Don't eat proteins and carbs in the same meal?

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Replies

  • JodieHut
    JodieHut Posts: 705 Member
    Food Combining is NOT a diet.... it's a healthy way to eat. Your body uses different chemicals to digest different kinds of food, so when you combine the wrong things.... digestion can take longer because you have chemicals fighting each other. I work with a girl who has been eating like this for years. It doesnt make her skinny, but she doesnt have digestion problems. There are many books on food combining in the library if anyone would care to learn about it, instead of bashing someone for trying it. I think its a great way to eat, but I cant eat like that all the time. There IS one thing I learned and do implement in my eating..... fruit doesnt combine with any other food and should be eaten on an empty stomach. Think about it.... if you eat a normal dinner, then follow it with a fruit cup.... the fruit will start to rot in your stomach before it gets digested because the meal is trying to be digested and take much longer.

    Again.... food combining is not a diet, but it's definitely better for your digestion.
  • permaulj
    permaulj Posts: 2
    Exactly! If it's working for you, then more power to you. If it's psychological then use it to your advantage. Hey babe, whatever works for you.....good luck on your journey!
  • icezorn
    icezorn Posts: 2
    I did not know that. I am going to try this. I did hear that you should not eat fruits by themselves but rather add some nuts or cheese with it. any thought?
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member


    Well then you would put it in success stories and tell us what worked for you.

    That's not what you did.

    You posted a question in the Food and Nutrition forum. And people have attempted to correct your misconceptions.

    I said "IF I was successful I would post it to the success stories"

    So here's a thought: follow an eating plan that makes some sense. What do you think of that one?
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    I did not know that. I am going to try this. I did hear that you should not eat fruits by themselves but rather add some nuts or cheese with it. any thought?

    Nonsense.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    you have chemicals fighting each other.

    No.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
    you have chemicals fighting each other.

    No.

    :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
  • NakedLunchTime
    NakedLunchTime Posts: 559
    Food Combining is NOT a diet.... it's a healthy way to eat. Your body uses different chemicals to digest different kinds of food, so when you combine the wrong things.... digestion can take longer because you have chemicals fighting each other. I work with a girl who has been eating like this for years. It doesnt make her skinny, but she doesnt have digestion problems. There are many books on food combining in the library if anyone would care to learn about it, instead of bashing someone for trying it. I think its a great way to eat, but I cant eat like that all the time. There IS one thing I learned and do implement in my eating..... fruit doesnt combine with any other food and should be eaten on an empty stomach. Think about it.... if you eat a normal dinner, then follow it with a fruit cup.... the fruit will start to rot in your stomach before it gets digested because the meal is trying to be digested and take much longer.

    Again.... food combining is not a diet, but it's definitely better for your digestion.

    Good Job..
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    I did not know that. I am going to try this. I did hear that you should not eat fruits by themselves but rather add some nuts or cheese with it. any thought?

    i've actually read the exact opposite.

    the reason people say that is to counter the high amount of sugar by combining it with protein/fat - but fruit sugar is already attached to fiber, so it doesn't need the extra stuff to lower its GI effect (if you even feel that matters - also up for debate)
  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member


    Well then you would put it in success stories and tell us what worked for you.

    That's not what you did.

    You posted a question in the Food and Nutrition forum. And people have attempted to correct your misconceptions.

    I said "IF I was successful I would post it to the success stories"

    no, you tried to make it sound like this was a magic diet that was oh-so-successfull because you lost .2 lbs overnight.

    i smell a troll.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    if you eat a normal dinner, then follow it with a fruit cup.... the fruit will start to rot in your stomach before it gets digested

    This is kind of amazing.
  • CoachReddy
    CoachReddy Posts: 3,949 Member
    if you eat a normal dinner, then follow it with a fruit cup.... the fruit will start to rot in your stomach before it gets digested

    This is kind of amazing.

    apparently stomachs don't produce hydrochloric acid to break down food...
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    Isn't milk a source of protein?
  • StheK
    StheK Posts: 443 Member
    Where do people come up with this stuff? And why, oh why, do they feel the need to work this hard at something that is really pretty simple?
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    My sister did that diet once many years ago, or at least it sounds like the diet she did. She lost weight. Then she went off the diet and gained it back. So, I'd say there is nothing wrong with it if it helps you stay on track and you feel like it's something you can do forever. You could certainly get proper nutrition on it. But if you don't think you can stick with it forever, you might want to find something else.

