In nature, wild animals don’t combine foods. You’re unlikely to see a bear catch a fish, then pick berries to go with it before eating. Animals generally eat one thing at a time – a ‘mono-diet’ – and there are substantial benefits to eating this way. Different types of foods – proteins, starches and sugars, for example – all digest in different ways. So when we combine different foods together, it can be challenging for digestion. Unfortunately, most of us learned to eat exactly this way – combining many different foods in one meal. It took time to learn to eat this way: people don’t tend to feed babies complex concoctions, rather simple blended fruits/veggies. It also takes time to unlearn eating this way, but the benefits are worth it. All you need to know are a few simple food-combining rules and you can improve digestion immediately.

What we consume either digests easily or ferments and food combinations strongly affect this outcome. This doesn’t mean you have to follow a strict ‘mono-diet’ (though many raw fooders certainly do choose this path). It just means paying a bit more attention to what you mix together: the simpler you keep things, the easier it is to digest. One term coined by raw foodists is ‘combo-abombos’ – i.e. abominable combinations resulting from budding raw foodists throwing everything into the blender at once. The more you avoid such combo-abombos and aim towards keeping things simple, all the better for your digestion.

Imagine the difference, for example, between digesting a mono-meal of five peaches OR a slice of raw peach and blueberry pie with a base of three kinds of nuts and honey, plus chocolate sauce. Get the idea?? The fruit mono-meal is easily recognized by the body and digested within about 30mins. The pie on the other hand is much more puzzle-like for your stomach. The fruits and honey are simple sugars, which mean they digest quickly. The heavy nuts are protein-rich, so they require substantial time in stomach acid to break down. These two food groups thus start to ‘compete’ for digestion. This confusing set of messages challenges the stomach. Sugars are our primary source of energy and therefore ‘shout the loudest’ to get priority for digestion. This means that the protein-rich nuts get hurried out of the stomach, along with those sugars, before they’re really ready, leaving them to putrefy in the intestines. Hmmm, perhaps that pie doesn’t sound so pleasant after all? Let’s not get too rigid here though. It doesn’t need to be about perfectionism. For those starting out raw especially, it can be much more a case of ‘anything goes’.

If you’re coming from a background of processed junk foods, just the fact that you start eating mostly or all-raw means your digestion and health will improve. There is more margin for ‘error’ in the beginning. As time goes on, your cells get cleaner and tighter and your body lets you know it would prefer simpler combinations. Then you can start refining things, as feels good to you. That’s really what it comes down to – do you feel good after you eat a certain combination? Nobody knows your body better than you and what feels just fine to you might feel like a horrible combination to someone else. We can certainly use books and ideologies for reference, to learn about general patterns people find useful, but more key is listening to our own bodies.

The Side Effects
So, what happens when foods are not ‘well-combined’? A very common side effect is feeling sluggish, tired and heavy. This is because complicated combinations require much energy to digest. There is little energy left for anything else. We may also feel mental fogginess, especially if we’ve eaten a lot of fat. Digestive issues may include gas, bloating, constipation, fermentation and candida overgrowth. You may also experience rashes, mucus, spots, weight gain / difficulty losing weight or any number of other symptoms, as gas and waste back up in your over-worked system.

Is there any relationship to why we feel so full and uncomfortable after eating Thanksgiving dinner?
A less-obvious side effect is that it’s much easier to overeat and to overeat things you later realize don’t agree with you, when eating ‘combo-abombos’. Many people eat quickly and this, along with the longer time taken to decipher messages in muddled combos, means that by the time the stomach’s worked out the puzzle, you’ve already finished a plate of something that doesn’t serve your health.

In looking at: Omega 6 oils (cottonseed, vegetable etc) and carbohydrates which makes extremely the worst combination!! This is an increase of breast cancer by 27%. Example: French fries. Add to this 1 daily serving of ground beef which increases the incidence by 44%, and you have Fries & burger for a total of 71% increased incidence for breast cancer.

The Benefits
One major benefit of good food combining is it helps conserve energy. Digestion of food takes a lot of energy. The simpler our combinations, the easier it is to assimilate and use this fuel efficiently. As a result, you’ll feel cleaner, lighter, alert and more energetic.

