There’s the vegan diet, paleo, keto, raw foods- to name a few. There are countless diets out there, one for every body type, weight goal, and health journey. Every diet works differently for different people, as everyone has different goals and mindsets. What is essential, though, is fueling your body with healthy and nutritious foods and not being too restrictive on what you eat.
A diet I recently came across is food combining. After dabbling with being vegan, paleo, and just about everything under the sun, I decided to give food combining a try. I’ve only been doing it for a few days, but I have to say I’ve been feeling great!
Now, what is food combining, you ask?
Food combining aids with digestion and seriously helps with reducing bloating. The concept of food combining is relatively simple once you get the hang of it. Starches and proteins do not combine, and fruit must be eaten on an empty stomach. The diet then gets a bit more specific, in that different starches do mix, but different proteins do not. Vegetables are a neutral food so that they can be paired with protein, other vegetables, or carbohydrates. Confused? Don’t be! It’s quite simple when you look into it.
It’s as easy as this: Start your day with fruit whether that’s fruit plain, fruit with unsweetened coconut yogurt, or fruit in a smoothie. The fruit is digested in 30 minutes, so it’s suggested to eat another breakfast after that, to sustain yourself until lunch. For every meal, choose either starch or protein and pair it with a vegetable. It’s as simple as that! If you have chicken for lunch, have it over a big salad. If you choose quinoa, have it with a bunch of sautéed vegetables.
This idea behind this is because our bodies have many enzymes that process each food differently. We process protein in a different period than starches, and so forth. When you pair starches with protein, our bodies have a hard time digesting it, thus leading to bloating. However, when you combine foods separately with vegetables, your body digests the food with ease. This means you are left feeling energized after each meal, instead of the sluggish feeling many people face.
The food combining diet has got popular in recent months as people, especially those with digestive issues, are realizing the impact it can have. If you often face bloat or are just curious about the food combining diet, give it a try! You might find out you have digestive issues you never even knew about. Happy eating!
