I must admit, applying the principles of Proper Food Combining (PFC) seemed a bit complicated to me - until I began practicing it. Therefore, I want to take this opportunity to share ten tips and compliments I've discovered along the way for easily integrating the concepts into your own diet.
1) The first step I took was printing the below chart I provided in my last post and taping to my refrigerator. I continually reference it to this day- in fact I'll be getting it laminated. Our habits become so unconsciously engrained, having a well-placed guiding reference is crucial.
(click to enlarge & print)
2) It's not necessary to make a 180 degree switch to becoming a vegetarian, vegan etc., to immediately benefit from Proper Food Combining (PFC) principles. Simply changing the way we pair our current foods will have a dramatic impact on our energy, beauty and weight. Ok, obviously if we're committed to pizza, ice-cream & fries 3 meals a day this won't apply... but I know you wouldn't be reading this if those were your ideals. The point is, even without removing animal products, gluten, dairy etc. we can still benefit from just rearranging the combination and order we eat our foods. (As outlined in the sample Daily Menu example below.)
3) Letting go of our inner perfectionist is crucial. While having an ultimate goal is awesome, our bodies don't respond well to drastic overnight changes. Like any challenge we approach in life, this is a process. So we can relax. There's no pressure. We want to treat ourselves gently, through a gradual transition. Easing into these beneficial practices will give our bodies the chance to adjust. An entire lifetime of toxicity takes a good deal of time to cleanse away and our immune system can't handle everything being stirred up at once. Any improvements we make are highly beneficial, taking us in the right direction, bringing greater health, energy and beauty our way.
4) While this one seems obvious, and will likely happen naturally... I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the incorporation of Proper Food Combining (PFC) into our lifestyle is a perfect and easy time to increase the amount of fruits, greens and veggies in our diets. Again, the Daily Menu below shows where we might be able to make some easy swaps.
5) Another compliment to implementing PFC, which is almost certain to provide immediate rewards, is the gradual elimination of gluten (2), dairy (3), refined sugar and caffeine (4). These are all sources of a great many misunderstood allergy/physical/emotional symptoms as well as the culprits responsible for those seemingly unstopable cravings. Willpower is no match to the allergy/addiction syndrome (5) more on this in a future post. Fortunately, given all the delicious alternatives on the market today, eliminating these items is easier to achieve than some might think. I'll be sharing a product substitution guide shortly to help us select delicious (in my opnion, even tastier!) alternatives. Trust me, removing these health zappers is not a sacrifice- without them we find more energy, beauty, health and emotional well being than I personally ever knew possible.
6) Once I began experiencing the combined benefits of a totally clean diet alongside PFC, I enthusiastically overhauled my entire kitchen to remove any remaining culprits. I've never regretted it! I knew I didn't want to go back to cravings, temptations or looking & feeling subpar. Having only beautiful, clean, energy enhancing ingredients available makes meal preparation simple and easy. It was an absolutely wonderful experience letting go of all the sugar, wheat, coffee, processed condiments and any remaining animal products I'd been holding on to. I was ready to let it all go.
7) Start including my delicious Macaccino energy drink into your day in place of coffee. Wonderfully comforting and tasty, you will love the steady energy (from the Maca) and emotional uplift & balancing (from the Maca + the PEA in the Cacao- more soon on PEA) this cup of creamy goodness provides over several hours- not just one like our old pal, coffee. All this without the harmful affects, the subsequent crashes or accompanying jitters. Did I mention my Macaccino majorly curbs the appetite too?!
Macaccino Energy Drink
8) My older, pre-PFC, StyleNectar recipes are excellent as we're transitioning. Not everyone is interested in becoming a vegetarian or a vegan and StyleNectar offers a wide range of excellent choices for us all. I do allow myself the leeway to stray from time to time. However, I notice the temptation to overindulge no longer exists now that my body is receiving exactly what it needs. The below Daily Menu sample indicates where and when to include any recipes which aren't perfectly PFC. (And, I've also begun updating older StyleNectar recipes to make them easily customizable to your lifestyle be it vegan, dairy/gluten-free, traditional, etc. Stay tuned!)
9) Again, remember this is a process. We don't have to, or even want to, implement everything at once. Anytime we commit to beneficial changes in our lives, we want to begin by first accepting and loving ourselves exactly where we are. This sets us up for a rewarding experience in which we're able to offer ourselves the compassionate willingness to help ourselves become whomever we want to be. Take small steps. Small, incremental changes over the long term will be more beneficial than huge leaps and extremes. Set realistic goals!
