Oy! She's given me such a headache!

I was reading a book by Marilu Henner, who touts the benefits of food combining.

The (oversimplified) premise of food combining is that you shouldn’t eat certain foods together because they require a different type of environment in the stomach to digest – i.e., acid or alkaline – and if you combine an acidic food with an alkaline food, they neutralize each other, which leads to less nutrient absorption and poor digestion.

We know this is true because, as Marilu says, “It’s scientific”. She actually said that. In a published book. That was the entire sentence: “It’s scientific." Hah!

So because it’s so scientific and all and it doesn’t seem like too much trouble to separate my carbs from my proteins, I thought I might give it a try for a week or two and see what happens. But then I read further…

I’m sure that, like anything else, it gets easier to follow as you go along, but mon Dieux! this seems like a lot of work just to get my digestive system in order.

Here are the highlights (of course they are explained thoroughly and scientifically in the book):

• Do not eat proteins and starches together


• Only eat fruits with other fruits


• Never eat melon with any other food, including other fruits


• Do NOT mix acid and/or sub-acid fruits with sweet fruits at the same meal


• Eat only four to six different fruits or vegetables at one meal


• Fats and oils should be used in limited amounts because they will slow down digestion

And, finally, wait the following length of time between meals that don’t combine:

• 2 hours after eating fruit


• 3 hours after eating starches


• 4 hours after eating proteins

As if counting the calories and apportioning them to the proper combination of protein, fats and carbs wasn’t tiresome enough! I’d have to carry around a laptop just to eat!

I really admire Marilu Henner. Really, I do. And my admiration of her has grown since reading the lengths she goes to just to get a meal on the table every day. But honestly, this is just. too. much. And please, Marilu; I will starve right to death if I have to wait that long between meals.

But still, I think I will at least give separating proteins and starches a try just to see if I notice a difference. If that goes okay, then I’ll start working on my sub-acid fruits.

P.S. This depiction of food combining just made me laugh: