Decrease Digestion Time

While eating our meals we are normally mixing different foods. E.g., first we take a forkful of tossed salad, then some cooked vegetables, then a mouthful of bread, followed by a bite of meat and then back to the salad. On top of this we drink some beverages, to flash it down more easily. Then we repeat this circle until we have cleaned up our plate.

But this process of mixing various foods causes a problem, because each type of food takes a different time to digest. The most concentrated foods, usually PROTEINS, take the longest time to digest. These proteins are the first type of food our stomach is working on and the digestion of proteins takes usually hours. Quick-digesting foods, such as fruits and vegetables, will remain undigested as long as our stomach is still working on the most concentrated foods (proteins). While waiting in the stomach, the fruits and vegetables undergo some decomposition and fermentation. While our stomach struggles to digest this mess, it produces gas, acid, and even alcohol. In this case complete digestion must wait until the food reaches the intestines, where additional enzymes are needed to break down the undigested foods, and minerals neutralize the acids.

The chart above shows the digestion times of common foods. As can be seen, fruits and vegetables are the foods that are digested in the shortest time. Mixing fruits and vegetables with meat, bread or cheese causes digestion problems, thus increases the amount of energy our body has to provide (see my post on "energy balance") to deal with the negative effects, such as indigestion, heartburn, gas, bloating and sour stomach. The additional energy needed for the digestion of mixed food causes our inability to concentrate for hours after eating, creates fatigue and the need for extra sleep/rest as well as the accumulation of toxins in our bloodstream and body.

My upcoming post will suggest a way on how to combine foods in order to reduce the amount of energy needed for digestion. The positive effects on proper food combining will be noticed immediately after the load on the digestive organs has been lessened. So, please stay on board.