The Power of Combining Foods
Peanut butter and jelly… spaghetti and meat balls… bacon and eggs… Mac and cheese—What do these duos all have in common? They are popular food combinations that many of us have encountered at some point in our lives. Food combining is the idea that how we pair our foods play a major role in our health. But how does the way we combine foods affect our health? That is exactly what I’d like for us to explore together. Eating a variety of foods can be great, but a combination of foods can be even more powerful. Keep in mind, foods should be paired mindfully to best support digestive health and even boost your energy level, helping your overall wellness.
When it comes to food combining, we are beginning to have an understanding that some combinations actually enhance nutrient bioavailability. In other words, eating certain foods together boosts the nutritional value of the individual foods. We call this nutrient synergy. Certain foods work together synergistically to enhance their combined nutritional benefits. Synergistic interactions are believed to stem from compounds known as phytochemicals. Phytochemicals are found in plant-based foods. These naturally occurring compounds suggest they play a huge role in reducing inflammation, boosting immunity, slows the spread of tumor cells and protects you from chronic diseases. Phytochemicals work together with vitamins and minerals to synergistically boost their combined health benefits. For example, turmeric and black pepper. Turmeric contains a powerful phytochemical called curcumin, which has powerful anti-inflammatory properties. Black pepper contains piperine, shown to have anti-cancer effects. Both healthful on their own, but together, curcumin’s bioavailability improves 2,000%. How about broccoli and tomatoes? Both nutritious foods high in vitamin C but together they become even more nutritious because when combined, there are studies that show tumors in prostate cancer patients decrease its weight by 52% . Lets take a look at rosemary and grilled meat. Meat cooked on a grill and exposed to direct high heat can create heterocyclic amines (HCAs) which may increase the risk of cancer. But don’t throw away your grill so quick, because adding some rosemary to the meat can reduce the formation of HCAs significantly. And what about spinach and lemon? When pairing them, the lemon increases the absorption of plant-based iron sources from the spinach, so it becomes a nutritional win!
Functional food combining is a form of combining food sometimes used in functional nutrition to help heal the gut and support weight loss. This is a great way to nurture and support digestion through whole foods and mindful food combinations. This version highlights which combinations are best to avoid. Rather than working together, these food work against each other when ate together. This is because of the rate in which each food is digested. These combinations are most taxing to the digestive system. Let’s take protein and starches. These two food groups included in the same meal can lead to suboptimal digestion. For example, pasta and meatballs or meat and rice could lead to bloating or discomfort. Try substituting pasta for zucchini noodles to avoid suboptimal digestion. Also you can try eating cauliflower rice instead of rice with your protein. These can be great non-starchy substitutions for animal protein-based meals. The pairing of protein and acid is also thought to be hard on the digestive system. Meats or fish with acidic marinades can lead to indigestion. You can swap out the marinades for seasonings like oregano, basil, paprika, and cayenne pepper. Milk should never be paired with anything. Milk is considered best consumed alone. So you might want to rethink that bowl of cereal in the morning with cow milk. Drinking nut, seed or oat milks can be better options instead of cow milk. Also fruit should not be combined with other foods because it digests quickly. Food combining recommends eating fruit on an empty stomach and is the perfect way to start your day, so its a great quick breakfast. So, ideal combinations to help ease digestive strain would be:
Protein + Non-Starchy Vegetables such as, chicken + peppers, steak + green beans, tuna + broccoli
Fruit + Fruit such as grapefruit + oranges, peaches + cherries, apples + pears. The only fruits that should not be paired are melons. They are best enjoyed on their own.
Nuts + Non-Starchy Vegetables such as, walnuts + arugula, almonds + cucumber, pistachios + Brussels sprouts. You can even sprinkle nuts over vegetable soup.
Starches + Non-Starchy Vegetables such as, brown rice + asparagus, sweet potato + green beans, lentils + cauliflower
Another functional food combining tip would be to eat lighter foods earlier in the day, like fruit, and heavier foods in the middle of the day, like protein rich dishes to best support digestion. You should also chew your foods completely, drink enough water, exercise and get plenty of sleep to best support optimal health.
