How to Properly Food Combine within Your Lifestyle, A Sample Menu

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 lemon water (1/2 fresh lemon squeezed into 16 oz 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 structured lemon 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 (such as quinoa, buckwheat, oats, wild rice or amaranth) & 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:

1. http://lytnyc.com/pdfs/foodComboChart_03.09.11.pdf

2. http://www.livestrong.com/article/322978-symptoms-of-gluten-free-detox/

3. http://www.nourishedhealth.com/adhd-and-food/

4. http://www.livestrong.com/article/483079-what-are-the-side-effects-of-sugar-and-caffeine/

5. http://lindamelosnd.com/articles/the-allergyaddiction-syndrome-are-your-favorite-foods-draining-your-vitality

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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Comments

[Ayana helms]

the question I have is about combining fruits. what about in green smoothies when different fruits are mixed is that a problem like for instance strawberries, mangoes, with spinach is that a bad combination?

[juliane porter]

Hi Ayana,

Thank you for sharing your excellent question! Proper Food Combining is an advanced approach toward excellent nutrition which acknowledges & incorporates the impact digestion has on our health (since 80% of our immunity takes place in our gastrointestinal tract).

On combining fruits, the chart in this article categorizes them into 4 groups: acid, sub-acid, sweet & melon. Eating each fruit group separately is easiest for the body to digest, especially sweet fruits and melons. However, as your body gets cleaner your digestion will get better and you may find less of an issue combining across the fruit categories.

Personally, I definitely only eat melon alone and never combine it with anything else. I personally don't have an issue combining acid & sub-acid fruits (such as mango & strawberry as you suggested in your smoothie) or sub acid & sweet fruits. In addition, most people don't have an issue adding lemon or lime to anything. That said, I still attempt to use fruits within the same category when I can. It really is up to you and how your body responds.

As for greens- they can be considered "neutral" as they are safely paired with anything from fruit to other veggies to grains and proteins as well.

I hope that helps. It's great to hear from you, Ayana. Have a fantastic day!

Much love,

Juliane

[Michelle Williams]

I need help! Salads always make me burp. The thought of eating them all day long is not something I want to do. I am celiac as well. I had a terrible bought of bloating and gas when on a flight to Ca and lasted nearly 15 days. Had trouble going for days, then a bit here and there and the only relief was two days ago with an enema. I was searching for help and came across the idea of proper food combing. My intestinal track is so compromised from celiac I'm lacking iron,zinc,b12 and vit d. Those are just the ones I know of. We juice for our breakfast. Last night we had crab legs and coleslaw. I also read cabbage was a great veg for digestion. Can you give me some help?

[juliane porter]

Hi Michelle,

Thank you for your excellent question. While it would take several books to adequately address it for you, I will provide the broad strokes. I understand how you feel, I used to struggle with the symptoms you share. And, I certainly don’t have the time or desire to eat salads all day long either☺

Of course, the term “salad” can be interpreted many ways, ranging from one that’s simple & easy to digest to a very complex, poorly combined digestive/health nightmare. A seemingly healthy combination of a big bowl of greens & veggies can cause problems for many people (like me) if accompanied by too many nuts/seeds/fats/avocado/oil.

In my experience and following the research/science of such award winning doctors/authors as T. Colin Campbell, Victoria Boutenko, Dr. N W Walker, Dr. Doug Graham & Dr. Robert Morse, to name a few, a low fat, diet of properly combined, easy to digest, delicious, whole, fresh fruits, vegetables, high quality (ideally sprouted) nuts, seeds & grains provides all the healing enzymes, protein, alkalinity and nourishment to heal our bodies, enabling the sickest of the sick to regain high levels of health & provide the source for enviable energy and vitality for a lifetime.

An acid forming, difficult to digest diet of excessive meat, processed foods, refined grains, dairy, refined sugar, excessive protein, fast foods and fat can be highly detrimental to our health, vitality & longevity. The proteins/enzymes/nutrients in cooked foods become denatured when cooking while the rest of the above items wreak their own havoc on the body's digestive process & more.

It can take time to transition to a new foodstyle. However, as we begin to feel the often immediate benefits & alleviation of health symptoms, we become even more motivated to stay the course. Our palates begin to crave fruits & veg as our body chemistry changes. Additionally, the “allergy-addiction cycle” (to which food cravings, attachments & addictions can be attributed) resolves itself and subsequent cravings & physiological symptoms such as digestive difficulties, once we take the above toxic foods out of our diet.

