An Apple A Day
Many people suffer from digestive problems and spend a lot of money on various forms of relief to varying effect. Personally I don’t believe in “IBS” (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) It wasn’t around when I was a kid. I think IBS refers to a number of digestive problems - from bad diet, to bad food combining, to parasites.
In this post I will begin addressing the issue of combining food. It is not that complicated, but I have decided to write about it in a few different installments so that readers can assimilate a little at a time. I truly believe that more people would make fundamental changes in their diets, lives, worlds, if they didn’t think they had to do it all at once. It is so easy to become overwhelmed these days.
So start with FRUIT!
Fruit digests much more quickly than other foods. The manner in which fruit digests is inhibiting to proteins and starches. Also the fact that it digests quickly means, my dears, that it starts to putrify while it is waiting for the heavier foods to get their digestion over with. One important specification: Melon - eat it alone or else leave it alone.
The best way to eat fruits are 30 minutes (or closer to an hour if you eat a lot) before a meal, or three hours after a meal. Some people like to have fruit for breakfast. In the world of yin and yang, fruit is considered very yin, or cooling. For many people it is too cooling for morning, except perhaps in summer.
There are exceptions to this, but it all gets confusing and there is disagreement about them. I think it is better to start here and keep it simple.
If you are hankering for more info on food combining right away, go to: http://www.thewolfeclinic.com/foodcombining.html Otherwise, see you next time!
Posted in Dietary Tips, Food Cures |
By Adam on Feb 12, 2008 | Reply
So basically what you are saying is ‘IBS’ is BS ?
By Pennie on Feb 15, 2008 | Reply
Stefanie,
This is good to know, I usually eat melon alone, but eat many other fruits right after or before a meal. I’ve picked up several tips just from visiting your blog for the first time-it is wonderful and very helpful! Thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge.
Take Care,
Pennie
By Stefanie on Feb 17, 2008 | Reply
Thank you, Pennie. Knowing that I have assisted someone like you makes it all worth while.
By Angela Pan on Feb 18, 2008 | Reply
I like apple.
Usually two apples a day
By Geoffrey on Apr 22, 2008 | Reply
Being a person with ulcerative colitis, I think that whole foods are very beneficial: They purge the digestive tract of wastes and toxins–I believe such toxins may be a cause of digestive-related ailments.
The author is right about fruits: They seem almost to digest themselves in the body and very quickly. I would venture to say that when a person notices how they feel when their body digests fruits (and other foods), then they can determine when it’s “OK” to eat other kinds of foods and meals–the person begins to “listen” to his/her body….
I’ve found that grapefruit helps calm my appetite for sweets–I consider it a key fruit and very good roughage. Apples are high in fiber and may be mixed with differing kinds of foods, with digestive impunity, while most other fruits can’t.
Fruits do have sugars, but the sugars are “trapped” by fiber, so the sugars are released more slowly upon digestion than with junk foods and simple starchy carbs.
People who start on a heavy whole food diet often are perturbed by diarrhea and perhaps gas: Thus, they may give up on such a change–mistakenly, they assume something is wrong. What they don’t realize is that this is a most important mechanism for the body to rid itself of toxins–it’s likely, instead, to be totally natural and normal. After some time, the body should stabilize and normal bowel function will likely resume.