Food Combinations and Weight Loss

One of the things I learned while a student of Chinese martial arts was the concept called (in the west) "Macrobiotics", or as we called it, "Taoist food combining."

The main crux of the whole theory is that certain foods must, and must not, be eaten with other foods. Some combinations are beneficial for digestion and health, while others are completely incompatible, cause disruptive side efficts (indigestion and gas to name a couple) and lead to toxicity and excess weight gain. And can you guess THE biggest offender on the list? Only the very foundation of most western diets: Meat and Potatoes!

Basically, the theory is that meat requires a stomach acid to digest, while complex carbs (potatoes, pasta, etc.) require a base , secreted by the stomach. When the food combines in the stomach, and the two stomach solutions are secreted, they CANCEL EACH OTHER OUT (Acids and Bases are opposites on the PH balance chart, etc.) So, you get a pile of mush in your stomach, with essentially a useless combination of stomach fluids trying to digest the food, and failing miserable.

This process is so taxing on the body that, after a big meal like that, you feel tired, and often have digestion problems. When this goes on day after day, year after year, basically the toxins and undigested food lead to poor health and obesity.

Anyway, that is the theory anyway. Keep in mind, at the time I was deeply into both the martial arts training and this diet, I was young and skinny already. I didn't need to lose weight, but once I started eating that way, I noticed some big changes. One being, I didn't get tired at lunchtime anymore (eating salads, soup, or vegi sandwiches) and I rarely had any problem with indigestion or gas. Not to mention, my overall energy and athletic ability improved, which was very noticeable since I was training weekly for martial arts tournaments, etc.

Anyway, in the recent weeks I have gone back to this diet, and once again, I really noticed a benefit from it. And, now that I am not so young and skinny, I am also noticing that it has been a LOT easier to shed pounds when I am eating this way, and I just feel lighter overall.