BEAUTY RULE 1
The stomach secretes different kinds of juices when we eat different kinds of foods. Non-concentrated foods are much simpler for the body to digest than concentrated foods. We can handle most concentrated foods pretty well, but we can eat only one type at a time in order to maximize digestion. It is a huge Beauty Energy drain to ask our bodies to eat two different types of concentrated foods at one time. The two main types of concentrated foods that we will discuss first are starches and proteins, which leads us to the next Beauty Rule.
BEAUTY RULE 2: PROTEINS AND STARCHES DON’T MIX
As your read these words, perhaps some favourite or long-accepted food combinations pop into your head: bagels and cream cheese, turkey sandwiches, eggs with toast, sushi rolls, grilled fish and wild rice, filet mignon and potatoes au gratin, chicken pad thai. Yep, these are all improper food combinations.
To understand why protein and starches don’t pair well together, you have to understand how these concentrated foods digest.
PROTEIN: In the stomach a concentrated protein requires an acidic environment to be broken down, an environment that includes hydrochloric acid and enzyme called pepsin.
Now think back to high school chemistry class. What happens when an acid and an alkaline are put together? They neutralize each other. To use the words of Dr. Norman Walker, eating carbohydrates with protein at the same time results in a “serious chemical situation to contend with.”
Since the food is not breaking down naturally, what do our poor glands do next? Our stomach has to secrete more digestive juices to try to break down the food, but because there are still opposing digestive enzymes at work, they are neutralized again and again. The digestion of the carbohydrates is interfered with by the presence of the acidic digestive juices, and at the same time the proteins are prevented from digesting properly or completely in the presence of the alkaline digestive juices.
BEAUTY RULE 3: VEGETABLES ARE NEUTRAL
Vegetables are wonderful alkaline, non-concentrated foods. They are simple for our body to digest and are considered absolutely neutral. If you love roasted chicken or steamed tilapia fish, eat it along with some steamed vegetables and a raw green salad. If you are in the mood for a starchy dish, maybe some pasta salad or a baked yam, eat it with some vegetables.
BEAUTY RULE 4: MIXING TWO STARCHES IS OKAY
Even though starches are concentrated foods, they aren’t as complicated to digest as protein. While simple meals are always best, two different starches are okay to eat at once.
BEAUTY RULE 5: MIXING TWO DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANIMAL PROTEIN IS NOT OKAY
Proteins as a whole are the hardest food group to break down. Proteins are comprised of complex chains of amino acids, each with a very different character and chemical makeup. Our bodies must break down protein into amino acids in order to digest or assimilate them. Since the body has to concentrate so much energy on breaking down each protein, only one protein at a time should be consumed. Otherwise, the proteins will not fully and efficiently digest, and they will putrefy in the digestive tract.
Animal proteins are much more complex and difficult to break down than plant proteins, which include seeds, nuts and sea algae, and this means this rule is really only applicable to animal proteins. You can mix plant proteins without a problem, so, for example, having seeds and nuts together is fine. But surf and turf, eggs with ham, or an appetizer containing fish followed by a chicken main dish are all bad combinations. Two kinds of fish or two kinds of poultry eaten together at the same meal are all okay, but remember to keep meals as simple as possible to preserve Beauty Energy.
BEAUTY RULE 6: FATS SHOULD BE EATEN MODERATELY WITH PROTEIN (ANIMAL AND PLANT) BUT ARE OKAY TO EAT WITH CARBOHYDRATES
Fat mixes well with starches but has somewhat of an inhibiting effect on the digestion of protein. You can pair minimal amounts of fat with protein, but it is best not to eat a large amount of fat with any protein. Even if you are eating an all-raw meal, it is best not to mix a lot of nuts (protein) together with a whole avocado (fat)! This could prevent efficient weight loss. A plentiful supply of green vegetables can be used to counteract the interaction between a moderate amount of protein and raw fat. For instance, if you are having a piece of fish over a nice green salad, it is okay to have a little oil on the salad, but go easy on it and eat up a good portion of the alkaline greens first. But if weight loss is truly the goal, it would be best to skip the oil altogether and let the protein digest perfectly on its own!