Introduction
For years it was a struggle for me to settle upon one diet plan or another because there was so much conflicting data about the nature of good nutrition in all of the books I read. The task of designing one's own proper eating program became even more difficult for me when during the course of research it was easy to find several "experts" contradicting one another. So what I'd like to share with you here is a nutritional program that is more scientific than opinion and I hope you'll see its merits from my presentation.
This series of articles is intended to be a complement to my article series "Smart Moves for Musicians," which is where I present my recommendations for the best workout routine to fit into the musician's lifestyle. Often it's the case that because the musician's lifestyle requires remaining sedentary for long hours, travel, inaccessibility to wholesome foods, and easy access to drugs and alcohol, it is necessary to counteract the effects of these practices with frequent exercise and superior nutrition.
Food combining is the way to superior nutrition. Food combining is the art and science of taking our knowledge of the human digestive system and the character of natural foods to achieve superior nutrition. When food combining is not put into practice by individuals or entire societies and the human digestive tract is treated as a garbage disposal, then the body begins to undergo mild to acute forms of nutritional degradation resulting in a weakened physical constitution and eventually widespread disease.
Food Types and their Characters
Let's start with fruits. In general, it's best to eat fruits alone and on an empty stomach. The reason for this is fruits in the sweet, sub-acid, and melon groups digest very quickly moving rapidly through the stomach and into the intestines where the simple sugars are broken down for an immediate burst of energy. Acid fruits, on the other hand, suspend the enzymatic secretions in the stomach required for digestion and prevent their activity for a period of at least 3-4 hours.
Proteins in general are shown to pair best with non-starchy vegetables and fairly well with mildly-starchy vegetables. Similarly, carbohydrates are also shown to pair best with non-starchy vegetables and fairly well with mildly-starchy vegetables. But the pairing of proteins with carbohydrates is strongly discouraged. Fat and oils are also shown to pair well with non-starchy and mildly-starchy vegetables, while also providing a great mix with carbohydrates (starches). Combining fats and oils with proteins is strongly discouraged.
These food combinations designate the right mixes of foods that allow the body to work efficiently to provide itself with nutrition. Because these combinations do not interrupt or interfere with the body's ability to break down the food it is provided, the body is able to receive from its food all of the nutrients the foods are capable of delivering. A digestive tract unburdened from unnecessary interferences from bad combinations or junk foods, is a digestive system that facilitates superior nutrition.
Restricted: Common "Foods" and Meals
Now before I illustrate some properly combined meals in the "Sample Menus" part of this article, I want to discuss some of the almost evil concoctions chefs and what passes for cuisine the world over have provided to mankind. The school of Natural Hygiene, from which the system of food combining was derived, discourages the consumption of the following "foods":
Hamburgers, processed foods, soda, vitamin and other nutritional supplements, refined sugar, honey, pizza, chocolate, enriched bleached flour, hot dogs, pizza, potato chips, crackers, jellies and jams, ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, ice cream, smoothies, salt, frozen foods, canned foods, nuts (roasted, sweetened, or salted), pasta with tomato sauce, sushi, BBQ, most spices (irritants), complex salad combinations with multiple ingredients, cake, pies, sugary cereals, coffee, teas, mineral water, and so much more.
While this is by no means a complete list, I'll leave it to your imagination as to what foods you think would not appear on a table where properly combined foods are served.
Sample Menus
So here is where I'll show you how food combining is one part common sense, one part science, and the remaining portion art. The sample menus provided below are based on my personal working knowledge of Natural Hygiene through years of practice and study. Most of the meals you'll see here are based on the basics as illustrated earlier, but some entrees may be based on more advanced food knowledge. And all meals are definitely items and combinations that I personally eat regularly to thrive on.
Breakfast Meals:
Apple, raisins, banana
Oranges and apples
Pear, dried apricot, dates
Grapefruit, strawberries, apple
Pineapple and pears
Lunch Meals:
Chicken with asparagus, broccoli, and cucumber
Raw nuts with green apple, grapefruit, celery and steamed zucchini
Goat cheese with Brussels sprouts, fennel, and tomato
Dinner Meals:
Baked potato with butter or sour cream, broccoli, and squash
Rice with kale, zucchini, and sautéed or baked golden beets
All of these meals are examples of correctly combined meals. They are simple and nutritious. Moreover, they are also easy to prepare. In most cases, entire meals can be prepared just by washing and chopping with no cooking required. And where cooking is required baking, steaming, and sautéing are the cooking methods of choice. Find a food combining chart anywhere on-line and try to come up with your own combinations and be creative. Too many of us are out of touch when it comes to the natural taste of raw foods so it may take several weeks before your taste buds become accustomed to the enjoyment that comes from the subtle flavors of natural foods.
Proper food combining can even resolve digestive issues you thought were caused by specific foods, when in actuality the problems were caused by incorrect food combinations. In most cases, foods eaten in correct combinations or eaten alone will not cause digestive problems. If you have a medically diagnosed food allergy, please ignore this advice. For everyone else however experiment freely with correct food combinations.
Marc Avante is a musician, sound designer, and blogger. He is also the founder of the music project called Stereo Thesis. Stereo Thesis is a prototype sound design and music studio.
For additional artist info, interesting articles, news, and giveaways visit the Stereo Thesis blog at: http://stereothesis.blogspot.com/
Or to get exclusive access to FREE instant music downloads by Stereo Thesis, go to: http://stereothesis.bandcamp.com/
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