We often heard our parents says,
"Ah boy..don't eat so much durian with alcohol...""Gal a...dont eat mentos with coke...."
Why do they say so?...there's must be a theory lies behind....
the
FOOD COMBINING RULES !!.... but sadly they are rarely practised and often being misunderstood...
According to Dr. Virginia Vetrano, he says, " When foods are eaten in imcompatible mixtures, the efficiency of digestive enzymes will be reduced and the food will tend to decompose in digestive tract by bacteria. The products of fermentation and putrefaction will cause toxic effect when absorbed by intestine". Subsequently, our body need to work harder to eliminate these toxic material ((Dr. Bernarr, N.D). Sounds quite terrible right?
Out of all the myths, have you ever heard of the food combination of
SWEET POTATO AND PERSIMMON ?
Here's are some of the myths heard....
1. You will get terribly ill if you take persimmon and sweet potato together.
2. You will get vitamin A toxicity if persimmon and sweet potato are consumed together.
One of the food combining rules is that do not combine sweet fruits with complex carbs!
why?
why??
why???
why????
Sweet potato is considered as the starchy food while persimmon is categorized as sweet fruits. This combination of foods may result in increase in stomach acid which eventually leads to gastric hemorrhage or gastric ulcer (Shanghai Daily, 24th February 2009).
Our mouth will be filled saliva but with the absence of pytalin when sweet fruits (sugar) are taken into mouth. This is beacause sugar practicaly does not undergo digestion in our mouth and stomach. Thus, when sweet potato (starch) is disguised with persimmon, our taste buds are deceived and cause impaired carbohydrate digestion of starch (Dr. Darrell L. Wolfe, N.D)
Eventually, when this combination of foods reach stomach, sweet potato will tend to delay the stomach digestion as it is rich in fibers. As a result, persimmon (sugar) also gets held in stomach for a longer time and tends to promote fermentation process in stomach (Dr Andrew L. Rubman, 1st October 2007).
During this fermentation process, bacteria will turn the food into alcohol and acetic acid which further increase the stomach acidity, which eventually increase your risk of getting gastric ulcer!..Furthermore, the products from fermentation process can be toxic to cells and tissues when absorbed by intestinal villi. Eventually, our body need to WORK HARD to eliminate these toxic out...(Dr. Bernarr, N.D).
For the second myth, there's no doubt that excess amount of vitamin A will lead to toxicity. However, vitamin A found in swet potato and persimmon are in form of beta-carotene, which posses no harm to our body even in slightly large amounts...because they are not converted efficiently enough in the body to cause vitamin A toxicity. Excess beta-carotene will only
TURN YOUR SKIN INTO YELLOWISH COLOUR!!
In fact...beta-carotene promotes good antioxidant properties..
However, when we see these foods s e p e r a t e l y, they indeed benefits our body a lot ...
Sweet Potato
High in vitamin A and vitamin C - promote antioxidant properties
High in vitamin B6 - lower your risk of heart disease
Good source of manganese - cofactor for enzymes in various metabolisme process
Good source of potassium - maintain nerve function and blood pressure
(Sweet potatoes, N.D)
Persimmon
High in fibers and protein but low in fats and calories
Rich in antioxidant compounds like vitamin A, lutein, lycopene - Fight with free radicals
Rich in phyto-nutrients flavonoidpoly-phenolic compound like catechins, shibuol, betulinic acid - some posses antioxidant, anti-inflammatary or anti-hemorrhagic properties (Persimmon fruit nutrition facts, 2009)
** TIPS **
Opt for fresh fruit for a sweet treat..but wait at least an hour after meal or half hour before meal....
Prepared by Foong Jia Huan (1000615214)
References :
Dr Andrew L. Rubman, 1st October 2007. The Power of Enzymes for Better Digestion. Available from : http://www.preretirementlife.com/articles/The Power of Enzymes for Better Digestion. Available from : http://www.preretirementlife.com/articles/ThePower-of-Enzymes-For-Better-Digestion-252.cfm [ Accessed on 21 June 2009] Dr. Bernarr, N.D. Food Combining. Available from : http://www.healself.org/foodcomb.html [ Accessed on 21 June 2009] Dr. Darrell L. Wolfe, N.D. Food Combining. Available from : http://doctormillerstea.com/Food_Combining.html [ Accessed on 21 June 2009] Persimmon fruit nutrition facts, 2009. Available from:
http://www.nutrition-and-you.com/persimmon-fruit.html [Accessed on 20 June 2009] Shanghai Daily, 24th February 2009. When Mixing Your Foods Can Be Dangerous. Available from : http://www.china.org.cn/health/2009-02/24/content_17327097.htm [ Accessed on 21 June 2009] Sweet potatoes, N.D. Available online from: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=64 [Accessed on 23 June 2009]