Another form of food combining is Ayurvedic food combining. Are you familiar with Ayurveda? Ayurveda or “science of life”, is an ancient healing system that supports health through balancing energies. Foods, seasons, activities, and times of the day all have different energies. When energy is balanced, it supports health, but an imbalance of energy can lead to illnesses. Ayurvedic food combining is rooted in supporting this balance. According to Ayurveda, “when diet is wrong, medicine is of no use. When diet is correct, medicine is of no need.” So when talking about this form of nourishment, a correct diet refers to one that helps balance a person’s condition through the types of foods eaten, the way it’s prepared, and how it’s combined. Specific combinations of food are said to have a negative effect on Agni, or digestive fire, which leads to poor digestion and it may leave the body open to disease and/or disorders. There are foods that have a more positive effect on Agni which boosts health and well-being.
To strengthen Agni, Ayurveda suggests eating all the colors of the rainbow, including all six tastes, or rasas, sweet, salty, pungent, bitter, sour and astringent and combining foods mindfully. Food is considered heating or cooling and either difficult or easy to digest. Combinations go well together depending on their qualities, season, time of day, quantity consumed, nutrients and if they have similar rates of absorption. Ayurvedic food combining is a way to balance each quality in a meal so one doesn’t overpower the other. Lets take a look at some of these combinations that strengthen Agni. Beans + grains, vegetables, nuts or seeds: Enjoy a grain bowl with beans, fresh greens and walnuts. I know when I go out to lunch with friends, I gravitate towards grain bowls just like this and they are very tasty and enjoyable. How about a bean carrot soup sprinkled with pumpkin seeds? Another combo is animal-based proteins + vegetables. This combination is very big in my house for dinner. We eat chicken and broccoli or chicken and spinach or even pepper steak. Of course, I mostly combine these food to avoid eating carbs at night. Another combination in the Ayurvedic system is starchy carbs + vegetables. Roosting sweet potato with broccoli is a great example of this. And lastly, another pairing is vegetables and anything (except milk or fruit). So if you like to eat vegetables in a cream sauce, try eating vegetables with a cream sauce made from cashews or almonds. I have seen lots of vegan recipes like this out there. I’ll have to remember to post a recipe like this, on my recipe page, for my friends out there who want to try this. There are so many great pairings to try, not only keep us healthy and our energy balanced but because it’s so tasty too.
Ayurveda suggests there are incompatible combinations based on a multitude of factors, including how foods are processed, their potency, quality and the time of season these foods are ingested. Of course not everyone will have a reaction to incompatible foods, which is why it’s so important to recognize bio-individuality when it comes to diet. This is merely to make you aware of your body and how food can effect it. Here are some examples of combinations that weaken agni.
Eggs + Dairy or Meat, so if you like to put cheese on your eggs, play around with different spices ( cayenne, garlic powder, turmeric or pepper) to give your eggs more flavor.
Animal protein + Starch, so if you like to eat rice with chicken, consider a different pairing by placing your grilled chicken over a bed of sautéed spinach or dice your chicken and put it in a nice big salad.
Starches + Fat, instead of topping your baked potato with sour cream and butter, try salsa.
Animal-based protein + Animal-based protein, like in meatballs. I grew up in an Italian household and every Sunday, it was macaroni and meatballs. My mom would sometimes make her meatballs out of 2 or 3 different meats. This was a traditional way of cooking. Consider choosing one meat and add peppers to boost flavor.
Bananas + Milk, if you make smoothies with bananas and milk, consider swapping out the milk for coconut water or non dairy milks such as almond milk.
Beans + Cheese, when making burritos, instead of adding cheese on top, either leave it off or make cauliflower “cheese”.
Fruit (especially melon) or Milk + Anything, how about just enjoying fruit on its own as a snack or just have a glass of milk by itself.
There are plenty of ways to offset potential effects of decreased agni. Cook with a mindful mindset, experiment with spices that support your dosha (Vata, Pitta or Kapha), chew your food thoroughly, drink room temperature water or warm, and let lunch be your biggest meal of the day. This is the time when agni is strongest. Avoid eating too close to bedtime, create space in your life for movement to stimulate digestion and most importantly, ENJOY EATING!! Pleasure is a valuable aspect of holistic nourishment.
Now, let’s remember. You are unique and your bio-individuality plays a big role here. This is strictly informational and only meant to make you aware of food pairing and how different foods either work together to increase their nutritional value or work against each other. Feel free to explore these suggestions and see if these useful tips support your gut health, maintain a healthy weight for you, reduce inflammation in your body and/or encourage you to keep a mindfulness diet.