‘Good’ food combining will also help you lose excess weight, especially if you avoid complicated meals late at night. Ideal combining also helps you maintain an ideal weight. Your digestion and elimination become smooth and regular and your skin clear and fresh.

Simplifying your food can have knock-on benefits in other areas too, like using less electricity, having less washing-upand shorter food-prep times. Mono-mealing fruit for example usually involves picking up fruit and eating it, with maybe a bowl, knife and chopping board at most to wash. Compare that to making a raw pie, or more complicated yet, a greasy cooked meal.

When you mono-meal, the body can tell you precisely when you’ve had enough, as it will begin to taste different and even unpleasant. This is the body’s way of letting you know it’s had enough for now. This feedback’s a real advantage, as you can get exactly what you need, without going to excess.

Overall, eating ‘good’ food combinations can thus bring more energy, time and vitality to enjoy the things you love.

NO MORE PIE????
Does all this mean you’ll never eat raw cake again?? Not necessarily – it’s really up to you. How easy do you want to make things for your body; how much energy do you want going to digestion? The example with the peach pie above, for instance, illustrated the overall idea behind why someone might want to pay attention to food combining. You don’t HAVE to do anything, or be ‘perfect’: just do the best you can, while enjoying yourself. A less-than-optimal combination’s unlikely to leave you in hospital – this isn’t a critical matter – it’s more about tweaks that can take your health to the next level, whether you’re 40, 80 or 100% raw.

The Raw Advantage
The good news for raw foodists is that food combining boundaries can be a little more flexible than for traditional cooked food eaters. This is useful if you do desire to eat raw gourmet foods. The high enzyme content of raw / living foods helps digestion enormously, meaning you can afford to make more ‘mistakes’ (at least in the beginning). In moderation, you can often eat ‘less-than-optimal’ raw combinations and find you feel fine afterwards – eat complicated recipes to excess however and you’ll unlikely feel great. (Taking digestive enzymes at such times will help.) Many different theories exist about food combining and here we’ll examine only a basic, suggested outline. For optimal digestion, try not to eat raw nuts and seeds, avocadoes, etc (fats) with your fruits (sugars), or starchy vegetables with either. Green leafy / low starch vegetables combine fine with just about everything.

For additional information or personalized nutrition consultation call: Lemire Clinic 352-291-9459 or visit our website: www.lemireclinic.com

References:
Dr. Dan Murphy Nutrition Conference

http://www.rawfor30days.com/blog/?p=590

Vitamin-D Deficiency Now Associated With Increased Mortality

Whatever we thought we knew about Vitamin D supplementation, we need to rethink. Another study suggesting a link between low levels of vitamin D and cardiac risk has been published, this time showing that vitamin D deficiency is associated with both cardiovascular mortality and all-cause mortality. The study, published in the June 23, 2008 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, was conducted by a group led by Dr. Harald Dobnig (Medical University of Graz, Austria).

They note that it has been estimated that 50% to 60% of people do not have satisfactory vitamin D status, and this is probably related to factors such as urbanization, demographic shifts, decreased outdoor activity, air pollution and global dimming, along with decreases in the cutaneous production of vitamin D with age.

The minimum desirable serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D has been suggested to be 20 to 30 ng/mL, and levels lower than this are clearly related to compromised bone-mineral density, falls, and fractures and more recently have also been linked to cancer and immune dysfunction, as well as cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and metabolic syndrome.

The study’s conclusions are shockingly simple … higher vitamin D blood levels lead to less heart disease. They point out that recent studies have shown an association of low 25-hydroxyvitamin-D levels with important cardiovascular risk factors, supporting previous findings that demonstrated positive effects of vitamin D and its analogs on fibrinolysis, blood lipids, thrombogenicity, endothelial regeneration, and smooth-muscle-cell growth.

This study is of particular importance since functional medicine is personalized medicine that deals with primary prevention and underlying causes instead of symptoms for serious chronic disease. Functional medicine centers on examining the core clinical imbalances that underlie various disease conditions. This study may well represent one core clinical imbalance underlying a host of conditions.

A simple blood test can determine your Vitamin D level. If you believe you may be deficient, you should discuss it with your doctor.