A careful transition made in conscious, compassionate awareness will enable our bodies to safely adjust and begin cleansing. While attempting too much too fast will only stir up loads of toxicity our immune systems can't handle. We're likely to notice immediate benefits from instituting PFC as it provides a great deal of digestive relief since foods are able to quickly digest rather than getting backed up and ultimately putrifying into toxic funk. However, the removal of allergens, acidic and inflammatory foods from our diet, may bring on withdrawl or detox symptoms- I certainly experienced them. Many of us misinterpret detox symptoms as a sign our bodies are missing the old ways of eating. In fact, we simply need to stick with it, as always, making the time for enough rest and staying in tune with our bodies along the way.
10) If you remember anything make it to:
- Always eat fruit alone (or with fresh, undressed greens) on an empty stomach. For example pairing fruit with fresh, undressed greens, such as in my Daily Detox Green Smoothie is fine since greens are neutral & add digestive benefit to anything with which they're paired. Combining fruit with any other vegetables, fats/oils, protein, starch etc. creates a digestive backup in which the fruit putrifies causing the toxic, aging, energy-zapping nightmare outlined in my last post. This means having fruit for dessert is actually not beneficial for us. I know, I was surprised too. However, when those extra pounds we never wanted melt off and our body becames leaner and more toned than we thought possible - simply because we're no longer creating the toxicity those very fat cells were created to contain - then not eating fruit for dessert becomes a no-brainer. Plus, I LOVE me sweets! So lucky you! I'll be sharing my favorite PFC approved dessert in my very next post. I have dessert every night - switching it up between 3 or 4 yummy options- ALL of which I'll share soon:-)
- Avoid combining Proteins (beans, nuts, meat) with Carbs (pasta, bread, starch, grains). And avoid mixing Proteins together (ex: fish with beef).
- Save protein, heavier foods and cheat foods for the last meal of the day. This prevents the digestive backups which create aging toxicity and zap our energy, slowing us down physically/mentally, creating the urges for more food, coffee, sugar - anything to feel better - all of which increase toxic burden, weight gain and poor health.
Sample Daily Menu with Food Transit Times (1)
Start each day with a huge glass of water. Our bodies are in cleansing mode all night long. We can continue to assist this process by flushing out toxins with a huge glass of purified water.
Breakfast Ideas
Half an hour after the water:
1. Quadruple Berry Acai Smoothie (.5 or 1 hr depending on amount)
2. Fresh Vegetable Juice such as: Tangy-tart Power Green Juice (1 hr)
3. Fresh fruit (1 or 2 hrs)
4. Oven baked whole grain bread w/avocado (3 or 4 hrs)
An hour later (after our fruit has digested) have the Macaccino energy drink instead of coffee.
Lunch Ideas
1. Daily Detox Green Smoothie (1 hr)
2. Green leafy salad w/lemon (1 hr) w/oil or avocado (2 hrs)
3. Green leafy salad followed by cooked veggies (3.5 hrs) w/ yams or grains (4.5 hrs minimum)
Dinner Ideas
1. Green leafy salad followed by cooked grains & veggies (4.5 hrs.)
2. Green leafy salad followed by cooked veggies & animal protein: fish, chicken, beef (6-8 hrs minimum- a full 3 days before meat is properly broken down & passed thru)
Starting your dinner with fresh greens will provide the enzymatic benefit to pave the way for excellent digestion of the food to follow.
Our bodies do a ton of healing, repairing and rejuvenating in our sleep because we're not eating or, therefore, expending all our energy digesting. Starting each morning with fruit, the most easily digestible of foods, extends this cleansing period and provides great morning energy for ourselves! The same applies to lunch. The cleansing Daily Detox Green Smoothie is easy to digest and energizing for the very same reasons. Whole grains and nuts are a little harder to digest than fruit/greens, so save them for later in the day say as an afternoon snack. Meat is super hard to digest (takes about three days to be properly broken down and pass through) so we save it for last.
As always, feel free to ask any questions you may have in the comments below. I am very happy to answer them or go into further detail on anything you might need!
Much Love,
XX
Juliane
Sources:
I am not a healthcare practitioner or provider. To the extent that any information is provided through this website, it is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute or substitute for medical advice or counseling, the practice of medicine including but not limited to psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, the creation of a physician-patient or clinical relationship, or an endorsement, a recommendation or a sponsorship of any third party, product or service by me. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements available on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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