It is important to understand that we may experience short or long term detoxification symptoms ranging from headaches, lethargy, flu-like symptoms to joint pain etc. I have found adhering to proper food combining reduces these significantly however.

It’s excellent that you are starting your morning with a juice, ideally a green one. Great job! Off the bat I can also add, I’ve found, as many others have, that too much protein or fat can cause a digestive halt (in addition to other issues). As you continue to put highly nourishing, easily digestible foods into your system, your body will continue the healing process. Another rule I follow is to avoid combining more than 5 fruits/veg in one meal which makes digestion much easier. Additionally, adding in a probiotic twice daily (Dr. Ohira brand is excellent) and raw sauerkraut (fresh, the type in the refrigerated case) is a great idea.

In closing, my opinion is it could be ideal to incorporate more whole, living, plant-based foods into your diet. However, each of us is unique and must listen to our bodies to know what is best in our unique situation. Not all of us are going to thrive on a fully raw vegan, vegan or even vegetarian foodstyle. That said, it's safe to say, for all of us, incorporating lots of fresh fruits & veg has amazing health benefits. I would absolutely take the time to read up on what to expect when detoxing, a result of a cleansing foodstyle, if you continue to move in that direction, so that you don’t misinterpret what is going on in your body. You can read up on all these topics or I can walk you through them in private consultation. I can share an example of some of my daily menu plans and also help you to put together a tailored plan to ease you through transitioning. If you’re interested in that option (which may or may not include weaning off animal products depending on your unique needs) you can email me privately for details at [email protected].

Thank you again for your comments and inquiry. Let me know if you have any questions and I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Much love,

Juliane

[juliane porter]

Michelle,
I didn't mention two other excellent things all of us, in fact, would most likely benefit from: look up the book Become Younger, by Norman Walker (all his books are great- I've got the entire set & they're quite affordable at $8 per book). In addition, look into Gravity based Hydrotherapy. LYT and Release in NYC are both excellent.
All my love to you.
Juliane
PS. Cabbage juice is excellent, however it can cause distress due to gas forming in the intestines after drinking - this is the result of waste matter present in the intestines being broken up by the cabbage juice, which causes a chemical reaction to set in which may form gas. Plain carrot juice has been used with equal success and most people find it more palatable- In fact I drink carrot juice daily and it's absolutely delicious. You could add a bit of apple to your carrot juice- as the malic acid in the apple increases the ability for the body to use the amazing healing properties present in carrots. I actually should do a post simply on carrot juice soon, it's that healing- just hands down amazing.

[Danielle Rateau]

I'm so glad I read this post because I'm very interested in giving food combining a try! Just out of curiosity, how long do you wait after drinking the mocaccino before eating something else? Thanks!

[juliane]

Hi Danielle,

Thank you for your great question!

Personally I would give it an hour. In the sample menu plan the next meal would be lunch so we'd have an hour or two between. As an extra note, even for beverages like water, many recommend not to consume for 30 min before, during or after a meal so as not to dilute the digestive enzymes thus impairing break down/digestion of the food. A few sips are probably ok tho :) (and honestly, I often have a hard time adhering to that one!) Of course, it's still important to stay hydrated... I always start my day first thing with fresh squeezed lemon in 8 oz of hot, filtered water, followed by another 32 ounces of filtered water. Upon waking is when the body is most dehydrated. I also keep a container of water with me all day long to sip from.

Thanks for visiting and for your question, Danielle. Visit often, and Happy Valentine's Day!!

Much Love,
Juliane

[Farah Q.]

If meat/concentrated proteins take a full 3 days to digest, is it still okay to eat fruit or melon for breakfast if we had meat for dinner the night before?

Thanks!
Farah

[juliane Porter]

Hi Farah,

Thank you for your excellent question!

Depending on the strength of our digestion, you're right, meat can take a long time to digest, 48 hours for some & shorter or longer for others. To assist in the digestion of meat or other cooked foods, always precede eating it by having fresh greens (such as a green salad or even leftover green smoothie) which will be a huge assist to the body's ability to digest. Secondly, taking a digestive enzyme whenever we eat cooked food/meat is another excellent helper. Third, the quantity impacts digestion as well, so keeping harder to digest foods to smaller portions is a consideration. Waiting til breakfast to eat fruit rather than say, having fruit right after a steak dinner, is going to be much easier on the system than combining it all at once. I personally find I feel best eating a primarily raw vegan foodStyle which obviously alleviates this issue altogether. If I do deviate from raw vegan, however, I will employ some of the above mentioned techniques.

