Simple Eating for Better Health

We have the same bodies our ancient ancestors had, evolution has not changed that. We have ancient bodies living in a modern world. A world where our food is grown in poison, genetically altered, picked unripen and shipped across the country and world, stored in boxes and bins, processed, dyed, waxed and touched by many hands before we ever get it home.

We eat out more than we eat at home. The fact is we don’t even know what we are eating. Most of our food is highly processed, cooked and microwaved.  Chemicals, additives, preservatives and food colorings have been added.  We eat food stuff we call food but is not natural food to our ancient bodies. Our bodies have not had time to adjust to this modern assault.  As a result we have many digestive ailments and related health issues.

If we don’t eat out we buy food from the store that has been premade, processed, packaged or frozen. People are fed by the food industry which pays no attention to health. We do this mostly for convenience but we have come to believe the food industry can make food better than we can.

The animals in the wild do not cook food and no animal prepares their meals with several ingredients as we do. Nowadays, even raw foods can be over processed, sometimes composed out of fifteen ingredients and more.

We often use unusual combinations in food preparation, which most of the time do not comply with the rules of good combination. This can cause indigestion. If you combine foods that need different times, enzymes and pH for digestion, fermentation and rot can occur. Things are greatly simplified if you consume only one type of food at a time.

Naturally we would migrate from tree, vine or bush eating abundant single meals of fresh fruits, herbs (greens), nuts, or vegetables. Our bodies and brains are much better adapted to this since it’s how humans ate for the majority of their time on this earth.

When you eat only one type of food at a time, you give special emphasis to chewing, taste and texture, that is why your body will clearly let you know when it is no longer hungry and when it is time to stop eating. Delicious food that you were eating a moment ago will suddenly be tasteless and unappealing, making it almost impossible to overeat.

Modern food is made to taste good, look good and smell good. We eat for taste rather than nourishment, which makes it very easy to overeat. Studies have shown that humans have a tendency to overeat when we are offered a wide variety of foods during a meal. By simplifying our meals, we will naturally eat less, without counting calories or worrying about portion sizes.

Did you know that digesting food requires more energy than any other function in the human body? It’s no wonder we’re exhausted after a big meal. It stands to reason, then, that the best way to free up some extra energy is to make our digestion as quick and efficient as possible.

Mono Meals

simple eating

A mono meal is just a fancy way of saying, fill yourself up on a meal that consists of ONE thing. Eat a big bowl of just watermelon, eat four bananas, a big bowl of steamed sweet potato etc.  The benefits of mono meals are mainly to do with digestive health. They remove the burden of your digestive system having to differentiate from an array of different substances which all require different enzymes.

The way we eat doesn’t always make sense. Combining starches, proteins, fats and sugars is bound to create a digestive burden which shows up as discomfort, gas, heartburn, bloating, belching, constipation and other pesky digestive issues.  When you take a break from complex meals, your organs have a chance to rejuvenate. Detoxification naturally happens at this point and you might find that when you go back to eating as usual, your digestion prefers the simple meals.

When your taste buds become accustomed to simple mono meals, you will no longer need various toppings, sugar, spices or heat treatment in order to enjoy it. You will learn to appreciate food in its most natural state. In fact you will begin to crave it.

We usually only need to wash and sometimes peel and cut up our fruits and vegetables and it’s ready to be eaten. A lot of time remains that would have otherwise be used for food preparation. We also save money and can now buy higher quality food.

Proper Food Combining

food combining

Food combining simply defined is the act of eating certain foods alone or only in combination with other foods in order to allow the body to release the correct type and amount of digestive  enzymes, acids, and gastric juices needed to properly digest those foods.

Improper food combining is one of the primary factors that cause gas, flatulence, heartburn, and upset stomach. What’s worse, the resulting poor digestion can also contribute to malnutrition, even if you think you’re eating a decent diet.

Disease is just as much a matter of eliminating toxins as it is about eating proper foods. Elimination, however, is dependent on a healthy digestive system.

There are good physiological reasons for combining foods properly.  The rules are based on chemistry. Starchy foods, for instance, require an alkaline digestive medium. Protein-rich foods require an acid medium.  Most people learn in high school that acids and bases (alkalines) neutralize each other.

If you eat a starch together with a protein – which happens to be the  combination found in most western meals, such as the iconic meat and potatoes – digestion is impaired because the body produces two digestive mediums that neutralize each other.

The end result is a partially digested mass of food in your gut that can cause many problems.

If your body can’t digest your food, bacteria will quickly move in and start to ferment and decompose it. Unfortunately, one of the numerous byproducts of this process is poisonous alcohol, which inhibits nerve function, among other side effects. It quickly penetrates the gut lining and enters the blood stream, making you, for lack of a better term, a bit food drunk.

Another byproduct of the food fermenting in your gut is gas, which eventually makes its way out of the anus in foul-smelling bursts. Although some gas is natural, if yours smells badly you’re either not properly combining meals or eating food that just doesn’t digest well in the human gut, such as meat.

Educate Yourself

There are many books and articles where you can learn more about proper food combinations, which I suggest you research and learn. In the meantime, when you find yourself sitting at a plateful of food, eat your foods one at a time beginning with the food with the most water content such as the salad. When the salad is gone the next highest water content might be the vegetables, then the legumes or grains and lastly the meats.

Foods with higher water content digest quicker and usually in a more alkaline environment. Meats have the least water and need a very acidic environment to break down and digest.  This is not technically proper food combining but studies have shown it is more beneficial to digestion to layer the foods this way than to mix everything together with a bite of this and that throughout the meal.

Fruit may only take 20 minutes to break down in the stomach and be ready to pass into the intestines, where meat can take 2 hours or longer.  If you eat the fruit and meat together the fruit is trapped in the stomach with the meat and will begin to ferment before reaching the intestines.

Your gut is your first line of defense for sickness prevention and ultimate health.  80% of the body’s immune system is in the gut.  If you have suffered with energy issues, skin issues, poor digestion and inflammation, then you may want to consider mono meals and food combining.  Commit to it for a week or two and see if you notice an improvement in any symptoms you might be experiencing.

You have the power to heal yourself, it is your birthright. And it is my mission to help you learn the many ways available to you.