THE FOOD COMBINATION PLAN

(Food Combining)

Dr. Norman W Walker D.Sc.

Father of Juicing & of Colon Health,

Originator of the Food Combination Health Plan,
Profound Researcher of Etiology of Disease.

Making Sense Of It
With the growing number of ailments and diseases and the corresponding increase in the number
of pharmacies and hospitals, Dr. Walker decided to try and make sense out of these dilemmas.

Researched For 70 Years

Having experienced first-hand the failure of mainstream medicine as a way of enhancing and
maintaining vibrant health, Dr Walker began researching to understand the ‘Law of Nature’ as it
applied to the human mind and body.

Answers Came Quickly

Dr. Walker was able to observe the synergy between the plant kingdom and its corresponding
effect on the human body.
He concluded that ‘malnutrition and failure to cleanse the system’ were the root-cause of all
problems on the physical plain.

Food Combining
By understanding the digestive process, Dr. Walker realised that people were wrongly combining
meals. This was a root cause for many ailments and diseases afflicting humans.
Though Food Combining existed for centuries in one form or the other before his discovery,
it was Dr. Walker who gave the proper science of Food Combining and termed it as ‘The Food
Combination Plan’.

Why do we Food Combine?

Consciously or sub consciously we tend to Food Combine in one way or the other: 1) For taste &
texture (2) For good health (3) For suiting our moods (emotional state).

Let’s understand the main nutrients in our food, namely, Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats:

What are Carbohydrates?

Carbohydrates are chemical substances that consist of Natural Sugars also known as ‘natural
carbohydrates’ and Starches also referred to as ‘concentrated carbohydrates’.
Natural Sugars or carbohydrates, and are found in all raw fruits, vegetables, fresh and young
legumes, sprouts, honey, nuts and seeds in their natural raw state.
Starches or concentrated carbohydrates are found in all grains such as wheat, rice, millets etc. and
their flours and also in processed sugars made out of cane, beet corn etc.
All products made with grain flour, such as breads, cakes, crackers, spaghetti, noodles and the like,
are termed as starches or concentrated carbohydrates. Candies and foods made from sugar,
molasses, maple syrup, sorghum etc. are also starches. Some vegetables when cooked are also
high in starches or concentrated carbohydrates such as potatoes, yam, cassava, hard matured
squashes etc.

What are Proteins?

Proteins are the building blocks of the human body. They are similar to the bricks and cement
blocks which form the structure of a building.
Natural Proteins just as Natural Carbohydrates are present in all fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds
in their natural raw state.
Concentrated Proteins are found in all flesh foods like beef, lamb, chicken, fish etc. and also in
‘meat substitutes’ made to mimic flesh foods that are created from the protein of grains and
legumes such as soybeans, etc., Eggs, milk & cheese, are also ‘concentrated proteins’.

Natural & Concentrated Carbohydrates & Proteins

Dr Walker says, “My interpretation of natural foods is that food which is nourishing by virtue of
the presence of organic life in it.”
The difference between natural and the concentrated foods is that all vegetation in its natural raw
state, contains all the carbohydrate (in the form of natural sugars) and the proteins required by
the body in the form best suited for processing by the digestive system. These are present in
minute quantities but are adequate for the body needs, while water is present in a relatively
abundant volume. Concentrated carbohydrates and proteins on the other hand have a lesser
water content as compared to that contained in natural foods and require a greater amount of
effort to digest, thereby causing a greater burden of labor on the digestive organs.
Thus, raw foods that have been dehydrated are also concentrated and should be rehydrated
before being consumed.
Nearly all raw vegetables and fruit, have a water content from 50% to as high as 95% or more. The
carbohydrate and protein content ranges from a fraction of 1% to, in a few cases, to as high as
10% or more.

Let’s look at Fats

Fats can basically be classified as, saturated and unsaturated. Oils extracted from fruits,
vegetables, nuts and seeds are the unsaturated fats and are consequently low in cholesterol. Thin
oils, such as sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, rice bran oil, safflower oil, walnut oil and olive oil
are some of the principal ones. All animal fats contain cholesterol as they are composed mostly of
the saturated, heavier or thick fats such as cream, butter, ghee, lard, etc.
Unheated fats such as avocados, olives, nuts, seeds and cold pressed oils are the most beneficial
for the body. Foods fried in overheated fats can never be properly digested.

Your Stomach Is Well-Organized - Unless You Put the Wrong Food In It!
Raw vegetables and fruits can be combined in any desired manner as the elements composing
them are vital, organic and live elements. When foods are processed or cooked, however, the
elements composing them have become devitalized. This applies to all foods, without exception.
Thus, concentrated foods need to be combined properly in order to avoid our digestive system
from getting disorganized or upset.

PRINCIPLES OF FOOD COMBINING:

Concentrated Carbohydrates are alkaline substances that need alkaline digestive juices to properly
process them, even though they cause an acidic reaction in the body.
Concentrated Proteins, on the other hand are acid substances, that require acid digestive juices to
process them.