Most importantly, each one of us is unique in our history, makeup and needs, so the best approach is to experiment to find what works for you specifically. There are definitely no rules and certainly no need (or is it even possible) to try to be perfect at this either. While I do find proper food combining quite helpful, the most important thing is to include more plant-based foods, fresh fruits, vegetables & greens into our diet in some manner or another. Every little step we take to provide ourselves with as much compassionate loving kindness we can has a huge impact on our health & wellbeing.

Thanks again for sharing your great question, Farah. Stop back soon and feel free to share any further comments or questions you may have.

Much Love,
Juliane

[juliane Porter]

Dear Reader,
It’s wonderful to hear from you! Thank you for your excellent questions.

First, congratulations on taking such outstanding steps toward providing yourself excellent health and all the loving, compassionate care you deserve! Obviously, without knowing the details of your situation it’s impossible to give specific advice, however, I am happy to provide some encouragement and guidance. As always, do work in tandem with your healthcare provider (ideally one well-versed in holistic medicine as well as both eastern and western practices). Additionally, implement any changes gradually as the body does best with careful transitions rather than being shocked with complete 180 overhauls - this is nice as it makes transition a bit easier to implement.

When dealing with constipation, it can be helpful to watch how animal products, processed foods, wheat/gluten, dairy, caffein and sugar affect your body (all the aforementioned of which I personally eliminated from my own diet, gradually over a careful transition period of time, thus alleviating my own digestive issues - animal protein being the biggest culprit for me - in addition to having numerous other positive affects).

Currently, I am making a lot of smoothies in my Vitamix on a regular basis, simply because juicing is just too time consuming and expensive for me right now. Not only does juicing require a ton more produce than smoothies, but smoothies also provide the benefit of all the additional antioxidants/fiber lost in the otherwise eliminated pulp of juicing. Additionally, because the Vitamix pre-digests all this fiber by cracking the cell walls of the fruits and veg, digestion is easy and less produce is required for more nutritional benefit. Therefore, the smoothies provide more nutritional bang for the buck and the added fiber keeps things “moving” while cleaning out the intestinal track which is very healing. While some people find raw plant protein too difficult to digest when it’s in the form of salads etc. - making smoothies in a high speed blender can alleviate this issue because of the pre-digestion/cracking cell wall component. All this said, juicing can be extremely healing and beneficial under the right circumstances. However, because juicing does inject such rapid & detoxifying nutrition into the body so fast, it can also cause individuals to have an intense detox reaction which can be risky as one doesn’t want to pull up to much toxicity at once/too fast because this can overwhelm the immune system and cause a compounding affect. For someone who needs assistance with addressing constipation, living foods smoothies could be highly beneficial and healing to the digestive tract. Some even have a little leftover smoothie prior to eating cooked foods to help in digesting.

It’s fantastic that you’ve implemented and found much relief using proper food combining. Some people find a helpful next step to be experimenting with replacing one meal a day with a green smoothie (breakfast is usually a good place). Another step could be to reduce/gradually eliminate animal products which are quite taxing on the digestive system and can be a contributing factor in constipation. Keeping meals smaller and simpler (fewer ingredients) helps digestion and smoother elimination as well. It’s also important to drink plenty of water. One rule of thumb is to drink enough water to keep the urine always clear. Some say drink 1/2 your body weight, others say 8 glasses (64 oz) a day. I drink 1 liter upon waking up. Also, when eating a plant based diet, the water in the produce helps to keep us hydrated. One last tip is to chew your food very very well (of course the Vitamix does this for us!) - Ghandi used to say “Chew your juice and drink your food”. Chewing of juice meaning, some swishing/chewing of even juice is necessary since digestion starts in the mouth with the saliva, and Drink your food meaning, chew it so well that it’s liquified! Many of us eat so fast, we barely chew our food at all asking our digestive system to do work so impossibly hard, much of our food never gets digested at all!

Adding in a few fresh juices a week is certainly fine, especially if a person does not have blood sugar issues. A nice guideline is to "Juice your Veggies and Eat your Fruit” as fruit juice puts too much sugar into the blood stream at once (not that we can’t add a little lemon, ginger & green apple to a greens based juice to make it taste good tho!) However, this is another reason smoothies are effective as the fiber is left in the fruit preventing blood sugar spikes. I personally have an Omega 8006 slow, masticating Juicer which makes an extremely high quality juice, leaves pulp extremely dry, and has a small countertop footprint. A Breville juice fountain elite is a lot faster, however cleanup is still a tad time consuming, the juice extraction isn’t as thorough, and the resulting juice is not as high quality due to the heating of the produce resulting from a centrifugal high speed juicer. However, the speed with which a Breville makes juice can make it a juicer a person actually uses, rather than not using at all- so for some it’s the better buy in order to get into the juicing habit.

