Application Of The Food Combining Rules

5. Application Of The Food Combining Rules

You will note that the discussion of a particular food combining rule will frequently overlap and dovetail with other food combining rules, since they are all closely interrelated.

Since starch digestion begins in the mouth with the action there of the enzyme ptyalin and requires an alkaline or neutral medium—while protein digestion begins in the stomach, where acid enzymes are secreted when protein is eaten—the first two and most important food combining rules seem obvious.

5.1 Carbohydrates with Acids or Proteins

1. Never eat carbohydrate foods and acid foods at the same meal.
2. Never eat a concentrated protein and a concentrated carbohydrate at the same meal.

Carbohydrates include starches, sugars and cellulose. Lesson 22 demonstrated in great detail how incompatible combinations such as protein with carbohydrates reduce and inhibit the efficiency of digestive enzymes and subject the foods to decomposition in the digestive tract.

Some illustrations of combinations at the same meal which can produce this abortive effect are:

• Potatoes or other starchy vegetables with tomatoes or other fruit
• Starchy vegetables with nuts or other concentrated proteins
• Grains or legumes with tomatoes or other fruit
• Grains or legumes with nuts or other concentrated proteins

This means that when people eat meat and potatoes together, or a meat sandwich, they are not only consuming foods that cause problems when eaten separately (meat, bread), they are also compounding the problem by ingesting them at the same meal with foods that require different conditions for digestion.

Tomatoes (acid fruit without the sugar content of other acid fruits) may be used with the vegetable salad or with any green or nonstarchy vegetable. They may also be eaten with protein/fat foods like nuts, cheese and avocados.

This seems to contradict Food Combining Rule No. 6, prohibiting the acid-protein combination. However, in actual practice, most Hygienists do use tomatoes with nuts and avocados rather freely. Both Dr. Shelton and Dr. Vetrano have come to consider these combinations acceptable and even desirable.

But Food Combining Rules Nos. 1 and 2 are extremely important, and there is general agreement among Hygienic professional and lay people that acids should not be used with starches nor with foods which combine concentrated starches with concentrated proteins (grains, legumes).

Since soy beans are higher in protein and fat, but lower in carbohydrates than other beans, there might be some possibility of combining them with tomatoes. I have experimented with this combination and have rejected it for my own use.

Any meal which includes cooked starches, or any cooked food, should begin with a large green salad. If you do use cooked foods, you should always use some raw food at the same meal, preferably as the first course.

Foods in the slightly starchy category, such as carrots, are best used with starchy vegetables like potatoes. When eating starch/protein foods, such as rice or beans, it is best to use green or nonstarchy vegetables only. Green and nonstarchy vegetables contain very small amounts of proteins and carbohydrates, and thus will not  further complicate the digestion of the combination foods.

5.2 Some Examples of Percentages of Protein and Carbohydrate Content Of Various Categories of  Foods

		Protein Content	Carbohydrate Content
Concentrated Protein Foods:	Almonds	18.6%	19.5%
	Sunflower Seeds	24%	19.9%
	Cashews	17.2%	29.3%
Starch/Protein Foods	Brown Rice	7.5%	77.4%
	Wild Rice	14.1%	75.3%
	Fresh Coconut Meat	3.5%	9.4%
Starchy Vegetables	Yam	2.1%	23.2%
	Potato	2.1%	17.1%
Mildly Starchy Vegetables	Winter Squash	1.4%	12.4%
	Carrot	1.1%	9.7%
Nonstarchy Vegetables	Cauliflower	2.7%	5.2%
	Summer Squash	1.1%	4.2%
	Romaine Lettuce	1.3%	3.5%
Sweet Fruits	Banana	1.1%	22.2%
	Dried Date	2.2%	72.9%
Subacid Fruits	Apple	.2%	14.1%
	Peach	.6%	9.7%
Acid Fruits	Orange	1.0%	12.2%
	Pineapple	.3%	13.7%

Composition and Facts About Foods, by Ford Heritage, lists the protein and carbohydrate content of most common foods. You need not become an expert on these fine points, unless that is your desire. The food classification and food combining charts in this lesson will be adequate to help you to become enough of an expert in the food combining system to enable you to plan properly combined meals, and to teach others to do the same.