    One question: Wouldn't cereal with regular milk be a no-no since milk contains protein and cereal is mostly carbs? You might want to consider almond milk since it has very little protein.
  • SoDamnHungry
    SoDamnHungry Posts: 6,998 Member
    What the hell is a "neutral food"? Doesn't everything have some level of one of the three major macros: carbs, protein, and/or fat?

    Swiss Cheese?

    You win.
  • WEB3
    WEB3 Posts: 121 Member
    1) I am replying because I want to help.

    2) This diet is 100% nonsense. Calorie and nutrient intake does matter. How you combine them on a per meal basis does not.

    3) I am telling you that it is nonsense because you are placing a restriction on your eating habits and this restriction is not doing anything to help you achieve your goal. If I told you you HAD to wear red shoes and sit on a bag of potatoes every time you eat, and you also have to eat at a caloric deficit, you would lose weight. But you would lose weight because of the caloric deficit, not because of the red shoes or the bag of potatoes.

    It is for this reason that I believe it is important to write this post.

    Best of luck to you.


    ^^^BEST advice right THERE^^^
  • tonyoconnor129
    tonyoconnor129 Posts: 46 Member
    Many years ago I read a book called "Fit for Life" that proposed that you do not combine
    proteins and starches in the same meal. The theory was put forth that animal based protein
    takes one form of stomach acid to digest, while starches take another. combining the two at a single meal
    is what led to feeling tired after eating. It also proposed that I not eat any fruit with any meal, but keep them separate as well. It made sense and I tried it. The book had plenty of starch neutral foods that I could eat at the same time as I ate animal based protein or starches. I lost weight, but I had also upped my exercise and dropped the size of my portions.

    Looking at the myriad of diet fads that I have tried, it seems the key that is common to them all is this.
    "East less, exercise more."
    If you are feeling satisfied eating this way, and you are seeing results, then by all means continue to eat this way.
  • seena511
    seena511 Posts: 685 Member
    My sister did that diet once many years ago, or at least it sounds like the diet she did. She lost weight. Then she went off the diet and gained it back. So, I'd say there is nothing wrong with it if it helps you stay on track and you feel like it's something you can do forever. You could certainly get proper nutrition on it. But if you don't think you can stick with it forever, you might want to find something else.

    One question: Wouldn't cereal with regular milk be a no-no since milk contains protein and cereal is mostly carbs? You might want to consider almond milk since it has very little protein.

    no, apparently it's a "neutral" food, whatever that is.
  • icezorn
    icezorn Posts: 2
    Thanks, I am learning a lot from you guys.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    if you eat a normal dinner, then follow it with a fruit cup.... the fruit will start to rot in your stomach before it gets digested



    Headdesk_zps187f2c4b.gif

    ETA to fix quotes
  • daybehavior
    daybehavior Posts: 1,319 Member
    Not sure if trolling or genuinely hard-headed. If the former, stellar job. GO psuedo-science. The forums would be a ghost town without you. Seriously WTF is a "neutral" food?
  • jfrankic
    jfrankic Posts: 747 Member
    And most of all, I KNOW my body and if I eat over 1800 calories a day... I gain weight. I have had my thyroid checked, it is fine. Not every body is the same regardless of what others think. I have a very slow metabolism but I am trying to boost it by doing strength training not just cardio, which I do also.

    OP, did you have testing done to determine BMR or RMR? If you are obese, doing cardio and strength training, it is very likely that your TDEE is much higher, so you could eat more and have success losing fat. Do you know your numbers? BMR, TDEE, BF%? Curious how you know for sure 1800 is your maintenance? Feel free to PM ke if you want.

    Also, I recommend reading IPOARM: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12 . This may help you understand macros, BMR, TDEE and the such.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    Isn't milk a source of protein?