Detrimental Chemical Reactions:

When concentrated carbohydrates and proteins are eaten together, both alkaline as well as the
acid digestive juices are secreted. The carbohydrates cannot digest properly due to the presence
of the acid digestive juice and the protein cannot digest completely due to presence of the alkaline
digestive juice.
When acids mix with alkaline, the two chemicals tend to cancel each other out producing salt and
water, this is called neutralization.
The result of these incompatible conditions is the fermentation of the carbohydrates and the
putrefaction (rotting) of the proteins. It is inevitable, due to natural chemical laws, that such
incompatible combination will cause gas, not only in the stomach, but also in the intestines and
throughout the entire system.
Dr Walker says, “The outcome of this disruption is frequently the contributing factor in the vast
majority of aliments, sickness and disease. The end product of the indigestion of incompatible
combination of foods is fermentation and putrefaction, the basic elements of toxemia”.
Toxemia is a condition in the body that is just plain poisonous.
Dr Walker says, “We try to rigidly avoid eating concentrated sugar and starchy foods during the
same meal in which concentrated proteins are used.”

Ripe Fruits
Fruits should only be eaten when they are ripe, this is when the sugars have been formed
completely, otherwise they will have an acid reaction in the system. Ripe fruit, although
apparently acid to the taste, has an alkaline reaction in the body, if they are properly combined.
Green papaya is an exception to this rule and has a higher papain enzyme activity when green,
though the ripe papaya has its own benefits too.

Legumes
Dr Walker says, “Dried legumes lack essential organic water, and I have found them to be acid
forming because of the very low organic water content and the high percentage of concentrated
protein and carbohydrates present. We therefore do not use them. In this class I would include
dried lentils, peas, beans, corn, soybeans, peanuts, and their many products and by-products.
Human beings, while able to tolerate this combination for a while, do not have the same
"mechanics" that we find in the digestion of cattle, for which legumes are a natural food.

Meat Substitutes Are Insidiously Detrimental

An equally if not more harmful is eating meat substitutes. As one enjoys the flavor of the meat
substitute the mind alerts the body to provide for the acid protein-digestive juice. However, the
protein-digestive juices attack the concentrated carbohydrates present in a large percentage in the
meat substitutes made from grains, or soybeans and starches. The result is the indigestibility of
the food with repercussions of toxemia as the end product.
The Fall Outs
Ailments and diseases such as upset stomach, constipation, headaches, heart trouble,
malnutrition, fatigue, loss of vigor, ulcers, cancer, tumors, etc. can find their roots in wrong Food
Combining.

Some Examples of Compatible Food Combinations:

1) Fresh fruits with nuts, dry fruits, & cottage cheese. Carrot juice.
2) Omelet with fruits & cream. Orange juice.
3) Whole cooked grains or cereals. Banana and dates.
4) Vegetable salad with sprouts cum dressing: (honey, apple cider, minced garlic, olive oil & salt),
5) Stir-fried or steamed vegetables with salad.
6) Stir fried vegetables with chicken or fish & salad.
7) Whole bread with avocado, mash potatoes. Sliced banana topped with cream and honey.
8) Steamed corn with butter. Figs & raisins. Carrot & spinach juice.

Some Examples of Incompatible Food Combinations

1) Meat burgers with bread and French fries.
2) Chicken or fish or egg curry with rice.
3) Dal/lentil with bread, chapati or rice.
4) Coffee with sugar, cakes or biscuit.
5) Beef steak with potatoes and soft drinks.
6) Soups containing flour with meat stock or pieces.
7) Tomato cooked or raw with pasta, noodle or rice.

Approximate Time Taken To Digest Foods:

1) Juices properly made without pulp can be assimilated within 10 to 15 minutes.
2) Juices containing pulp will need much longer time to digest.
3) Solid foods take 3 to 5 hours to digest, starches take half the time of flesh proteins.
4) No sour foods should be eaten within 2 hours of eating starch foods, this will considerably
delay the digestion of food, which will ultimately not be digested properly.

When To Drink Water:

Water when drunk during a meal, dilutes both alkaline as well as acidic juices, causing indigestion
and bloating. More digestive juices will be required to digest the food and thus extra effort on the
part of the organs.
Water can be drunk upto 15 minutes before or 1 hour after a meal and any other time in between
meals, but not during meals. If one needs to drink during a meal, vegetable juices and coconut
water containing digestive enzymes are beneficial. One can also drink fruits juices with all raw
foods and also with cooked proteins, and vegetables, but never with starches.

The Empirical Truth:

How does one know that Food Combining really works? The answer is simple, give it a fair trial of
atleast one month, the answer will reveal itself experientially. Food Combining will work when
meals are healthy and well-balanced.
Discipline is the key word, cultivate good habits of eating, exercising and sleeping on time and
most importantly also do not delay going to the toilet.
Avoid stress and intoxicants, to allow the mind and body to rejuvenate.
Just as ailments take time to develop, so give nature a fair chance to undo some of the
accumulations of the past habits and eventually provide you a life with abundant energy.

Key Points:
1. All rawfoods combine with one another, except melons should be eaten alone.
2. Any of the four categories of foods mentioned above, when eaten by itself is compatible.
3. Legumes such as dry beans, peas, lentils & grains when sprouted are superior vegetables.
4. Dried legumes are incompatible foods by themselves and should be avoided.
5. Eat some raw vegetables in every meal containing starches.
6. Unheated fats are compatible with all foods except with melons.
7. In the beginning it is much better to eat starches with cooked vegetables than legumes, then
correct it later on.