I hope all of this is helpful.

Please feel free to touch base should you have any additional questions. I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention my personalized Holistic Coaching Services in which I provide customized plans tailored specifically to you with all the support you need to achieve your goals.

Much love,

Juliane

[juliane Porter]

Dear Reader,

You’re welcome. It sounds like you’re on a great health path! Great job :)

1. Animal protein refers primarily to meats ie, beef, chicken, fish, turkey etc in addition to dairy/eggs.

2. Juices and smoothies are NOT the same.
a. Juicing refers to a fiber free/pulp free drink such as what is made in a Breville Juice Fountain or an Omega 8006 Juicer.
b. Smoothies retain the fiber/pulp and are made in a Blender, preferably a high-speed blender like a Vitamix (which I highly recommend). See my original email for all the pros/cons of juicing vs. blending (aka smoothies). In the case of a person with constipation, blending can REALLY help "move things along" as the highly magnetized fibers in the fruits in veg have a tremendous healing & cleansing affect on the digestive tract.

3. When I referred to raw plant protein: "some people find raw plant protein too difficult to digest when it’s in the form of salads etc. - making smoothies in a high speed blender can alleviate this issue because of the pre-digestion/cracking cell wall component.” I was referring to the issue some people with an impaired digestive system may have digesting raw fruits and vegetables. Keep in mind, some things are easier to digest than others- for example kale is harder to digest than leaf lettuce, and cabbage requires more digestive fire than a piece of honeydew melon. Blending the more difficult to digest items is a remedy to this issue. Of course, meat, (chicken, fish etc.) requires WAY more digestive fire than any fruits or veg - and can often be the culprit in a constipation issue. Examples of alternative forms of protein include chia and hemp seed (both complete proteins) both which have a myriad other health benefits and can enhance digestion.

4. When I make smoothies I do use a combo of leafy greens (remember to rotate your greens- this is VERY important) and fruit to sweeten. By in large, I do not add veggies to my smoothies other than the greens- with the exception of things like broccoli, okra, cucumber, celery. I try to practice proper food combing in my smoothies and save the other stuff for salads- usually grating the harder to digest items like cabbage or carrots.

5. I love my Vitamix and haven’t met a person to date who doesn’t love theirs. I haven’t used The Bullet so cannot rate it.

Hope this helps. There is so much more of course however, hopefully this gets you started. Perhaps one last tip, make sure you are getting enough iodine (especially if you’re eating a lot of cruciferous veg as they inhibit uptake of iodine), K2 (Mk7), D3, iron, B6 (you can use KAL Nutritional Yeast in your salads to get complete B vitamins & tons of protein).

Love,

Juliane

[Ruby Whitehouse]

Hello, I am reading this wonderfully educational article in the comfort of my home and want to thank you for putting this great info out there! Just what I needed to learn.

[what is drupal]

Highly energetic post, I loved that a lot. Will there be a part 2?

[Joyce]

I am considering food combining to increase ph levels. I am concerned though with protein deficiency. How does one get sufficient protein with a vegetarian dense diet?

[Juliane]

Dear Joyce,

It’s wonderful to hear from you! Thank you for your excellent questions.

First, congratulations on taking such outstanding steps toward providing yourself excellent health and all the loving, compassionate care you deserve! Obviously, without knowing the details of your situation it’s impossible to give specific advice, however, I am happy to provide some encouragement and guidance. As always, do work in tandem with your healthcare provider (ideally one well-versed in holistic medicine as well as both eastern and western practices). Additionally, implement any changes gradually as the body does best with careful transitions rather than being shocked with complete 180 overhauls - this is nice as it makes transition a bit easier to implement.

Just a few of the excellent sources of vegetarian protein include: amaranth, quinoa, chia seed, hemp seed, legumes, nuts and seeds -all preferably sprouted to make them more easily digestible and more alkalizing as well. I adjunct my diet with chlorella, spirulina and KAL nutritional yeast and also eat TONS of greens which are actually high in protein also. On a side note, it's nearly impossible for vegans/vegetarians to get enough Omega 3 DHA/EPA crucial for brain health & much more- so I take that in a supplemental form which is NOT vegetarian. Each person's needs are different, so you definitely want to listen to your body and work with it to customize a program that meets your nutritional requirements based on your lifestyle, age, background etc.

