Balance Is Beauty

Hi Friends!

Hope everyone had a lovely weekend, I’m so sad it’s Sunday already – why must the weekends always fly by! My weekend has been pretty relaxed, although I must confess I over indulged in some wine last night, which left me feeling pretty sluggish today. Hubs and I spent most of the morning relaxing by the TV and then we did some grocery shopping to prepare us for the week ahead!

Speaking of over-indulging, I have realized that over the last month or so, my diet has really been less than stellar. I mean in the grand scheme of things, I am not eating “junk” food or poor quality food, I am just not eating as well as I know I can.  I have been having quite a few unpleasant symptoms lately, my tummy has really been suffering, and I believe it has a lot to do with the food and combinations of food I am eating. I know my body does best when I say true to food combining rules. For those of you unfamiliar with food combining, there are four different categories of foods that should not be combined together. The four groups are, starches (breads, potatoes, avocados and young coconuts), flesh (which includes fish and dairy), nuts and dried fruits, and fruit. The reasoning behind not combining these food groups together, is that they take different times to digest in the body. Fruit, for example, is the quickest to digest, depending on the fruit it takes between 20-30 minutes to leave the stomach. Therefore, fruit is best eaten alone on an empty stomach. Vegetables are considered neutral and can be combined with any of the food groups.

There are also a few exceptions to rules (aren’t there always!). Banana’s, because they are a starchier fruit, can be combined safely with starches, nuts and dried fruit as well as avocados.  Avocado’s are also unique in that, technically they are a fruit but combine as a starch. They can also be combined with dried fruit but not with nuts.  Sound complicated? Although it can be overwhelming in the beginning, once you start incorporating the “rules” into your eating habits, it is really simple and so effective. For people, like myself, who have really sensitive stomachs, I really recommend trying this to see if it helps. This style of eating habits, definitely isn’t for everyone. If you are someone who likes a lot of variety on their plate (like my hubby!), this may be too restrictive for you. I really enjoy eating simply, so this works really well for me. These are just the basics, so if you have further questions, please feel free to email me and I’d be happy to try and answer any questions you may have!

Basically, what I have decided to do this week, is use my blog as kind of a food dairy for me, to help keep me accountable for the goals I have set for myself. I am by no means “dieting” or trying to lose weight, my goals are too address the tummy issues I have been having and hopefully get rid of the constant stomach aches and pains I have been suffering from.

My Goals:

1) Consume 16-32 ounces of green juice every morning.

2) Consume fruit and/or green smoothie following juice.

3) Eat raw until dinner (salads, nuts/seeds, dried fruit, smoothies, avocados, etc.).

4) Follow light – heavy style of eating (eating your heaviest meal at dinner).

5) Stay true to Food Combining Principles!! (most important).

6) Minimize snacking (especially late night – which has been out of control lately).

7) Decrease aerobic exercise and focus on daily outdoor walks and yoga.

Each day I will blog about my experiences, and am hoping to have your support in cheering me on (especially with avoiding the late night snacking!! ). At the end of the week I hope to find that my tummy troubles have diminished or at least been really minimized. I will summarize all of my findings at the end of the week, and decide whether or not to continue on this path.

I am looking forward to a week of nourishing, fresh foods and am hoping to have some great results!

Have any of you tried food combining? Was it something that you found effective, or too restrictive? I’d love to hear your experiences!

See you tomorrow, with my first-day recap!!!

xoxo

Krissy