    And fat.. and carbs...
  • kcrxgirl
    kcrxgirl Posts: 114 Member
    I've actually heard to do the opposite. Since protein takes longer to digest, mixing it with your carbs also slows the digestion of carbs and prevents spikes in blood sugar & helps keep you full longer.

    I'm not a dietician so I do not know how accurate that is.
  • magerum
    magerum Posts: 12,589 Member
    Isn't milk a source of protein?

    And fat.. and carbs...

    Primarily fat...
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    If I am successful with this way of eating and it helps me to lose the weight, I will post a success story. I am not considering this to be a diet, I am considering it to be a change of the way I eat. If anyone looked at the chart that I posted the link for then you would know that the carbs not to mix with protein are the starches and sugars.

    I asked earlier, but it probably got lost in the rest of the comments. :)

    Do you have citations for your claim that one should not mix protein and carbs, and that doing so causes digestion and absorption to take longer when one does?

    I'd really like to see the science behind this. I think linking peer reviewed data would do a lot to clarify what others are saying, and what you are saying with regards to this diet. :)
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
    51257d19b3465a3946ce9ac4e0c989ce_zpsee892027.jpg

    :laugh:
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
    OP - every story has two sides, and a quick google found a few reasons to ensure that eating carbs and protein together makes a lot of sense - well once you understand a bit about insulin and weight loss - actually a lot more sense than the separation diet

    http://www.theloveconsultants.com/index.php/blog/article/lose_weight_by_combining_protein_and_carbs_at_every_meal/Christine Bybee

    "As with most successful couples it’s all about the chemistry. Here’s why a protein/carb combo is a match made in heaven: Your blood sugar is stable when insulin and glucagon (two hormones courtesy of your pancreas) are balanced. Think of “insulin” and “glucagon” as the yin and yang of stable blood sugar. Your pancreas churns out both of these hormones in response to the kinds of foods you eat.

    So, eating carbs causes the production of insulin. Eating protein causes the production of glucagon. Simply put, insulin enables your body to store glucose for energy later; whereas glucagon helps your body tap into those stores when necessary.

    In addition, pairing protein with carbs helps the glucose from the carbs move more slowly through the bloodstream. Think about it: If your car is the only car on the highway, you’ll zip by. If you have to compete with traffic, you’ll move more slowly toward your destination.

    The same goes for glucose working its way through your blood stream. Eating protein along with carbs fills the blood stream with traffic that slows down the glucose. And the slower glucose moves through the bloodstream, the better. If it moves through too quickly, your blood sugar levels will dip and you’ll be tormented by sugar cravings and find yourself in a slump."

    http://healthyfood-ridho.blogspot.co.nz/2011/12/fact-or-fiction-dont-eat-protein-and.html

    In the end of the day each of us here make our own choices on what believe works for us - but - that does not mean every one else is magically going to agree with you - as you just saw - and rightly so - the combined "we" feel a strong responsibility to all the newer and less MFP savvy folks to make sure that one persons "snake oil" does not become gospel...

    Just think of it - the Hay Diet" has apparently been around since 1930 - if it was so groundbreaking why on earth are there still obese people around - wow - if it was as easy as " food separation" governments would save billions of dollars - just make a law that restaurants can't serve cooked meat and potatoes in the same meal .....

    Good luck on your quest for the healthy you - do what works for you :-)
  • Elleinnz
    Elleinnz Posts: 1,661 Member
    My sister did that diet once many years ago, or at least it sounds like the diet she did. She lost weight. Then she went off the diet and gained it back. So, I'd say there is nothing wrong with it if it helps you stay on track and you feel like it's something you can do forever. You could certainly get proper nutrition on it. But if you don't think you can stick with it forever, you might want to find something else.

    One question: Wouldn't cereal with regular milk be a no-no since milk contains protein and cereal is mostly carbs? You might want to consider almond milk since it has very little protein.

    no, apparently it's a "neutral" food, whatever that is.

    Interesting thing - according to the chart OP linked to it is not actually a "neutral" - bit confused - but it might just be because I am blonde......
    http://www.colonhealthinfo.com/diet/separation_diet.htm

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