Every day we hear of a new “magic” solution to the clamors of a way to look better, lose weight, eliminate wrinkles, etc.
Billions of dollars are spent in this search. Most often the results fall short of the expectations.

How many items have you purchase that promised one thing or another?

How many diets have you tried? Diets do not work…..Lifestyle changes do!

What are some of the basic principles for lifestyle changes?
1. Proper nutrition
2. Exercise
3. Sleep patterns
4. Stress management.
5. Detox

At this time we will focus on nutrition and the four principles of healthy eating.

Eat primitive.
Until about 150 yrs ago, humans were eating consistently, very simple. The main diet consisted of: roots and fruits, greens and beans, seeds and weeds plus some fish or wild game. The Industrial Revolution changed this with modern food processing. Refining, stripping food of nutrients, and adding man made fillers. The modern diet is quite different: meats and sweets, pies and fries, chips and dips, cakes and shakes.

Eat alkaline
Acid – alkaline balance is key to health. Studies are asking to consume about 80% alkaline (plant-based foods) and 20% acid (animal foods). Dr. William Howard Hay, physician who wrote at the turn of the century, How to Always Be Well
said, “Intracellular pH at about 7.3 and we strive. Anything less and the body is moving towards disease and death.” Dr. Robert Young, a microbiologist says: “Striking the optimum 80/20 balance can result in dramatic healthy weight loss, rebuilt stamina….and vibrant health.”

Alkaline (80%): usually fresh fruits and vegetables. The more they are cooked the more acid they become.
Acid (20%): proteins like meat, fish, milk, eggs and poultry, fats, grains, pasta & sugars.

What does the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.) look like in comparison?
Breakfast…cereal and milk, bagel cheese, coffee, bacon and eggs, IS ALL ACID!
Lunch: sandwich of meat or cheese, slice of pizza, hamburger on a bun, fried foods or drive through.
Dinner: meat and potatoes, spaghetti and meatballs, chicken and rice…….maybe a few string beans.
ALL ACID. Eating this way every day, every year……….Any wonder people are sick???

All the different diagnosis and diseases present in the population really come down to:
One Sickness: Over acidification of the body, due to diet and lifestyle choices.
One Health: Alkalanization. Humans are designed to be alkaline. Shift to alkaline, decrease inflammation in the blood and tissues.

• 75% of all cancer are diet related.
• Cancer is a symptom of a breakdown of body chemistry.
• 80% of all cancer cases are related to life-style.
• 70% of all cancer can be avoided. (National Cancer Institute)
• 20 million children are obese.
• 50% of children born in 2000 will have type 2 diabetes by age 30.
• 80% of US deaths are diet related.
• Up to 80% of coronary heart disease / up to 90% of type 2 diabetes could be avoided through changing lifestyle factors (World Health Organization 2007 Report)

Eat colorful
How? By eating loads of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Fruits and veg. get their color from CAROTENOIDS, these play 2 roles. (1). They boost the immune function. (2). Powerful antioxidants, to get rid of free radicals E.g.: one carotene is LYCOPENE found in red foods like tomatoes and beets. These pack a punch against prostate cancer. They also are rich in FIBER. (fiber, binds up and escorts out cancer-producing hormones and chemicals. Ideally should consume about 50 grams of fiber daily. Most are consuming less than 5gms.

Dr. Richard Dubois, MD Chief of Internal Medicine at Atlanta Med. Center and top authority on infectious diseases, after 4,500 studies says: “whole fruits and vegetables specifically prevent cancer.” Andrew Weil, MD, stated: “A diet high in fruits and vegetables are associated with a lower risk of 15 types of cancer. E.g.: colon, breast, cervix, and lung.”

Eat organic
Organic, means more than what is left out….
It means what is left in….
Especially minerals. In comparison one organic tomato contains 1,938 parts per million of iron vs. a conventional tomato which has 1part per million. According to what I have learned, and the many doctors I use as references, using these principles, will help you prevent cancer, heart disease, diabetes, and many other illnesses; they will help you maintain a healthy weight and feel vibrant and alive into your golden years.

For information, and guidance with lifestyle changes, contact our office:
Lemire Clinic 352-291-9459