5.3 Examples of Menus That Do Not Violate Food Combining Rules No. 1 and 2

1. No Carbohydrate with Acid
2. No Carbohydrate with Protein

Carbohydrate Menus (No Acid or Protein)	Protein Menus (No Carbohydrates)
Bibb lettuce Celery Cucumber Sweet potatoes (raw or cooked) Water chestnuts	Romaine lettuce Celery Tomatoes Raw broccoli Pecans
Romaine lettuce Sweet pepper Edible pod peas Sweet corn (raw or steamed)	Boston lettuce Sweet red pepper Tomatoes Kale (raw or steamed) Sprouted sunflower seeds
Boston lettuce Raw carrots Brussels sprouts (raw or steamed) Potatoes (steamed or baked)	Young, sweet cabbage Cucumber Alfalfa sprouts Tomatoes Cashews
Celery or cabbage Raw turnips Green beans (raw or steamed) Raw yellow squash Cooked rice	Ruby leaf lettuce Celery Raw zucchini squash Soy bean sprouts

5.4 Examples of Menus That Violate Food Combining Rules No. 1 and 2

1. No Carbohydrate with Acid
2. No Carbohydrate with Protein

Boston lettuce Sweet pepper *Tomatoes *Sweet potatoes	NO-NO! (Acid with starch)
Bibb lettuce Celery *Peaches *Sweet corn *Almonds	NO-NO! (Starch with protein, fruit with starch, fruit with protein)
Romaine lettuce Celery Broccoli *Oranges *Jerusalem artichoke	NO-NO! (Acid fruit with starch)
Cabbage Cucumber *Tomatoes *Lentil sprouts *Rice	NO-NO! (Two combination starch/protein foods; acid with combination foods)
Leaf lettuce Celery *Dates *Pecans	NO-NO! (Sweet fruit with Protein)
Cabbage Celery Alfalfa sprouts *Potatoes *Sunflower seeds	NO-NO! (Starch with protein)
Bibb lettuce Cucumber Sweet pepper *Millet *Cashews	NO-NO! (Protein with combination starch/protein food)
Ruby leaf lettuce Cabbage Yellow squash *Acorn squash *Soy beans	NO-NO! (Starch with combination protein/starch food)

5.5 Protein-Protein Combinations

3. Never consume two concentrated proteins at the same meal.

Gastric acidity, and type, timing and strength of secretions for various proteins are not uniform. Therefore, do not combine nuts with cheese, nor any of the following concentrated protein foods with each other: nuts, avocado, soy beans, cheese, eggs, flesh foods.

Alfalfa sprouts, which are considered a green vegetable, may be used with a concentrated protein.

For optimal digestive efficiency, only one variety of nuts or seeds should be used at a sitting, but, if digestive problems are not a factor, it may be possible to eat two or three varieties together without harm. Some personal experimentation in this area is indicated. You may desire to combine one variety of seeds with one variety of nuts, or not to use high-fat nuts like brazils or macadamias by themselves. I have had good results in combining such high-fat nuts with lower-fat nuts or seeds. It might also be useful to combine expensive nuts like macadamias or pignolias with lower-priced nuts or seeds, in order to be able to afford the indulgence and variety of including the higher-priced nuts in the diet.

Some high-fat nuts are:

Macadamias	71.6% Fat
Brazils	66.9% Fat
Pecans	71.2% Fat

Some lower-fat nuts and seeds are:

Almonds	54.2% Fat
Pignolias	47.4% Fat
Sunflower seeds	47.3% Fat
Pumpkin seeds	45.8% Fat
Sesame seeds	52.2% Fat

Do not combine cashews with other nuts; the cashew is a part of the cashew apple and is not a true nut. It has a higher carbohydrate content than true nuts, having 29.3% carbohydrate and 17.2% protein. By contrast, for example, the almond has 19.5% carbohydrate and 18.6% protein.

Actually, the cashew is the pistil of the cashew apple. The whole raw cashew has within its shell a thick caustic liquid. In preparing cashews for marketing, they are “parched” to dissipate the acid, and then shelled. While not exactly “raw”, they have not been subjected to the “roasting” (deep-frying) given “roasted nuts”, and are considered good Hygienic food. They are combined in the same manner as nuts and can be eaten with a salad.

