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Do you ever find yourself feeling gassy or bloated after your usual everyday meals? Ever wondered why it happens? Whether it is eggs and toast for breakfast or a tuna sandwich for lunch, the problem is in the food combination. Many of our traditional meals are a recipe for unhealthy combinations.
If you are looking to eat healthier and shed some extra pounds at the same time, you have probably been told to reduce your portion size and include some exercise in your daily routine. However, this is not all that is needed. You also need to be mindful of how much the combination of food you are eating is digested together once it reaches your stomach.
What is the food combination diet?
The food combination is a term that explains how certain foods pair well together, while others don’t. Our digestion requires energy, and if you consume the wrong combination of meals together, our metabolism can be adversely affected. Consequently, a portion of food gets left in the stomach, which remains unconsumed. It becomes a cause for weight gain and even diseases such as obesity.
This diet suggests eating the right combination of food. We can ensure your metabolism will be able to process it quickly and extract the required nutrients — this way, our body won’t store any excess that results in weight gain.
Here are some of the principles of the food combination diet and how it can help expedite your progress towards your ideal weight:
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Keep proteins and starches separate
Proteins such as eggs, chicken, meat or fish need an acidic environment for digestion, and a digestive enzyme called pepsin. On the other hand, starches such as rice, pasta, bread, potatoes, peas, and corn need an alkaline environment, and the enzyme ptyalin to digest. As a result, when we eat the two together in many of our typical meals such as steak with potatoes or eggs and toast, the stomach produces both acid and alkaline at the same time.
When the two solutions are at work in the stomach together, they neutralize each other, slowing down digestion. Since the body now has to work harder to digest, the two different food groups together (i.e., by producing different enzymes), more effort is required for digestion, causing us to feel ‘slower’ and low on energy.
So what should you pair your proteins with? Non-starchy, leafy green vegetables or those with high water content. They use their enzymes to digest, which does not interfere with the acidic environment required by protein. Some good vegetable options to pair with proteins include broccoli, bell peppers, green beans, kale, and cauliflower.
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Eat starches together
Since starches require an alkaline environment to digest, it is best to eat them together. Brown rice can be paired with stir-fried vegetables or the vegetables cooked together in a soup, served with some bread on the side.
Lentils and beans also fall under the starch category and can be nicely paired with rice or other vegetables for a healthy meal.
Additionally, you can use non-starchy vegetables with your starches because these use their enzymes to digest and go well with all other food groups. So, pasta with a tomato sauce or baked potatoes with a healthy salad of romaine lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers are all healthy meal options.
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Eat fruits on their own on an empty stomach
The fruits are quick to digest. And so when it’s eaten with or after a meal, it is unable to absorb as quickly and stays in your stomach longer, causing gas and the growth of bacteria. The rule is to eat fruits as a snack when you have an empty stomach – around 3 hours after a meal and at least 30 minutes to an hour before your next one.
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Avoid cold water with meals
For better digestion of your meal, avoid having cold water while you are eating. It is because cold water messes with the temperature of the body and also dilutes the digestive fluids, slowing down digestion.
It is best to have water 15 minutes before your meal or an hour after it. If you must have water while eating, warm water is a better choice, and that too in a moderate amount.
If you want to improve digestion further, Detox water which includes beneficial ingredients such as lemon, turmeric or apple cider vinegar is excellent. We checked Opportuniteas and found an impressive range of products that you can use as part of your food combination diet.
To sum up, the food combination diet is all about eating in a way that is quicker and more comfortable for your body to digest. Once you implement it, you will find significant changes in your body. It is because when food can move through our systems quickly and efficiently, there’s no feeling of heaviness, bloating, and being low on energy. It is going to help you shed those extra pounds, cleanse your system, and give you a noticeable boost in energy.
