Food Combining Diet

Food Combining enthusiasts believe the human stomach can only correctly digest one type of food at a time, as different enzymes are needed to digest different food types.

The Food Combining Diet is based on research that proves that food is only digested well when eaten in certain combinations.

Our digestive systems will produce an acidic environment to deal with certain food groups, and an alkaline environment to digest others.

For example, starches, such as pasta or potatoes are absorbed best when the PH of the digestive tract is alkaline. This occurs when starches are eaten alone or with vegetables.

The digestion of proteins, however, requires stomach acid. When proteins and starches are combined, the digestive environment is neither acid or alkaline enough for either group to be absorbed well, which can lead to digestion problems and weight gain.

I regret to tell you that this rather tasty-looking combination of starch, protein, fats and carbohydrates is definately NOT permitted on the food combining diet

It is a basic fact in chemistry that alkalines and acids are opposites, they will neutralize each other.

It is a fact in physiology that all starchy foods digest in an alkaline medium and the starch breaking enzyme we produce in our mouths will be destroyed by acid, even a mild acid.

If acids are eaten together with starches, digestion of both foods is not possible. If breads,cereals or potatoes are eaten with berries or citrus fruits, or any other acid-bearing foods, the digestion of these starches will be delayed.

Rules of the Food Combining Diet

1. Carbohydrate foods and acidic foods should not be eaten at the same meal. Do not eat bread, rice or potatoes with lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, pineapples, tomatoes or any other sour fruit.

2. Do not eat a concentrated protein and a concentrated carbohydrate at the same meal. This means do not eat nuts, meat, eggs, cheese, or other protein food at the same meal with bread, cereals, potatoes, sweet fruits or cakes.

3. Do not eat two concentrated proteins at the same meal. Avoid nuts and meat, or eggs and meat, cheese and nuts, cheese and eggs, meat and milk, or eggs and milk or nuts at milk at the same meal.

4. Do not eat fats with proteins. This means do not use cream, butter, or oil with meat, eggs, cheese, or nuts.

5. Do not eat acidic fruits with proteins. Oranges, tomatoes, lemons, pineapples, should not be eaten with meat, eggs, cheese or nuts.

6. Do not eat starch and sugars together. Jellies, jams, fruit, butter, sugar, honey, syrups, molasses should not be used on bread, cake, or at the same meal with cereals, potatoes, or sugar with cereal, which will produce fermentation.

7. Eat only one concentrated starch food per meal. For example do not eat a bowl of pasta with a chunk of bread.

8. Do not consume melons with any other foods. Watermelon, muskmelon, honeydew melon, or cantaloupe should always be eaten alone. This is probabbly due to the ease and speed in which melons decompose.

9. Milk is best taken alone or better still, left alone. Milk is the natural food of weaning mammels, however each species produces milk precisely adapted to the needs of it’s own offspring. Cows milk is designed for a calf which in one year will weigh the equivalent of twenty human beings. Say no more.

The Mediterranean Diet

The Mediterranean diet first became popular as a heart health diet, but its role may be changing. In the 1960’s it was discovered that some people in the Mediterranean, particularly those from Crete, had a significantly longer life expectancy than people elsewhere in the world. Their diet, which is high in vegetables, meat, pasta, beans, cereals, olive oil and wine, seemed to have the ability to protect them from heart disease and stroke.

Today, though, it may become known as a weight loss diet. Spanish Researchers studying the eating habits of 1,547 men and 1615 women aged 25-74, recently found that the more closely subjects followed the diet, the lower their body fat levels became. This was surprising, because, in other studies it had been seen that Mediterraneans were not exactly slim and that contrasted sharply to the usual expectation that if you’re fat, you’re more likely to die of a stroke or heart attack.

The Mediterranean diet, is lower in foods like pastas, cheese, red meats, milk and lard than a common European diet, which some believe account for the differences in longevity. But sticking to lower glycemic carbs like the beans and cereals also causes a lower insulin response which is linked to the storage of fat in our bodies. Low carb advocates say that the diet works even better when it’s modified to lower the carbs, believing it will speed up the fat loss while continuing to provide the positive heart benefits.

So get the best of both worlds. Eat like Crete, with a low carb twist. And speed your way to quick weight loss and a long healthy life.

The CSIRO Diet

The CSIRO diet is gaining popularity - CSIRO stands for the Commonwealth and Industrial Scientific Research Organisation.

It is an Australian organisation that researches a multitude of industries including the following sectors.

Agribusiness, Energy and Transport, Environment and Natural Resources, Health,Communication and Services,Manufacturing, and Mineral Resources.

There has recently been alot of talk about the CSIRO total Wellbeing Diet. The organisation began a research project to discover why so many Austrailians are overweight- one in two Australians is overweight and one in three obese. CSIRO scientists have spent the past eight years looking at fad diets and have developed one that is proven and is backed by the federal government.

CSIRO claims the Total Wellbeing Diet is not just another diet, but a long-term eating plan that will make you feel good and could even prolong your life.

The CSIRO diet helps most people lose half a kilo per week. Some even lose two to three kilos per week. It is said people lose the weight and keep it off.