Peanuts, of course, are not nuts. They are combination starch/protein foods, and are combined as starch.

If you experience any problems in learning to eat and digest nuts, it would be best to use only one variety at a sitting. Start out with small quantities, one to two ounces, and use only with salads. If you do have problems with nuts, experiment and find those you handle best and use mostly those. You will eventually build, up your nut-digesting ability and be able to use more varieties.

Most people have no problem with sunflower seeds. Those who do can begin by using them slightly sprouted. Just soak overnight, drain and let them progress until just a small sprout is showing. Complete sprouting instructions will be given in Lesson 26, Preparing and Serving Foods.

Although the pecan is a high-fat nut, it is easy to chew and seems to agree with most people. Cashews are also easy to chew and most people enjoy the sweet taste.

Almonds are valuable nuts, and have a somewhat alkaline reaction, whereas other nuts have the acid reaction commonly found in protein foods. However, they are hard and more difficult to masticate thoroughly. Problems may be avoided by thoroughly masticating and insalivating these nuts.

It does not seem necessary to give examples of menus which do or do not violate Food Combining Rule No. 3. It should suffice to repeat: eat but one protein food at a meal, and do not combine nuts, avocados, soy beans, cheese, eggs or flesh foods with each other.

5.6 Protein-Fat Combinations

4. Do not consume fats with proteins.

For the conventional eater, this means do not use cream, butter or oil with meat (any flesh foods), eggs, cheese or nuts. For the budding or experienced Hygienist, the fat foods are avocados and nuts. Of course, nuts are also a principal protein food. Avocados also contain small amounts of excellent protein. Since the Hygienic “fat” foods are really protein/fat foods, it would certainly be inadvisable to add more fat to the meal. You learned in Lesson 22 that fat has an inhibiting influence on digestion. We have also emphasized that we do not use two proteins at the same meal. So, it is obvious you would not use nuts and avocados at the same meal. This would also apply to cheese, if you use it—do not use cheese with avocados or nuts.

However, in implementing the “no protein-fat combination” rule, it must also be borne in mind that you should not use cream, butter or oils with protein foods, whether they are protein/fat foods (which most of them are) or whether they are among the few low-fat protein foods (legumes, skim milk cheese, lean meat).

5.7 Menus That Do Not Violate Food Combining Rule No. 4 No Fat with Protein

Boston lettuce Celery cabbage Cucumber Pecans	Sweet, young cabbage Cucumber Sweet pepper Alfalfa sprouts Cheese
Romaine lettuce Cucumber Celery Tomato Avocado	Kale Cucumber Celery Soy pecan sprouts

5.8 Menus That Violate Food Combining Rule No. 4

Cabbage Tomato Celery *Avocado *Pecans	NO-NO! (A fat/protein with a protein/fat)
Boston lettuce Celery cabbage Tomato *Cheese *Walnuts	NO-NO! (Two protein/fat foods)
Leaf lettuce Kale Cucumber Celery *Cooked soy beans with butter added	NO-NO! (Fat added to high protein combination food)
Romaine lettuce Sweet pepper Broccoli *Cheese *Avocado	NO-NO!(A protein/fat food with a fat/protein)

5.9 Fats in Combination with Other Foods

5. Use fats sparingly.

Too much fat taken with a meal results in discomfort and digestive problems. The best way to use fats, in moderation, is with raw green vegetables. If fats are used with other foods, adding raw green leafy vegetables to the meal will help to counteract the inhibiting effect of fats on gastric secretion.

In Lesson 22, it was pointed out that the use of avocados (low protein/fat) with starch is considered fair, provided a green salad is included with the meal. Nuts (high protein/fat) are not used with starch. The best way to use avocados or nuts is with the salad meal.

We also concluded that, while the use of avocados with subacid or acid fruit is ordinarily considered only a fair combination, it has been found that including salad vegetables, especially lettuce and celery, in the avocado/fruit meal enhances its digestion, and it becomes a quite acceptable combination.

