By Irene Hayton

One of the important guidelines of the Eating Alive Program is to avoid consuming proteins and sweets (sugar-containing foods and beverages, including fruit) at the same meal. Proteins require hydrochloric acid (HCl) for digestion in the stomach. Carbohydrates can inhibit HCl production—the sweeter the carbohydrate, the greater the inhibition of HCl. Combining sweets and proteins therefore results in a slower rate of digestion, allowing yeast and bacteria more time to create toxins and can lead to gas, bloating, and other digestive complaints. HCl is also important for the absorption of some minerals, such as calcium and zinc.

What a lot of people don’t realize is that many commercial sauces such as marinades, barbeque sauces, teriyaki sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, etc. contain sugar in one form or another. You should avoid using these on your meats—chicken, beef, lamb and even fish—as well as on vegetables that you’ll be eating at a protein-containing meal.

Use herbs and garlic to season your foods instead or see this month’s recipe, Oven-Barbequed Chicken, for a homemade sugar-free barbeque sauce. It uses stevia to add a bit of sweetness; stevia doesn’t have the same negative effect on the digestive process as other sweeteners do.