-My friend Jennie on Food Combining
Oh, the cries…the pleas…the abject horror. Nothing gets people's panties all up in a twist more than talking about Food Combining. I'm not sure why.
Like I said in this post, food combining doesn't require you to change any of the foods that you normally eat…just the order in which you eat them. It is an efficient blueprint for eating that structures your meals in a way to ensure the optimal digestion of all the food that you consume. It is a best case scenario.
However…it is a best case scenario. It is understandable that if you are traveling or particularly busy or a new mom to twins (Jennie…) it may not always work out. Life happens. So, yes, if you have to grab a sandwich or two the world will continue to rotate on it's axis.
But let's not coddle ourselves. Most of us, most of the time can make room in our day, in our lives and in our minds to make one small change. Especially one that can yield such amazing dividends. Don't start with what is hard about it and write off the whole idea. Start with what is easy and deal with the challenges should they come up.
Food Combining FAQ's:
1. What about nuts and nut butters?
Hmmm...nuts are tricky (insert your own joke here). I suppose, strictly speaking, nuts should only be eaten with vegetables or on their own. Most days I have nuts on a salad or by themselves as my afternoon snack. That being said, I've never had a problem digesting nut butter sandwiches or using nut butter in smoothies. And even though technically it would be considered poor food combining to eat fruit with nuts or nut butters, I've been eating like this for over 10 years and have never found having an apple with some almond butter to be that big of an issue. When it comes to nuts, you are going to have to experiment with your own body (again...joke here).
2. Why do so many diet plans recommend eating protein and carbs together and then having fruit for dessert?
Because they want you to feel full. That way you will feel like the plan is working. For a short time this will work, because if food is sitting in your stomach not digesting...guess what?? You will feel full. But when your body does not digest it's food properly, it does not get the nutrients that it needs from the food. It will then it signal hunger because it thinks that you need to eat more food to bring in more nutrients. So even though you may get that initial brick-in-the-stomach "full" feeling from a poorly combined meal, you may find yourself "hungry" again in a very short time.
3. Why should I care about this? My body seems like it is working just fine the way it is.
I once watched a television show about a woman who casually ate Ajax for twenty years and she was still alive. TWENTY. YEARS. Your body can deal with a lot of shiznit. It is steely, high-tech, mythical engine that will, to the best of it's ability, manage anything that you throw at it. But it is your body. You. Get. One. Why not do everything you can to help it function at it's peak? Your body asks so little of you and gives so much in return. When you think about all the work that your body puts in 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year to keep you happy, healthy, dancing and laughing…eating fruit by itself seems like the least a person can do.
Oh, and dark chocolate combines perfectly with everything.
At least that's what I'm telling myself...
-♥ J :)
**Tomorrow: Sample Food Combining Menu.
