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Tips and Tricks To Get Back into Shape – Food Combining Part 1
Tips and Tricks To Get Back into Shape ? Food Combining Part 1
Hey you lovely,
A few weeks ago I started the so-called ?Healthy Living Series? in which I?ve been laying the basis essential for your transformation to a healthier lifestyle. In a couple of my previous posts I?ve mentioned that for quite some time I?ve been following the ?Food Combining? principle.
Actually, it?s been more than a year since I gave it a go and today I couldn?t be happier with my decision and the results I?ve achieved. In contrast to the fashionable diets, which come and go, when you start ?combining? you don?t have to exclude any types of food from your diet. As long as you learn how to combine them properly you can indulge in your favourite ricotta cheese, baked potatoes, and a tasty slice of pizza.
I remember when I first stumbled upon this strange thing called ?food combining?. When I was still working at an office, a colleague of mine shared with me her ?secret? to get back into shape after giving birth to her two lovely children. I was indeed rather confused initially when she was explaining it to me and I had to go through a lot of literature to really get my head around it. However, the information given in most journals and articles is complicated for no good reason, which is why those who come across it simply disregard it and go back to the easiest solution for staying fit: reducing their calorie intake and skipping meals.
However, once you actually comprehend the basis of the principle you?ll notice how easy it actually is to lead this particular lifestyle, enjoy your meals, and simultaneously cease worrying about whether you?ll gain weight again.
And now you probably wonder ?Why does food combining matter? Should I really try??
Well, I?ll share with you both the scientific answer to this questions as well as my personal one…
Dieting Mistakes
The thing is ? many diets revolve around the idea that in order to lose weight you should be eating less and exercising more without paying much attention to the way you combine the food in your stomach. However, what happens in your digestive tract is of crucial importance for obtaining long-term health and for being able to lose weight in the healthiest possible way.
What happens if you don’t digest the food properly?
Well, when the food stays in your body more than it’s necessary it putrefies and the blood absorbs its poisons. How does this sound to you? I don?t think you need much explanation and justification for why this is quite harmful for you and your ‘body’. However, through properly combining what you eat you can actually facilitate the digestion process, speeding it up, and providing your body with the nutrients it needs faster than ever.
Carbs?
I can hardly ever forget how A., back in University, was always planning to reduce her carbs intake. Yes, carbs are girl?s BIGGEST FEAR. I?m not saying that you have to indulge in pasta and potatoes all day long, however, when combining you food properly, you don?t have to continuously deprive your body from carbs. You just have to be careful what you’re having them with.
My experience with Food Combining?
Since I started combining my foods, I’ve stopped skipping meals.
I?ve started eating more (quantity wise) and more often.
Main food groups:
1. Vegetables (non-starchy): to name a few: asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, spinach, zucchini, etc.
2. Starchy Vegetables (carbs): sweet and white potatoes, winter squash, peas, and corn, etc.
I never feel bloated, my skin has improved (for those of you who don’t know I have very dry skin), and there are hardly any sings from the cellulite I used to have on my thighs.
I have more energy when I do sport, I?ve lost the weight I?ve gained while I was at Uni, where I was
I have more energy when I do sport, I?ve lost the weight I?ve gained while I was at Uni, where I was
often indulging in processed food? Yes, I used to think that low-fat crackers were healthy, and that low-fat ice-cream was the way forward. I’m so happy to announce that now that’s in the past and that I’ve finally found the right path for being happy and content with myself while leading healthy lifestyle.
Today, I?ll tell you a bit more about the different food groups, which is the primary step towards grasping what ?food combining? actually means. Rather than giving you the scientific information that is available online, I?ll describe the principle in the way I’ve been practicing it, as I believe this will make it easier for you to understand it too.
Main food groups:
1. Vegetables (non-starchy): to name a few: asparagus, broccoli, brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, leeks, lettuce, onions, peppers, spinach, zucchini, etc.
2. Starchy Vegetables (carbs): sweet and white potatoes, winter squash, peas, and corn, etc.
(Of course you can always look up online if you are unsure whether a particular vegetable falls within this group.)