5.10 Menus, That Do Not Violate Food Combining Rule No. 5 Fats with Other Foods

Bibb lettuce Celery cabbage Cucumber Tomato Avocado	Leaf lettuce Celery Cucumber Potato (steamed or baked) Avocado
Romaine lettuce Celery Sweet pepper Alfalfa sprouts Avocado	Peaches Apples Lettuce Celery Avocado

In the above menus we are using avocado only as an example of the correct combining of fat. We are not using nuts (high protein/fat) as examples of fat with other foods, because when we combine nuts with other foods, their protein content is our primary concern. As for other fats (butter, oil, etc.), they do not really belong in a list of Hygienically correct menus.

5.11 Menus That Violate Food Combining Rule No. 5 Fats with Other Foods

Cucumber Green beans *Steamed potato with butter *Avocado	NO-NO! (Two foods high in fat)
Bananas *Dates *Avocado	NO-NO! (A fat/protein with dried sweet fruit—this would be somewhat better if lettuce and/or celery were included.)
Carrots Buttered cooked sweet corn Avocado	NO-NO! (Two foods high in fat)
Salad with oil dressing Rice Avocado	NO-NO! (Two foods high in fat)

5.12 Acid-Protein Combinations

6. Do not eat acid fruits with proteins.

There is some variation in practice as to the use of citrus or other acid fruit with nuts. Dr. Vetrano has discontinued this practice, but it is still used by other Hygienic professionals and lay people. Those with digestive problems should certainly avoid this combination. The student should carefully re-read the text of Food Combining Rule No. 6 (in Lesson 22) for an understanding of this subject.

Those with unimpaired digestions can probably decide on an individual basis whether they should experiment with this combination. The choices would be (a) no citrus with nuts, (b) eat citrus, wait one-half hour to one hour before eating the nuts, and (c) eat the citrus and nuts together. The best practice is (a), because it is not good Hygienic practice to eat a meal in “relays.”

If you do use citrus and nuts at the same meal, it would be a good idea to include some lettuce and/or celery.

The same reasoning would also apply to other acid fruits, such as pineapple, strawberries, tart apples, etc. The less sugar they contain, the less objection there is to combining them with nuts.

The same reasoning would apply to the use of citrus or other acid fruits with other protein foods, such as avocado or cheese.

People who use eggs or flesh foods should avoid the use of any fruit at the same meal. The use of these foods causes enough problems without also adding the extra problems of combining the fruit acids and sugars with the flesh foods.

Sour salad dressings and acid fruit drinks are bad with any meal, but are particularly bad with protein meals because they check hydrochloric acid secretion.

5.13 Menus Illustrating Food Combining Rule No. 6 Acid Fruits with Proteins

Good Combinations

Lettuce

Celery

Tomato

Brazil  nuts  (or other nuts, or avocado, or cheese, if you use it)

Fair Combinations

Lettuce

Kiwi fruit

Almonds

Lettuce

Grapefruit

Avocado

Somewhat tart oranges, pineapple, strawberries or apples, combined with nuts, avocado or cheese would also be fair combinations.

Bad Combinations

Very sweet oranges, pineapple, strawberries or other fruit, combined with nuts, avocado or cheese would be bad combinations (too much sugar with protein).

5.14 Sugar with Starch, Protein, Acid Fruit

7. Do not combine sweet fruits with foods that require a long digestion time—such as proteins, starches and acid fruit.

Sugar with protein, starch or acid leads to fermentation, a sour stomach and discomfort. When protein or starch foods are combined with sugars, they may remain in the stomach almost twice as long as is normal. Use sweet fruits only as indicated in Food Combining Rule No. 10.

The same principle applies to the use of any sugar, honey, molasses or syrup, which are especially prone to ferment if used with mixed meals. Of course, these types of sugars should not be used at all—with anything. Refined sugar robs the body of B-vitamins and throws a “monkey-wrench” into the digestive machinery. The other “sweeteners” are almost as bad. A future lesson will discuss in detail the harmfulness of sweeteners.

5.15 Menus That Do Not Violate Food Combining Rule No. 7

Sweet Fruits with Foods Requiring a Long Digestion Time

Lettuce Grapes Bananas	Lettuce Sweet mangos Persimmons
Celery Cherries Delicious apples Dates	Celery Lettuce Pears Peaches Raisins

5.16 Menus That Violate Food Combining Rule No. 7

Sweet Fruits with Foods Requiring a Long Digestion Time

Jonathan apples Strawberries Bananas	NO-NO! (Acid fruit with sweet fruit)
Plums Oranges Dates	NO-NO! (Acid fruit with sweet dried fruit)
Sweet corn Persimmons Figs	NO-NO! (Starch with sweet fruit)
Apples Raisins Pecans	NO-NO! (Protein with sweet fruit)  (Many people have said they like to eat this combination, but it should be avoided, as it is quite incompatible.)

