Effective Digestion Can Make You Have More Energy

Have you eaten a large meal then felt really really tired after eating it? Have you thought about why you feel tired? Why does your body all of a sudden seem to want to shut itself down and force you to sleep?

It's all to do with the foods we eat together.  But, there is a better way to eat our foods effectively, and this is called Food Combining.

What is Food Combining? In simple terms is is combining of different foods that are compatible with each other to aid the digestive process making it easier for our body to digest the food.  Food is only capable of nourishing the body when it is digested.  Most processed foods these days make it hard for our bodies to digest the food effectively and also the nutrient value in processed foods is very low in comparison to fresh vegetables and steamed protein such as fish or white meats. 

We all eat foods that when combined takes our bodies too long to digest, therefore we become lethargic, tired and sometimes have unpleasant symptoms.  By learning which foods are compatible with each other in digestive chemistry will help to enhance your nutrition and alleviate some of these uncomfortable symptoms. Eating the wrong foods together can take up alot of out energy to digest it,  it has been suggested that our body needs around 8 hours of working energy to digest a large meal eaten with foods not combined effectively, therefore making us feel sleepy and tired as the body uses up extra calories to try and breakdown the foods in the digestive process.   By selecting the right foods that work together to digest more efficiently  and therefore gives us more energy to do other activities.

It is important to realise how our body digests food.  There are three areas where food is passed, the mouth, the stomach and the small intestine.  These areas form part of the digestive tract.  There are different enzymes which break down different food types at different parts of the process.  Food is broken down in the mouth by chewing on it (mastication) this is mixed with saliva and depending on the type of food different enzymes are secreted to break down the food further to aid digestion. However, the enzymes do not work well when the wrong foods are combined. 

Think about it this way, protein is broken down by an enzyme called pepsin, and fat is broken down by an enzyme called lipase and starch by an enzyme called amalyse and so forth.  However, these enzymes can only work in various environments, i.e. only when that particular food is being broken down, so when the wrong foods are eaten together the enzymes do not work well, and sometimes stop working and therefore is not able to breakdown the foods digested.  

So in part 2 of my food combining post I will go into foods that are compatible and foods that are not compatible to give you an idea on effective combining.  Of course, like any other diet, you need to consult with your general practitioner before starting any new diet if you are on medication or have any medical ailments. Food combining is effective for managing your weight, and for effective weight loss if used properly. 

Colette Morris SAC Dipl. (Diet &Nutrition)   
Herbalife Shop - http://healthyweightloss.herbalcoach.com/

Colette Morris is a qualified Nutritionist and Herbalife Independent Distributor so if you want advice on your diet for weight loss, weight gain or sports nutrition, email LondonFitGirlsClub@gmail.com  or simply click on the tab here  to join our program.