Can Your Body Really “Handle” Mixed Foods?

A Reflection on Digestion, Stress, and the Stories We Inherit About Health

A message came through recently from our friend Valentina.

She shared her appreciation for a thoughtfully crafted smoothie recipe and then offered a sincere question:

“I usually try not to mix vegetables and fruit in smoothies because they digest in different places. Fruit in the small intestine and vegetables in the stomach. If we mix bananas, berries, and potato, will everything be digested and will we still get the nutrients?”

It is a beautiful question.

Not because it is right or wrong.
Because it reflects curiosity.
Because it reflects care.
Because it reflects someone trying to listen to their body and make sense of the endless noise around health.

And that noise is loud.

Everywhere you turn, someone is confident.
Certain.
Convicted.
Sure they have “the answer.”

Which is interesting in itself.

Because if health were that simple, we would not be having these conversations.

Where This Idea Usually Comes From

The perspective Valentina mentioned often comes from a philosophy called food combining.

The idea is simple:

Certain foods should not be eaten together because they digest differently.
If you combine them “wrong,” digestion suffers.
If you combine them “right,” health improves.

Now, from a scientific standpoint, there is no strong evidence supporting strict food combining rules.

None.

And yet.

Many people report feeling better when they follow them.

Less bloating.
Less discomfort.
Better bowel movements.
Clearer skin.
More energy.

That matters.

Symptoms improving always matters.

So I want to be clear.

This is not about shaming anyone.
It is not about dismissing lived experience.
It is not about proving anyone wrong.

It is about asking a deeper question:

Why does this work for some people?

When “Rules” Feel Necessary, Something Else Is Usually Speaking

Here is the part most people miss.

If food combining feels necessary for you,
if mixing foods causes discomfort,
if your digestion only works when you follow strict rules,

that is usually a sign of underlying digestive dysfunction.

Not failure.
Not weakness.
Not something to judge.

Information.

Your body is communicating.

Many digestive issues do not show up as “digestive problems.”

They show up as:

Skin conditions
Autoimmune symptoms
Joint pain
Brain fog
Fatigue
Thyroid issues
Anxiety
Inflammation
Hormonal disruption
Mood instability

The gut rarely shouts first.
It whispers through other systems.

Like a car running on the wrong fuel.
The problem shows up everywhere.

From an Ancestral Lens

If we zoom out historically, something becomes clear.

Humans were not designed for rigid eating systems.

We were nomadic.
We were adaptive.
We were opportunistic.

We ate what was available.
Often mixed.
Often unpredictable.

Our digestive systems evolved to handle complexity.

So when the system struggles with complexity, it usually means something has shifted.

Something is dysregulated.

How Digestion Actually Works

Let us walk through this gently.

Digestion does not begin in the stomach.

It begins in the mind.

With perception.
With anticipation.
With safety.
With stress.

Then the eyes.
Then the smell.
Then saliva.

Enzymes begin in the mouth.
Amylase starts breaking down carbohydrates before food even reaches the stomach.

Chewing matters.
Presence matters.
State matters.

Then food enters the stomach.

Hydrochloric acid is released.
Proteins are denatured.
Pathogens are neutralized.
Signals are sent to the pancreas.

When acidity reaches the right level, pancreatic enzymes are released.

Those enzymes further break down fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.

All of it becomes chyme.
A partially digested mixture.

That chyme moves into the small intestine where absorption occurs.

Different sections absorb different nutrients.

Vitamins.
Minerals.
Amino acids.
Fatty acids.

Then material enters the colon.

Fibers feed microbes.
Fermentation occurs.
Short chain fatty acids are produced.
Inflammation is regulated.
Gut lining integrity is maintained.

It is a symphony.

Not a single instrument.

What Disrupts This Symphony

Here is where things get interesting.

Hydrochloric acid production is influenced by:

Age
Nutrient status
Zinc levels
B vitamin levels
Protein intake
Medication use
Antacids
Chronic stress
Sleep quality
Circadian rhythm
Emotional load
Trauma history

Yes.

Trauma history.

Chronic stress reduces acid production.
Low acid reduces enzyme release.
Low enzymes reduce breakdown.
Poor breakdown leads to fermentation and putrefaction.

Which can lead to:

GERD
SIBO
IBS
Dysbiosis
Inflammation
Immune activation
HPA axis dysregulation

And the spiral continues.

So many people “work on digestion” without addressing stress, perception, nervous system state, or emotional load.

That is like polishing the hood of a car with no engine.

The Myth Beneath the Myth

Food combining is not the real issue.

The deeper myth is this:

“I need to eat perfectly in order to be healthy.”

No.

You need a resilient system.

A regulated nervous system.
A nourished body.
A safe internal environment.

When your system is supported, you can digest complexity.

When it is overwhelmed, it needs rules to survive.

Rules are often compensations.

Not solutions.

Blood Sugar, Sleep, and Perception

Digestion is influenced by far more than food.

Blood sugar instability reduces digestive efficiency.
Poor sleep disrupts hormone signaling.
Circadian misalignment alters enzyme rhythms.
Chronic vigilance drains parasympathetic tone.

And perception ties it all together.

How safe you feel in your life
How threatened you feel emotionally
How much pressure you carry
How much self judgment you live with

All of this shapes digestion.

Your gut listens to your story.

“But I Eat Great Food”

Many people eat incredible food.

Organic.
Local.
Seasonal.
Thoughtful.

And still feel unwell.

Because eating well is not the same as absorbing well.

If you cannot break it down, you cannot benefit from it.

Nutrients unabsorbed are potential, not medicine.

So What About the Smoothie?

Back to Valentina’s original question.

Yes.

Fruits, vegetables, starches, and proteins are all broken down in the stomach and small intestine.

There is no physiological barrier preventing mixed foods from being digested.

If your system is functioning well, you will absorb nutrients from all of them together.

If it is not functioning well, mixing may cause symptoms.

Not because mixing is wrong.

Because your system is asking for support.

What This Points Toward

If food combining feels helpful, let it be a clue.

Not a rule.

A clue that your system wants attention.

Support.

Rest.

Regulation.

Healing.

Not restriction.

This is why working with me 1:1 starts from the top down

It begins with perception.
With stress.
With nervous system regulation.
With emotional safety.
With rhythm.
With meaning.

We work from brain to heart to gut.

Not gut alone.

Because the gut is downstream.

Always.

The Bigger Picture

Digestion is shaped by:

Sleep
Water
Breathing
Movement
Thought patterns
Relationships
Self trust
Emotional processing
Trauma storage
Circadian rhythms
Nutrition quality
Microbiome balance

You are not a stomach with legs.

You are an ecosystem.

A Closing Reflection

If this felt confusing, good.

Confusion often means old frameworks are loosening.

If you feel curious, even better.

Curiosity is the doorway to self regulation.

You are not broken.
You are not failing.
You do not need to eat perfectly.

You need to live coherently.

Aligned with your biology.
Aligned with your nervous system.
Aligned with your truth.

When that happens, digestion follows.

Always.

Grateful for these conversations, and excited for what is unfolding next.

More soon.

Peace.