Sugar and fat causing indigestion?

andyville · Post by **andyville** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 07:11

Hey,

According to many raw vegetarians and natural hygienists, you should never combine fat and sugar in the same meal, because this combination might cause indigestion. Those of you who take your orange juice with olive oil - have you ever experienced this? I guess since this is what is recommended in the Wai diet, those of you who have been on it for a long time are doing fine...

Could you give us an explanation of how this works, RRM? The sugar and fat combining versus indigestion?

Post by **Oscar** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 10:27

I have no indigestion problems with sugar/fat combinations at all. What arguments are the raw guys giving for this?

andyville · Post by **andyville** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 14:40

Ummm... I just remember that one of Herbert Shelton's most fundamental rools in food combining is to never consume fat and sugar in the same meal. I'm not too high on these things, but I think it was something about the time it takes to digest these different substances... kind of?

andyville · Post by **andyville** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 14:41

rool = rule... ummm... yeah

Post by **Oscar** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 16:10

andyville wrote:...but I think it was something about the time it takes to digest these different substances... kind of?

So?

johndela1 · Post by **johndela1** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 19:05

Oscar wrote:
andyville wrote:...but I think it was something about the time it takes to digest these different substances... kind of?
So?

Most people who practice food combinning would answer you buy saying that the sugar is held up too long and causes fermentation and/or putrification. At least that is what I have read in 'Fit for Life'

avo · Post by **avo** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 19:36

I have had my share of questions about this (on several threads so far, still unsure) but I think juice and oil are probably absorbed easily. It is things like sugary fruits and fatty fruits (banana and avocado, for example) that would raise doubts, as they both require digestion (at least moreso than oil or juice). I'll be experimenting later with having fruit alone (without any fats) for each meal, because I have quite a bit of new pimples ever since I started fruit and fats together. I'll keep the board informed of my results and conclusions.

Post by **Oscar** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 22:12

johndela1 wrote:Most people who practice food combinning would answer you buy saying that the sugar is held up too long and causes fermentation and/or putrification. At least that is what I have read in 'Fit for Life'

I guess that if your digestive system isn't working as it should, then maybe. But normally sugars are digested very quickly. I'm pretty sure we can all agree on that...

So far I haven't read any reasonable arguments which would indicate that the sugar/fat combo causes indigestion.

avo · Post by **avo** » Thu 08 Jun 2006 22:25

I think you are misinterpreting what is said. It is the fat that causes the sugars to not be digested. Supposedly, all things in the stomach are moved out at the same time, when everything has digested. Now, if one items takes much longer to digest, it will cause everything else to sit and wait for complete digestion of said item. Is this true? Can the body selectively allow digested food items into intestines, even while other, more difficult to digest items are broken down in the stomach? Or is everything needed to be digested at the same time?

Post by **Oscar** » Fri 09 Jun 2006 00:41

Digestion is a process of several steps, ranging from the mouth until the large intestine. Most of the digestive process takes place in the small intestine. Food is broken down into the basic molecules which are then absorbed through the intestine wall. Bile fluid and other enzymes will do their work, and as only the molecules can pass the intestine wall, nothing has to wait on something else.

Now, I'm not exactly sure what the situation is with cooked food, because it might well disturb the digestive system. The above process is the natural one, as far as I know.

johndela1 · Post by **johndela1** » Fri 09 Jun 2006 01:26

I found a few quotes from some food combinning sights:

"sugar greatly inhibit the secretion of gastric juice and markedly delay digestion and if consumed in large quantities can depress the stomach activity"

" If sugar is taken into the mouth it quickly fills with saliva but no ptyalin is present which we know is essential for starch digestion."

I don't have any idea if these are true.

Oscan,
Do you think sugar stays in your stomach longer when it is mixed with other food? If so, could it start fermenting and produce gas?

avalon · Post by **avalon** » Fri 09 Jun 2006 01:52

avo:

I'll be experimenting later with having fruit alone (without any fats) for each meal, because I have quite a bit of new pimples ever since I started fruit and fats together.

Wai has never implied nor written as far as I know, not to experiment. So as everyone is individual, please try your feelings out and see. If you are getting new pimples since starting the combination- trust your feelings and see what happens when you go fruit alone. No one here can give you an absolute answer.

I think you are misinterpreting what is said. It is the fat that causes the sugars to not be digested

Do you mean, 'to not be digested as quickly?'

Even though there are those who say don't do oil and juice say, simultaneously, and I'm not saying any truths from my naive perspective- but whether we should or not combine, the oil is to delay the sugar from hitting the body immediately as so to stem blood sugar spikes and maintain a constant that wouldn't be there otherwise.

Should you, shouldn't you combine oil and fruits/juice together? It sounds like you think you shouldn't...and I nor Oscar nor RRM etc. can tell you what to do.

I will say trust yourself. You are fortunate to have the time to experiment. If you don't you will never know.

I am about to experiment with either adding magnesium supplements(least choice) or, eating foods higher in magnesium to try and help me with depression. Here I am googling calcium intake regarding bone density and learn magnesium may help depression among other things. It has been recommended to me to take 'pills' yet I truly wish to help myself through nutrition...DOHHH! So I will be searching for the purist, cleanest way to get more magnesium into my system- my guess is through food...

Avo, we are all learning here. Some didn't know that white blood cells increase when ingesting 'cooked' food and that e coli is a topical danger- that when meat is ground, it then becomes an internal meat danger, so you have to trek as best you can with what you've learned.

Raw Fish Rules!
Avalon

p.s. I'd like to build a perpetual motion machine, but I hear it can't be done...yet

Post by **Oscar** » Fri 09 Jun 2006 11:40

johndela1 wrote:"sugar greatly inhibit the secretion of gastric juice and markedly delay digestion and if consumed in large quantities can depress the stomach activity"

I don't know if sugars inhibit the secretion of gastric juice or not. But what happens in the stomach? Only proteins are digested mainly in the stomach (pepsin). Carbs and fats (which need bile (secreted in the small intestine) to be digested) are mainly digested in the small intestine.
So if you want to avoid sugar fermentation (if it would happen like this at all), don't combine sugars with protein.

johndela1 wrote:"If sugar is taken into the mouth it quickly fills with saliva but no ptyalin is present which we know is essential for starch digestion."

Ptyalin (or saliva amylase) is present in the saliva. Amylase is also present in the small intestine (from the pancreas). So this quote isn't true.

Experimenting is good though, since we're all different. In the end, if you can trust your body completely to tell you what and when, that is the only guide you need.
However, in my opinion, this is only possible on the 100% Wai diet.

Wintran · Post by **Wintran** » Fri 09 Jun 2006 13:58

From my personal experiences I feel that suger and fat is an important combination to be able to regulate blood sugar levels. If I ingest easily digested sugars such as honey, I notice a quick increase in blood sugar. If I'm not careful this can raise my blood sugars to uncomfortable levels. However, if this happens and I quickly eat an avocado, I feel so much calmer and better within just a minute.

avo · Post by **avo** » Fri 09 Jun 2006 15:02

How do you know when blood sugar is high? I mean, what are the signs, what do you feel?

You say you feel this with honey, what about just whole fruit? If you feel this with whole fruits in their natural state, then it is obviously a natural reaction, not something to be avoided. If you don't feel this with whole fruits, then you should eat whole fruits instead of honey.