5.17 Starch-Starch Combinations

8. Eat but one concentrated starch at a meal.

This rule may be important principally as a means of avoiding overeating of starches, but it is a good rule to follow. Never combine a concentrated starch with a combination food (starch/protein food) such as grains or legumes. Never combine two combination foods at the same meal (such as rice with beans).

Slightly starchy foods may be combined with concentrated starches but not with combination foods. Potatoes with carrots, green beans and a large green salad is a good combination (if you are using cooked food). Brown rice would be better combined with broccoli, yellow squash and a salad.

Two mildly starchy vegetables may be combined if no concentrated starch is used, e.g., globe artichokes and carrots, or beets and edible pod peas.

5.18 Menus That Do Not Violate Food Combining Rule No. 8 One Concentrated Starch at a Meal

Ruby lettuce Carrots Celery Raw Broccoli Globe artichoke	Celery cabbage Cucumber Edible pod peas Sweet corn (raw or cooked)
Cabbage Sweet pepper Cucumber Green beans (raw or cooked) Potatoes	Bibb lettuce Celery Cauliflower (raw or cooked) Yams (raw or cooked)
Romaine lettuce Celery Sweet pepper Cauliflower (raw or cooked) Butternut squash	Boston lettuce Cucumber Water chestnuts Parsnips

5.19 Menus That Violate Food Combining Rule Nr. 8 One Concentrated Starch at a Meal

Bibb lettuce Sweet pepper Kale *Sweet corn *Potatoes	NO-NO! (Too much starch—unless corn is young, green and freshly picked)
Celery cabbage Cucumber *Cauliflower *Acorn squash * Jerusalem artichokes	NO-NO! (Too much starch)
Leaf lettuce Celery Broccoli *Sweet potatoes *Rice	NO-NO! (Starch with combination starch/protein food)
Cabbage Celery Cucumber Zucchini squash1 *Potatoes *Chestnuts	NO-NO! (Starch with combination starch/protein food)

5.20 Acid Fruits, Subacid Fruits, Sweet Fruits

9. Acid fruits may be used with the less sweet subacid fruits.

Tomatoes should not be used with subacid fruits. The acid fruits are those with the tart flavors (see Food Classification Chart in this lesson). The less sweet subacid fruits are some grapes (those which are neither sweet nor sour), some varieties of apples, most mangos, and any fruit on the subacid list which is not really sweet.

5.21 Menus Illustrating Food Combining Rule No. 9

Good Combinations

Lettuce

Oranges

Apples

Celery

Pineapple

Peaches (if not sweet)

Lettuce

Strawberries

Plums (if not sweet)

Bad Combinations

Tomatoes Bananas	NO-NO! Acid with sweet fruit
Grapefruit Sweet cherries	NO-NO! Acid with sweet fruit
Oranges Delicious apples	NO-NO! Acid with sweet fruit

5.21 Acid Fruits, Subacid Fruits, Sweet Fruits

10. The sweeter subacid fruits may be used with sweet fruits.

The sweeter subacid fruits are any fruits on the subacid list that have a marked sweet taste. See Food Classification Chart for a list of the sweet fruits. Dried sweet fruits should be used sparingly—one kind at a meal—and in small quantities.

5.22 Menus Illustrating Food Combining Rule No. 10

Good Combinations

Lettuce Delicious apples Bananas	Lettuce Pears Persimmons
Celery Sweet grapes Dates	Celery Papayas Figs

Bad Combinations

Tart apples Bananas	NO-NO! (Acid with sweet fruit)
Tart mangos Dates	NO-NO! (Acid with sweet fruit)
Tart grapes Persimmons	NO-NO! (Acid with sweet fruit)
Tart peaches Figs	NO-NO! (Acid with sweet fruit)

5.23 Fruits with Vegetables

11. Do not combine fruit with any vegetables other than lettuce and/or celery.

Lettuce and celery combine well with all types of fruit except melon. It is best to use two to four varieties of fruit at a fruit meal, plus lettuce and/or celery. These green leafy vegetables may even enhance digestion of the fruit.

