12 Steps to Whole Foods

Introduction
But you can rest assured that, in the case of green smoothies, the combination of greens and fruit is very valid
and will not cause digestive distress. That’s because greens are not precisely vegetables; they belong in their
own class. They are not starchy and are extremely low in sugar, and they are perfectly appropriate blended with
fruits.
For the most part, I don’t buy into food-combining theories for several reasons.
First of all, common sense suggests that we were not meant to make rocket science of exactly what foods to
eat, in combination with which others, and when. Eating is supposed to be varied, natural and, above all,
simple.
Second, I have never seen any real science behind food-combining theories with complicated diets built on
those claims. It has become big business and those advocating for heightened awareness of how to eat are
finding financial success, and some adherents claim to feel better. However, that success and improved health
may be far more related to these new “experts” advocating against eating processed food than any code of
combinations.
Third, food-combining “rules” make people fearful or even paranoid and damage our ability to truly enjoy
what we eat, especially in social settings.
Fourth, food-combining “no-no’s” resolve themselves anyway when you eat a plant-based diet. Plants digest
within a few hours, at most, so even if you buy into the idea that you should eat only foods that digest in the
same length of time, a vegetarian diet generally does not cause problems in a lot of combinations and variety.
That said, in the modern age, many of us have degenerative gut issues. Celiac disease and other milder gluten
intolerances, Crohn’s Disease, Irritable Bowel Syndrome, colitis, and many other gastrointestinal disorders
have reached epidemic proportions, and untold numbers are as yet undiagnosed. I believe that due to three
generations of a processed-food diet, as well as a meteoric surge in genetically modified foods, we will
continue to see astronomical numbers of new diagnoses of food allergies and sensitivities as well as diseases of
the GI tract. Candida overgrowth affects at least one in three Americans and it gives rise to many of our health
complaints. (The candida yeast feeds on sugars.) I believe these maladies will continue to escalate until we
radically change our growing and eating practices.
If you are in the beginning stages of trying to ascertain why you have digestive problems, a few simple
experiments may be in order. The first two are related to simple, common-sense food combining.
First, I believe it may make sense to eat fruits only on an empty stomach, well in advance of a meal or a few
hours after it. Fruits take 20 to 45 minutes to digest.
Second, if there are two classes of foods I think do not go together, it is animal proteins (which take a long time
to digest) and fruits (which take a very short time to digest).
Third, anyone with digestive problems should make a strong effort to eat probiotic-rich foods, such as kefir or
yogurt, and homemade raw sauerkraut. And I advise doing Step 8 (page 223) of this 12 Steps program sooner
rather than later! Make a daily habit of consuming foods with live cultures to repopulate your stomach,
intestines, and colon with the friendly flora that are your best defense against invading viruses and bacteria,
yeasts, fungus, molds, and parasites.
20 12 Steps to Whole Foods
© Copyright Robyn Openshaw