I feel like this topic has become almost taboo at this point. From what I’m seeing, half of the internet is for the method of eating known as food combining (which actually ironically enough is centralized around the strategy of specifically not combining most foods when eating a meal), and half are against it.
As someone who tried it, let’s talk:
I’m going to go ahead and assume that you know who I am talking about when I refer to the social media influencer who is known for promoting food combining and the lifestyle that comes along with it. I just want to say first and foremost, I don’t dislike that individual in any way or hold her accountable for the way my body chose to react to something I admittedly did very seldom research on myself. I actually LOVE majority of her recipes, and respect her drive, and have incorporated some of the tips and tricks she follows into my own lifestyle, despite the fact that I am not following food combining myself.
My most liked and trafficked post on my Instagram account is a picture I posted of vegan coconut french toast, a recipe that stemmed from a Youtube video that she posted. It was also probably one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever made. It was easy to make, and left me satisfied, but not overly heavy and full feeling as you might get from a hearty French toast recipe.
Honestly, food combining stressed me the hell out. There are a plethora of guidelines to this method of eating. I’m going to assume that if you are here reading this, you are at least a little bit familiar with what I’m talking about. Food combining only allows fruit to be eaten in the morning on an empty stomach 30 minutes prior to other foods, discourages the consumption of dairy and gluten, and does not allow for foods considered to be proteins and foods considered to be starches to be eaten simultaneously. I use the phrase “considered to be” because, I mean, don’t most foods contain different macro-nutrients? An avocado isn’t JUST fat, you know? Food combining also semi-discourages the consumption of legumes (at least from what I read, although it be seldom), as well as alcohol and sugar, which I guess is semi-fair.
Let’s start with breakfast. A typical breakfast was either a green smoothie or a bowl of fruit with shredded coconut. I’m not going to lie, the “Tropical Bub” smoothie recipe circulating the internet is my favorite currently; there’s just something about adding the ginger that gives it such a nice contrast. I also really ended up enjoying the mango, banana, cinnamon, and cacao nib breakfast starter that is heavily popular online. Although I’m not food combining, I will either have the smoothie as part of my current breakfast or the fruit bowl, but with coconut yogurt to make it more filling. As for the whole two breakfasts thing, listen – I’m a hungry girl in the mornings, but for one thing, that was admittedly just two much food for me. Maybe I was just making the smoothie too large-and-in-charge before my two slices of toast with half an avocado and red pepper flake (another favorite I still have), but man that was a lot of food to try and cram down some days. Additionally, with my current work schedule, my entire morning was spent making and eating my breakfast for an hour. It works for me on the weekends (I had a smoothie and then a bit later some eggs today) but when I’m rushing around trying to get ready, it just isn’t realistic. I also want to mention my unpopular opinion: Gluten free bread? I love it. Just be sure to toast it twice, it really does make a difference.
Lunch for me is typically a salad anyways, and food combining suggests that leafy greens are “neutral” and can be eaten with anything. However, when I have a salad, I want a loaded salad, or else I’m snacking an hour later. Snacking is all good and fun, but the reason I’m doing it shouldn’t be because I’m dissatisfied with my meal. My salad on food combining was normally all greens, sprouts, olives, tomatoes, cucumber, and some rice. On any other occasion I would have thrown in chickpeas, steamed sweet potato, a veggie burger, quinoa – maybe not ALL of those things at the same time but you get the idea. Not only was I not full after my lunch, but I was becoming stressed about which foods were “combinable,” (I don’t think that’s a word) to the point where I was almost okay with being dissatisfied because hey, at least I wasn’t ruining my food combining. When I was vegan, I found beans to be a great source of protein, as well as being a filling element in my meal. Food combining left me scared to eat them, as they are known to produce gas (bloat), and hesitant as I wasn’t sure if beans were considered a protein which, as we know this far in the post, can’t be combined with a starch if I was planning on adding one.
Now we get to dinner. Another tip I found in my food combining travels, was that at least half of your plate should be vegetables. I will admit, this tip probably helped me as much as it hurt me (thus canceling itself out?) Today, I am much more aware to make a larger portion on my plate vegetables. However, that threw me for a loop initially because while food combining, my plate was more than half filled with vegetables, and … then what? Some rice. Or a veggie burger patty. It’s probably my own fault, but it didn’t get much more creative than that.
Not only was my creativity lacking, but my passion, my entire reason for wanting to share what I was eating, felt weird and restricted. It reached a point where I was no longer excited about preparing my food.
And that’s when I knew I needed to change something.
Since I quit worrying about whether or not my foods “combine” well together or not, I’ve been excited about food again, full of energy, AND I haven’t been bloated, which is one of the main high points that food combining tells you: that you won’t ever be bloated.
I want to say that bloating is normal and it happens to me, but also I’ve never really been someone who had it happen to her often. And here’s where the plot thickens. While still attempting food combining, I didn’t have much energy, and I will say … I think food combining did the opposite of what it told me it would do. Meaning while food combining, not only was I stressed about adhering to all of the rules (which hey, stress can contribute to digestive issues), I at a point was the most bloated I had ever been. I also didn’t successfully go to the bathroom (if you get my drift) for THREE days. Not to give you my life’s story or anything, but with the way I typically eat, or should I say ate before all of this, I usually hit up the bathroom for numero dos a minimum of four times a day. On food combining, I was lucky if I got two.
In conclusion: Do I hate food combining? Hate is a strong word – I think it might work for some people because that’s what they’re saying, but what I’m saying is that it didn’t work for me. Too many restrictions, too little enjoyment, too little bathroom trips. The line of my health and wellness journey, it isn’t linear. Every part of it is a bit of knowledge I now have. I now have the knowledge that some of the recipes I found along the way are great, and I now have the confirmation that only I can decide what I feel works best in my body for my body. I feel silly for trying to follow a method of eating just because someone else posted it and that it worked for their body; their body isn’t my body, and it isn’t yours. However, there are good things I take from the experience, like how some of the tea brands I discovered along the way I genuinely enjoy incorporating into my nighttime routine, and how giving myself a window to digest my food before going to sleep at night leaves me feeling better in the morning (but that’s probably just my hiatal hernia talking, who knows.) I like lemon water in the mornings, but I also like drinking a glass of wine without feeling like I just sabotaged my entire life. I know it isn’t that deep, but I’m here to tell you if you feel like it is, or like you’re failing because this isn’t working for you, you’re not the only one out there. Listen to yourself and your body, only you know what works for you.
Health with Hales 