Introducing the Four Food Eaters
There are four basic kinds of food eaters, and most Americans fit into one of these categories:
Traditional Eaters--about 37%. They consume almost anything, even junk food.
Weight Conscious Eaters--28% of all eaters fall into this category. Folks in this group chow down on low calorie foods lots of raw vegetables and artificially sweetened sodas.
Health Conscious Eaters--19% of American eaters are focused on healthy foods, such as whole grains, legumes, fruits and vegetables.
Uncommitted Eaters--those people who really don't give much thought to what they eat. They amount to 16% of the population.
And, there are a few people from all of these groups who really may be "unclassified" eaters. In other words, their eating habits depend upon factors such as where they are when they get hungry, what time of day it is, or even what's around.
A hundred or more years ago, you were probably healthy if you were an "Uncommitted Eater," because back then, before preservatives, chemicals and artificial ingredients, most foods were healthy. But today, "you are what you eat", so it's important to think about what you eat, how much you consume, even when and why you eat.
Pavlov's Four Food Groups are Easy to Digest
The Russian physiologist Pavlov is best known for his conditioning experiments using dogs. However, Pavlov also did some very important research centered around digestive stress and our ability to properly process the foods we eat.
Through his experiments performed almost a century ago, he demonstrated the importance of the relationships between enzymes in the stomach, small intestine and pancreas as well as the various carriers required for the absorption of nutrients. In terms of digestibility, he found that there are four basic food groups, differentiated by the way each is digested and absorbed. If foods from different groups are improperly combined with one another, there is inefficient digestion (indigestion), as well as a lack of proper absorption (malabsorption) of the nutrients in the foods.
Pavlov's four food groups are quite different from the ones we hear about today. His are based on digestibility and absorption potential. They include:
Concentrated Proteins-poultry, beef, fish, cheese,
Concentrated Carbohydrates-grains, potatoes, fruits, sweets, etc.
Milk-and only milk, not cheese, yogurt or butter
Fats-butter, egg yolks, oils, etc.
Pavlov discovered that the four main groups are digested at such different rates that combining them creates a high level of digestive stress, and lowers the rate of nutrient absorption. He found that the most stressful combination on the digestive system was protein and carbohydrate in concentrated form. In other words, meat and potatoes (or a cheese sandwich, fish and chips, eggs and toast, etc.) don't go well together. You should also wait an hour or two before eating dessert after a protein meal.
Pavlov also found that milk doesn't mix well with anything-not even chocolate chip cookies. (Maybe that's why milk is the most common cause of food allergies.) Generally, the healthier you are the more likely you are to tolerate the digestive stress which results from certain food combinations. But if you're under stress, separating the major food groups may help control the common digestive difficulty associated with stress.
Why the Food Pyramid Won't Work
First we had the four food groups. (Well, there were actually five. They tried to avoid talk about fat, sugar and alcohol so no one would consume it.) Now there is some pyramid scheme that tells everyone how to eat. Sure seems simple. The fact is, some people will benefit by this new idea, others will not be affected and unfortunately, some may be harmed by the same recommendations.
We often read in one magazine of the benefits of a certain food nutrients while another warns of its harm. This confusion is seen in the print media and on radio and TV often. I'd like to end that confusion right now: they are all correct. And, they are all wrong!
But wait, isn't this adding yet more confusion to the confusion? But of course not! If this were a riddle it would be as old as history and the solution as obvious as the day and night. The answer follows.
Everyone knows that fingerprints are unique to each person. Essentially, we are all unique in many other ways too, including different nutritional, dietary, exercise and other needs. Some of these requirements vary greatly from one to another and others may seem similar. Some have referred to this as "biochemical individuality."
And when it come to symptoms, many appear similar, such as a headache, rash or pain, they are merely the end result of a sometimes long complex series of events, a domino effect if you will, with the end result being that symptom. And it's not uncommon to find someone with headaches, for example, responding to a certain treatment which when applied to another person with identical headaches making them worse.
One final note. Not only is everyone uniquely different, but in many cases, there may be more than one way to correct any given health problem.