Menus Illustrating Food Combining Rule No. 11

Good Combinations

Lettuce

Celery

Sweet grapes

Pears

Bananas

Lettuce

Sweet apples

Sweet cherries

Fresh figs

Celery

Papayas

Sweet peaches

Persimmons

Bad Combinations

Broccoli Yellow squash Apples Dates	NO-NO! (Fruits with vegetables other than lettuce and celery)
Lettuce Pears Sweet corn Bananas	NO-NO! (Fruits with vegetables other than lettuce and celery)
Lettuce Blueberries Green beans Potatoes	NO-NO! (Fruits with vegetables other than lettuce and celery)

5.24 Fruits with Vegetables

12. Salads combine very well with either proteins or starches.

Green leafy vegetables combine well with most other foods. They are excellent food and should be used in abundance. Do not combine any vegetables with melon.

A large daily salad is an excellent part of your food program. The dark green leafy vegetables are the best for salad—Romaine, Boston, leaf or Bibb lettuce, green celery—to which may be added cucumbers, sweet peppers, raw broccoli, raw turnips or raw cauliflower. Raw carrots may be added if u is a starch meal; tomatoes may be added if no starch or combination foods are included in the meal.

5.25 Menus Illustrating Food Combining Rule No. 12

Good Combinations

Lettuce

Celery cabbage

Cucumber

Tomatoes

Nuts

Lettuce

Celery

Sweet pepper

Raw broccoli

Avocado

Lettuce and/or celery with any fruit

Bad Combinations

Lettuce Celery Watermelon	NO-NO! (Do not combine salad vegetables with melon)
Tomatoes Celery cabbage Honeydew melon	NO-NO! (Do not combine salad vegetables with melon)

5.26 Melons

13. Do not consume melons with other foods.

They do not combine well with any food, except, perhaps, with certain fruits. Those with unimpaired digestions may wish to experiment with the use of grapes or other subacid fruits with melon. It is really best to take melon alone, especially watermelon. Melon decomposes much more quickly than other fruits and, if held up in the stomach awaiting the digestion of other foods, will decompose and cause gastric distress.

Never eat watermelon with nuts. There are a number of different kinds of melon, and it is better to eat your fill of one kind as one meal.

I am not giving any examples of melon with subacid fruits. 1 do not really recommend using melon with any other foods, since 1 believe this is a good rule for most people. Those who wish to experiment with the use of melons with subacid fruits should do so very carefully, testing one subacid fruit (in small amounts) at a time. (See Dr. Vetrano’s comments on this subject.)

5.27 Sprouts

14. Alfalfa sprouts may be combined as a green vegetable.

Other sprouts should be classified somewhat in the same category as the original seed, even though the protein and carbohydrates are less concentrated. (Review the discussion of sprouts in Lesson 22.)

Classification of Sprouts for Purpose of Food Combining

Alfalfa seeds, sprouted	Green vegetable
Mung beans, sprouted	Green vegetable protein/starch (combine as starch)
Grains, sprouted, sprouted	Mildly starchy combination foods
Sunflower seeds	Protein
Soy beans, sprouted	Protein
Lentils, sprouted	Protein

5.28 Menus Illustrating Food Combining Rule No. 14

Good Combinations

Tomato Lettuce Alfalfa sprouts Nuts	Celery Cucumber Avocado Mung bean sprouts
Cabbage Sweet pepper Broccoli Sprouted soy beans	Lettuce Celery Cauliflower Green beans Sprouted wheat

Bad Combinations

Lettuce Cucumber Sprouted mung beans* Nuts*	NO-NO! (Protein with combination food)
Celery Sweet Pepper Sprouted rye* Nuts*	NO-NO! (Protein with combination food)
Cabbage Celery Sprouted sunflower seeds* Potatoes*	NO-NO! (Protein with starch)
Lettuce Tomatoes* Lentils, sprouted* Rice*	NO-NO! (Acid and protein with combination food)

5.29 Milk, Clabber and Yogurt

(Not Recommended)

15. Milk is best taken alone.

This rule is included because it is one of Dr. Shelton’s food combining rules, and because this lesson may be helpful to those still on a mixed diet. Please review the text in Lesson 22 on Food Combining Rule No. 15. I hope you will decide not to use milk, clabber or yogurt.

