Smart Weight Loss Choices: Inside Food Combining

SMART WEIGHT LOSS CHOICES: INSIDE FOOD COMBINING

Flavor burst pesto-crushed salmon

Many people are familiar with the concept of food combining and the way it can accelerate your weight loss process. For those of you who are not, here is your chance to learn a bit more.

Mostly, people don’t really think what they put in their mouth. I don’t. I am a mother of 3 small children, and usually I just take whatever is available and eat that. Life is busy – I am sure most of you can relate to that! The truth of the matter is that your stomach prefers a certain order when it comes to proper digestion. Have you ever felt bloated or tired after a big meal? That is the consequences of bad food combining.

When the food you eat is properly combined, the fat is able to burn away properly; so you are not left with undigested food particles lurking throughout the body. The main thing to remember is that there are different food groups. Some food groups digest well together, other don’t want to see each other in the stomach (it is almost like living next to a neighbour that you can’t get along with).

Basics of food combining

Know your different food groups

Group 1: Proteins (produce acid juices for their digestion and digest slowly)

Cheese
Eggs
Nuts
Fish
Game/rabbit
Meat
Milk
Poultry
Shellfish
Soybeans, tofu and all soy products
Yoghurt

Group 2: Carbohydrates (produce alkaline juices for their digestion and digest quickly)

Grains, including oats, pasta, rice, rye, maize, millet
Grain produce, biscuits, bread, cake, crackers and pastry
Honey
Maple syrup
Potatoes and starchy vegetables
Sugar and sweets

Group 3: Vegetables (these can be digested with either Group 1 or Group 2.

Salads, non-starchy vegetables, roots, seeds, herbs, spices, nut and seed oils. These can be digested with either Group 1 or Group 2 above.

Group 4: Fruit (uses completely different enzymes than all other foods and digest fastest)

A few handy food combining rules

Don’t eat Group 1 (proteins) and Group 2 (carbohydrates) together at the same meal.
Group 3 (vegetables) can be eaten with Group 1 and Group 2
Group 4 (fruits) must always be eaten on its own, at least 30 minutes away from other food groups. It’s best to eat fruit on an empty stomach, preferably in the morning with no other food types.
Mixing fruit with other food groups results in bloating and indigestion.
Leave 2 hours after a carbohydrate meal before eating protein.
Leave 3 hours after a protein meal before eating carbohydrates.
Protein takes 4 hours to reach the bowel, and carbohydrate meals take 2 hours from mouth to bowel.

Reap the benefits of proper food combining

Properly combined foods allow the body to efficiently burn fat. It can be one of the most effective ways to shed those pounds.
When food is combined properly it ensures the maximum absorption of nutrients, enzymes and proteins.
Another good reason to take food-combining seriously is that as soon as starches and proteins are eaten at the same meal, the meal becomes acid-forming.
Dr Hay, the food-combining guru, suggest that it is a good idea to only eat food when you can feel your stomach is empty and you feel hungry, this way you’ll get much more nourishment out of the foods that are eaten.