Generally, in the U.S. we are encouraged to get 10% to 35% of our day's calories from protein foods. That's about 46 grams of protein for women and 56 grams of protein for men - tho again, this is completely generalized and would need to be adjusted to your personal characteristics/lifestyle.

Much Love,
Juliane

[Davis]

Thank you so much for sharing your experience, knowledge and wisdom. You explained it all in such a loving way, too. Thank you! I'm looking forward to trying a bunch of these new ideas!!

[Juliane]

Dear Davis,

Thank you so much for your kind compliments. Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions about anything going forward. Wishing you the very best! Have a wonderful weekend :)

Love,
Juliane

[Mark B]

IN a nutshell, I am a 47 year old bodybuilder/fitness model wannabe. My main goal is fat loss and muscle gain with a secondary emphasis on digestion. I tried food separation/combining in the past with terrible success. I lost muscle and looked terrible(skinny fat). Not a good look. My diet for the past 5 years or so has been low carb based with minimal grains/flours but I feel I LOOK best with carbs but FEEL best without them. Lately, Ive been experimenting with eating pasta post workout by itself and I'll tell you. Within 2 days, I feel tighter and leaner. I eat 1 carb-only meal a day, usually before 1 pm. The rest of the day is fat/protein based. I would love to hear your thoughts on eating this way to maximize fat loss and muscle gain. Mark

[Juliane]

Dear Mark,
Thank you for your wonderful comments. We're each unique so what works for one isn't best for another. I'd say if what you're doing makes you feel great, look great and be in outstanding health then hats off to what's working. It's a practice for life, we keep making adjustments based on our changing needs. I can only say keep lots of fruits and veggies in your diet and don't eat too much or too little. Eat to live, not live to eat. Put your health first and beauty will follow.
Sincerely,
Juliane

[Kate]

If someone was to just have a fresh fruit for breakfast, what would you suggest for a serving size?

[Juliane]

Hi Kate,
Thank you for stopping by and for posing your excellent question!
Of course portion size will vary depending on the person and the best guideline is to stop eating when we feel full. However, many of us have lost touch with when that point occurs. Perhaps a good guideline might be one Donna Gates, author of The Body Ecology Diet, prescribes. She encourages the 80/20 rule in which one strives to eat until the stomach is no more than 80% full, allowing the remaining 20% to be available for complete digestion. Excellent digestion is crucial for excellent health. So, we have to do some experimentation to figure out how much food equals that feeling of 80% full. Hope that helps.
Much love,
Juliane

[Sarah]

Hi,
I am new to PFC,and was wondering the hours you have listed after the food, is this the amount of time after the last meal/snack that we should be eating? Ie. 2. Green leafy salad w/lemon (1 hr) w/oil or avocado (2 hrs)

[Juliane]

Hi Sarah,

It's lovely to hear from you! Thank you for your thoughtful question.

The numbers following the food represent the transit time for that food to digest. For example, fresh juice takes only an hour while Green leafy salad followed by cooked grains & veggies takes 4.5 hrs. and a piece of meat takes a full 6-8 hours minimum (a full 3 days before meat is properly broken down & passed thru). This gives us an idea of why we wouldn't want to create a "traffic jam" resulting in fermentation and toxicity by eating, for ex, fresh fruit juice after a hamburger.

Thank you for stopping by, Sarah! Wishing you a wonderful week :)

Much love,
Juliane

[michelle]

Hi, Just to clarify - you said you eat bread and avocados together but per the Food Combination and Choices sheet it shows avocado as a Protein (I thought it was a straight out fat) and that Proteins obviously poorly combine with the carbs (bread in this case). Also the sheet has coconut as a protein also - I thought this was a fat like the avocado?
Thanks.
Michelle

[juliane]

Hi Michelle,
Thank you for your question! Avocado and Coconut contain both fat and protein. Though neither is excessively high in protein. Depending on who/food combining chart referenced, some may say it's ok to have say, a millet toast with avocado, others may say no, not a good idea. Generally, I it's a combo that works well for most people. The bottom line is it really comes down to being your decision based on what works best for you. If you find avocado toast does not digest well than by all means don't choose that combo. If, however, it works well for you, then keep it in your repertoire. There is obviously a lot of gray area here for us each to customize our own "foodstyle" based on our unique needs.
Much love,
Juliane