Food Combining and Separation page

[geekgrrl]

Someone just referred to this in another thread about blueberries and milk
Blueberries and Milk Don’t Mix: Study | All Star Health

Which is a pity as they go so well with dairy. And someone suggests that maybe other issues with antioxidants from fruit and veg being neutralized by proteins. Not at all surprising (and I suspect most fruit would have been munched while picking randomly during the day, not eaten with cooked meat anyway.)

So anyway - any other good tips on food combining for maximised nutrition? Like, I'm not going to obsess over it, but might as well get the most out of things.

[TARNIP]

Personally, I have never understood the logic behind the food combining thing. When you look at it logically every food on earth contains more than one macronutrient (protein,carbs,fat). If you look into in, fruit and vegetables actually contain protein, obviously not nearly as much as a slab of beef, but they still contain trace/small amounts. Things like nuts/dairy etc are a mixture of all 3 macronutrients. Technically if we couldn't digest certain macronutrients with others, we would more than likely have nothing to eat at all!

[Pandadude]

Interesting. A solution for many people here would be to júst use coconut milk which is very low in protein.

[Suzan]

The idea of food combining is not a Primal or Paleo concept.

[Pandadude]

This isn't about "food combining" though, as in some person came up with the idea that fat and carbs or meat and nuts or w/e don't digest properly when consumed together. This is a study showing that the antioxidants present in blueberries bind to milk proteins and don't offer any benefit. Whether it is a paleo concept or not doesn't mean anything.

[supersellen]

This always reminds me of my several year affair with vegetarianism when I had to constantly try to combine the right things to get actual usable protein..have to have rice with those beans, bread with peanut butter....red flag right there!

[beachrat]

Well, I would look at it completely differently. My impression is that antioxidants are all the rage because of the damage the SAD does to normal healthy body processes, promoting free radicals and whatnot (among so many other things). Since I've cut all of that non-food out of my diet, I point and laugh at people obsessively trying to max out on antioxidants because of their soy/canola/etc. intake.

Seriously, if you're eating paleo/primal, is there any reason to give a rat's arse about antioxidants?
Antioxidants: Beyond the Hype - What Should You Eat? - The Nutrition Source - Harvard School of Public Health

Studies so far are inconclusive, but generally don't provide strong evidence that antioxidant supplements have a substantial impact on disease.

[geekgrrl]

I'm not only asking about blueberries and antioxidants, but foods generally.

For example I'm fairly sure that the tannins in tea bind to iron, though again that could be CW, rendering it bio-unavailable. And tea is not paleo, so probably I shouldn't be having tea with my meals.

I think it IS paleo to think about these things, because remember this is about combining contemporary science with study of evolution so that we get the most out of our life. And chemicals in foods interact, of course they do, it does matter.

If you don't want to bother about it, that's fine. I'm interested and like to know about these things, that's why I'm asking.

[Zed]

Interesting article.

The idea of food combining is not a Primal or Paleo concept.

It is also not based on scientific evidence. While certain aspects of the whole theory is valid (i.e., we know certain foods when combine with others enhanced the digestion of particular nutrients-->take the fact that fats added to salads enhanced the bio-availability of fat-soluble vitamins present in the salad), the rest of what the theory states (do not combine fat sources with proteins, or don't combine two different protein sources etc) are myths. There are numerous articles online debunking this late 20th century myth.

The whole idea is ridiculous considering the bodies' digestive process.

[geekgrrl]

the rest of what the theory states

what theory? It's not a monolithic theory, - maybe you're talking about some trendy diet thing from ages ago, I don't know - I'm talking about what we know right now about how foods interact. Have you got some research to share?