even fish-eating vegetarians. The c
o
mmon factor a
m
ong them is that they do not eat the flesh
of warm- bl
o
oded animals.
Tip 84. What You Need to Know
A
b
out Combining Foods, Rule #1.
An important rule for fo
o
d combining is to avoid
mixing carbohydrates and acid frui
t
s
in the
s
ame meal.
The starch-splitting e
n
zyme ptyalin in the saliva
plays an important role
as the food
is chewed. It
converts the complex starch molecules into
simpler sugars.
Ptyalin requires a neutral or slightly alkali
n
e medium f
o
r proper fun
c
tioning and this is the
n
ormal condition of the saliva in the
mouth. However, when
acid foods
a
re taken, the action of p
t
yalin is halt
e
d. It is, therefore, necessary to
avoid acid f
r
uits in the
same meal
a
s
sweet frui
t
s
or starch
e
s
. Thus tomatoes should not be
eaten with starches es
p
ecially pota
t
oes or bre
a
d.
Refined su
g
ar products
are also acidic, both in
t
he mouth and in the blo
o
dstream. The
acidifying of
the saliva by sucrose is
one of the
main caus
e
s of tooth decay. It can also cause severe damage to the digestion.
In a nutshell, starches,
f
ats, green vegetables
a
nd sugars may be eaten together as
t
hey require eith
e
r an alkaline or neutral
medium for
t
heir digesti
o
n. Similarly, proteins, gr
e
en
vegetables and acid fruits may be
e
aten togeth
e
r as
they require an acid
or neutral medium for their diges
ti
on.
But starches and protei
n
s, fats and
p
roteins and
starches a
n
d acid frui
t
s should not
b
e eaten together as
a general rule, if the best
results are
r
equired fr
o
m the ingestion of the f
o
od eaten. This in brief
is the whole
basis for
s
u
ccessf
u
l
fo
o
d combination.
Tip 85. W
h
y
y
ou need fruit in
y
our
diet.
Fruit is the
u
niversal de
t
oxifier, principally beca
u
se of its
co
n
tent of potassium. It promotes the secretion of
hormones and helps the kidneys in
d
etoxification
of blood. P
o
tassium is important
as an alk
a
lizing agent in
keeping a p
r
oper acid-alkaline bal
an
c
e in the bl
o
od and tiss
u
es. It is essential for
muscle co
n
traction and
therefore, important for proper heart function.
P
otassium prevents female disorders by stimulating the e
n
docrine ho
r
mone production. It is i
n
volved in
the proper functioning
o
f the nervous system and helps overcome fatigue. It also ai
d
s
in clear thi
n
king by se
n
ding oxygen
to the brain
and assists in reducing
b
lood pressu
r
e.
Potassium is widely dis
t
ributed in f
o
ods. All vegetables, es
p
ecially gre
e
n, leafy ve
g
etables, grapes, or
a
nges, lemons, raisi
n
s, whole grains,
lentils,
sunflower seeds,
nuts, milk, cottage Cheese, and butter milk are rich so
u
rces. P
o
tat
o
es, especial
potato peelings, and b
a
nanas are especially good sources.
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