3. Meat and fish (protein): pork, chicken, beef, salmon, tuna, eggs, etc.
4. Fruits: avocado, tomatos, berries, melons, grape, etc.
5. Dairy Products (protein): cheese, milk, butter, cream, etc.
6. Grains (depending on the grain - carb or protein): oats, rice, quinoa, barley, etc.
3. Meat and fish (protein): pork, chicken, beef, salmon, tuna, eggs, etc.
4. Fruits: avocado, tomatos, berries, melons, grape, etc.
5. Dairy Products (protein): cheese, milk, butter, cream, etc.
6. Grains (depending on the grain - carb or protein): oats, rice, quinoa, barley, etc.
The first group vegetables combines well with all the other groups except with fruits.
So, in order to combine your food properly you should avoid eating Carbs and Protein together and instead combine them with non-starchy vegetables. Yes, unfortunately, the tasty mac and cheese will no longer be the healthiest option for you, nor will be the famous Bolognese pasta. As I’ll be talking in detail about all the different groups in the upcoming posts from the series, today I’d like to focus on one particular group ?Fruits?. In Part 2 that is coming up next week I?ll be giving you tips and tricks for how to combine your ?savoury? meals so please don?t worry if you still feel very puzzled.
FRUITS
Fruits are indeed essential for the proper functioning of the body and for providing it with vitamins and fibres. However, even when I enjoy the taste of my favourite fruit salads I always make sure to combine the fruits in such a way so as to ensure that they won’t ferment in my stomach.
So the first easy-to-follow tips are:
1. Have fruits at least an hour before having a meal;
So, rather than mixing and matching all fruits I get from the market, when I prepare a smoothie or a fruit salad I add together fruits only from a single sub-group. So I?d have apples and pears together, but I wouldn?t have strawberry and banana at the same time. The only thing I sometimes add to the fruits I have is greek yoghurt and honey. However, as not each fruit tastes well combined with yoghurt, I tend to do this combination only with berries, bananas, mangoes, peaches, and cherries (of course not at the same time).
1. Have fruits at least an hour before having a meal;
2. Have your freshly squeezed fruit juice at least 30 minutes prior to having a meal;
3. Similarly to the way you will be combining the different food groups, you should try to combine fruits only taken out of one of the following sub-groups.
Fruit sub-groups:
Berries - blackberries, blueberries, cranberries, currants, raspberries, strawberries;
Citrus ? grapefruits, kumquats, lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines; ·
Exotics - figs, guava , mangosteens, persimmons, pomegranates;
Grapes ? red flame grapes, Thompson seedless grapes;
Melons - melons, watermelons;
Pomes ? apples, pears, quince;
Stone fruits ? apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums;
Tropicals ? bananas, dates, kiwis, mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, pineapple.
source
Citrus ? grapefruits, kumquats, lemons, limes, oranges, tangerines; ·
Exotics - figs, guava , mangosteens, persimmons, pomegranates;
Grapes ? red flame grapes, Thompson seedless grapes;
Melons - melons, watermelons;
Pomes ? apples, pears, quince;
Stone fruits ? apricots, cherries, peaches, nectarines, plums;
Tropicals ? bananas, dates, kiwis, mangoes, papayas, passion fruit, pineapple.
source
So, rather than mixing and matching all fruits I get from the market, when I prepare a smoothie or a fruit salad I add together fruits only from a single sub-group. So I?d have apples and pears together, but I wouldn?t have strawberry and banana at the same time. The only thing I sometimes add to the fruits I have is greek yoghurt and honey. However, as not each fruit tastes well combined with yoghurt, I tend to do this combination only with berries, bananas, mangoes, peaches, and cherries (of course not at the same time).
Also, If you’ve noticed, earlier in the post I’ve mentioned that tomatoes and avocados are fruits. For this reason, I try to eat them only with lettuce and cucumbers and never add cheese in the salads I have with them.
Of course, beware that you don’t have to go to any extremes when you’re combining your food. If you manage to grasp the main ideas then it gets really easy to decide with which food combinations you can make exceptions and with which you shouldn’t. Also, as every body is different, after you start off combining, you’ll also start finding out what works best for you.
That’s for now and stay tuned for Part 2 of the post which is coming up next weeks.
P.S. Ten days are left until the end of LTA’s 500 Followers Jo Malone Giveaway here. So lovely, make sure to participate and win a scented Jo Malone Candle ‘Sweet Almond & Macaroon’. Good Luck!
Love,
A.
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