
1. Combining protein and carbohydrates at a meal. From a culinary standpoint, this is as good as it gets for your tastebuds. There is nothing better than steak and baked potato, turkey, dressing and mashed potatoes or eggs and pancakes. Until it gets into your stomach and sits like a rock. Your stomach hurts, you get bloated, you are ready for a nap, your blood sugar rises. Why is this? Proteins need a high acid environment to break down and be digested, carbohydrates need an alkaline environment. all the digestive enzymes cancel each other out. Those carbs will ferment and not digest causing further fermentation that will inhibit the digestion of protein.
2. Protein is not good with other proteins. Each protein has its own set of properties. While meat and beans in chili is quite tasty, again what happens? Indigestion. It is not so much the beans as it is the meat/bean combination battling each other.
3. Acid fruit with carbs. Amylase is produced first in our saliva. It is the enzyme that breaks down carbs. That is why chewing is so important. It begins the digestive process before your food gets to your stomach. Go back to chemistry class. what happens when you put and acid and an alkaline together? they cancel each other out. Same with an acid fruit and a carb. Think spaghetti and tomato sauce. Hey, I’m Sicilian so don’t grumble to me. But think about your stomach and the pain/bloating and you will now know why this is happening.
4. Eating protein and acid fruit. What happens when you mix 2 different acids together? In this case, it hinders protein digestion. Breakfast for champions – bacon, eggs, and orange juice. Pain, bloat, sugar rises.
5. Dessert! The alkaline environment beginning in the mouth is turned acidic by the sugar. Now there is no longer digestion happening but fermentation. Dessert after a meal is even worse. Talk about feeling tired in the morning. Does that mean you should have your dessert before the meal? I don’t know.
Taking all these things into consideration, if you are having stomach issues, avoid these food combinations. Yes, it will take effort. but isn’t that better than having multiple side effects from what you are eating and the otc meds/prescriptions you are taking as a result of improper food combining?
Adrienne Falcone Godsell is a nutrition coach who loves to empower people on their next step in their health journey. find her on FB at Best of Both Worlds, You Tube at Your Favorite Foodie Adrienne Falcone Godsell, and Twitter @ URFVR8FDIE.
Based in Tampa, Fl, she hosts educational seminars, consults and cooking classes locally and is available via Skype for Personal Consults and Cooking Lessons. Contact her @ yoadrienne68@yahoo.com.
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