- Consume dairy products, such as milk, on an empty stomach.
- Eat fruit only on an empty stomach.
- Don’t eat starches with acidic foods or proteins (so no eating peanut butter on toast).
- Don’t eat protein sources with fat sources (such as cooking eggs with oil or butter).
- Don’t eat diverse protein types together (no chili with beef and beans).
- Don’t eat fruits and veggies together.
- Sugars, such as desserts, candy, or other carbohydrate sources, should be eaten on their own.
Can I lose weight with this diet?
From the little research we have? Yes.
Is the weight loss outstanding? Not really.
During a study done between people practicing a balanced diet and food combining, both groups lost 13-17 pounds in 6 weeks. The balanced diet participants lost roughly 3 more pounds.
A 12-pound weight loss in 6 weeks is the target goal for most people trying to lose weight. But since there were no significant weight loss differences between the two groups, it seems like practicing food combining has no special effect.
Is this diet sustainable??
It’s simple to follow some food combining charts out there and eat snacks according to recommendations. But you’ll have to figure out if this pattern is enjoyable for you.
Choosing to practice this diet may mean giving up some meals, such as peanut butter on toast or a blended fruit smoothie with almond milk. You will have to be creative with how your meals and trying to follow this dietary pattern long term may be hard because you may get bored with the food combinations.
So, what can I do?
Once you break down this diet, you will see that it is a fad for a few reasons:
- Our bodies are built to break down all macronutrients and food groups effectively (assuming you are in good health).
- The rules are hard to follow because some food items, like meat, fish, and legumes, contain a mix of protein and fat. So rule #4 is not valid.
There are some healthy food combos, such as iron (in meat) with Vitamin C (in citrus fruits) or carotenoids (in carrots) with Vitamin D (in red peppers), that assist with nutrient absorption.
Overall, it would be best for you to cook healthy meals based on your personal tastes and the ingredients instead of following a strict rulebook.