I am not including menus for the best ways to combine these foods, but will simply say they are best used alone, but are a fair combination with acid or subacid fruit.

5.30 Good, Fair, Poor and Bad Combinations

• Good combinations are good for the weakest digestion.
• Fair combinations are permissible for those with unimpaired digestions.
• Poor combinations should only be used by people with the best digestions, and then rarely (or they may lose their distinction of possessing the “best” digestions).
• Bad combinations are so bad that no one should ever use them.

5.31 Examples

Good combinations

Golden Delicious apples Thompson seedless grapes Lettuce and celery Bananas

Lettuce Cucumber Sweet peppers Alfalfa sprouts Nuts

Fair Combinations

Jonathan apples Pears Lettuce Avocado (Avocado with fruit)

Lettuce Cabbage Green beans Potatoes Avocado (Avocado with starch)

Poor Combinations

Cherries Lettuce Avocado Soaked dried apricots (Avocado with dried sweet fruit—the fact that it has been soaked and that lettuce is included with the meal improves it somewhat.)

Celery cabbage Cucumber Mung bean sprouts Nuts (It would be better to use alfalfa sprouts with nuts.)

Bad Combinations

Grapes Avocado Bananas Dates (Concentrated fat with too much concentrated sugar.)

Lettuce Celery Cabbage Rice Potatoes (Starch with combination starch/protein food)

5.32 Discrepancies

You may detect discrepancies if you compare the different food charts and classifications of foods as interpreted by various authors and professionals. For instance, you may see butternut or acorn squash listed by one author as starchy, and mildly starchy by another author.

If you are really concerned about it, you can refer to Composition and Facts About Foods, by Ford Heritage, or Composition of Foods, Department of Agriculture Handbook No. 8. You can then make your own decision.

Sweet potatoes with 26.3% carbohydrates, yams with 23.2% carbohydrates and potatoes with 17.1% carbohydrates are all considered starchy foods. Carrots with 9.7% carbohydrates and beets with 9.9% carbohydrates are considered mildly starchy. Winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc.) has 12.5% carbohydrates. Would you classify it with the 17.1% potatoes or the 9.9% beets? It’s not too important, since starches may be used together, if desired, provided the total quantity of starch at the meal does not exceed, say, 15% of the meal.

Cauliflower, with only 5.2% carbohydrates, is listed by some as mildly starchy, yet its carbohydrate content is less than that of broccoli or brussels sprouts.

Another case in point is the coconut. Dr. Esser classified it as protein, but Dr. Shelton combines it as starch. It is actually a combination food, and is usually combined as a starch. But when we look it up in the food charts, we find that fresh coconut contains 9.4% carbohydrate and 3.5% protein; dried coconut contains 23% carbohydrate and 7.2% protein.

By comparison, almonds contain 19.5% carbohydrate and 18.6% protein; pecans 14.6% carbohydrate and 9.2% protein; these, of course, are classified as protein foods.

Brown rice contains 77.4% carbohydrate, 9.6% protein; fresh lima beans contain 22.1% carbohydrate and 8.4% protein; these are combination foods, and are combined as starch.

It seems to me that the coconut, with three times as much starch as protein, should be combined as starch. But, since fresh coconut only has 9.4% carbohydrate, perhaps the idea that its starch content is unimportant is a valid one. What do you think? My own method is to think of it as a combination food, and I don’t use tomatoes or other acid fruits with coconut—it seems the safest interpretation.

If you see other such discrepancies, you may either disregard them and use the food either way, or, if you are uncomfortable about it, get a reference book and look it up. It can be a great satisfaction to resolve such discrepancies in your own mind by tracking down the correct information.

You may also occasionally come across an error in food combining charts; for example, on page 321 of The Hygienic System, Volume II, in one place starch is said to be a bad combination with subacid fruit and in another place on the chart, it is said to be a fair combination. I would say that the use of any fruit with starch would be contraindicated.

The food combining charts in this lesson are as accurate as I could make them, and I hope they will be helpful to you and your students.