The CSIRO Total Wellbeing diet is a high protein, low carbohydrate diet. Unlike fad high-protein diets, the CSIRO plan is nutritionally balanced and contains a moderate amount of slow-release carbohydrates, which help to keep blood sugar levels even.

The CSIRO diet people say you won’t just lose weight. Your cholesterol levels come down, your blood sugar levels come down, you will also see a reduction in your blood pressure.

A typical eating day could include:

Breakfast: three quarters of a cup of high fibre cereal with low fat milk and a banana.

Lunch: a salmon and salad sandwich with a low-fat cappuccino.

Dinner: beef and vegetable kebabs with salad and even dessert — some fruit and custard.

You may have seen the commercial, so what is all the fuss about the Special K diet? Referred to as the Special K Challenge, the Kellogg Company challenges dieters to lose weight using their products and following a 2-week regimen. The claim to this diet was tested during a study where participants ate Special K cereal for breakfast and later replaced their lunch or dinner with the cereal. The remaining meal could be any meal that the dieter would normally prepare.

When following the Special K diet, the cereal is eaten with 2/3 cup of skim milk and accompanied with a piece of fruit. In regards to snacks within the day, fresh fruits and vegetables are allowed. A Special K Bar can also be eaten as a snack. When thirsty, drinks that the dieter would normally consume are allowed. Success in losing weight on the Special K diet comes when the dieter does not skip any meals during the allotted two weeks.

The Special K diet claims that a participant can lose up to six pounds within the 2-week period. During the study, the average reported weight loss was 5 pounds, where the average waist circumference change was a loss of 1.3 inches. Some may feel that eating two meals per day that consist of one cereal product a bit boring, but there are more than one Special K product to choose from. The company has produced an array of choices to satisfy different tastes.

Today, Kellogg offers Special K Red Berries, Special K Vanilla Almond, Special K Fruit & Yogurt, as well as Special K Low-Carb Lifestyle Protein Plus. To make sure that the program works for you, the amount of milk used must be measured as 2/3 cup. The program also requires that skim milk is chosen.

Special K Diet Tips

1) It is encouraged that the dieter samples a variety of Special K products, as well as rotate Special K meals throughout the day. For example, one day eat a regular meal for lunch, and then choose to eat the regular meal for dinner on the following night.

2) Don’t forget to stay active in order to burn extra calories.

3) It is important not to skip any meals or snacks throughout the day because this encourages a straying off of the plan, as well as increased feelings of hunger.

4) Drink plenty of water during the Special K diet so that you can clean your system, as well as promote digestion.

5) When eating your full meal of the day, try to bake, broil or grill your lunch or dinner.

6) Avoid beverages that are high in sugar and fat. Opt for the diet soda, as well as coffee and tea with non-fat creamers or milk. The best drink to have is always water.

7) Stay away from alcohol because it will slow down your metabolism.

The aim of the Special K diet is to lose weight over the span of two weeks. It is the hope that this short-term boost of weight loss can promote healthy eating habits that will continue in the long-term future.

1200 Calorie Diet

When you have decided to begin a 1200 calorie diet, you will be eating no more than 1200 calories throughout the course of one day. Many participants of this diet turn to this method in hopes of gaining better control over their blood sugar levels, decreasing the risk of heart ailments,

as well as attempting to lose weight.

In regards to women, following this diet is the lowest amount of calories that a female can focus on when trying to lose fat. The lowest amount of calories that a man should intake is between about 1600-1800 calories. The 1200 calorie diet is not only low in calories, but also fat. Below you will learn of the proper serving sizes for cooked or prepared food when following this diet.

Serving Sizes

1 pint or 2 cups (16 fluid ounces) of liquid = 1 1/3 cans of soda

1-1/2 cup (12 fluid ounces) of liquid = 1 can of soda.

1 cup of food = the size of a large handful or 8 fluid ounces of liquid.

1/2 cup of food = about half of a large handful or 4 fluid ounces of liquid.

2 tablespoons = almost the size of a large walnut.

1 tablespoon = about the size of the tip of your thumb, measured from the last crease

1 teaspoon = about the size of the tip of your little finger when measured from the last crease

3 ounces of cooked meat, fish, or poultry = the size of a deck of cards.

1 ounce of cooked meat, fish, or poultry = 1/4 cup

1 ounce of hard cheese = a 1-inch cube.

1 serving of vegetables = 1/2 cup (1/2 handful) cooked, as well as 1 cup (1 handful) raw.

When planning a menu that follows the 1200 calorie diet, you should look at some of the foods that you can eat throughout the day, as separated into breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. For breakfast, suggested food items include bran flakes or one poached egg. A dieter may choose to eat lunch food items, such as bread, tomatoes or water-packed tuna fish. Dinner suggestions include lean chicken breast or cooked pasta. Below you will find sample menus when interested in the 1200 calorie diet.

1200 Calorie Diet Menu Suggestions

Breakfast

1 bread or starch, such as 3/4 cup of bran flakes

1 fruit, such as one small banana

1 milk, such as 1 cup of skim or 1% milk

1 meat or meat substitute, including poached egg

Lunch

A sandwich may consist of 2 ounces meat or protein, one teaspoon of regular mayonnaise, 1 slice of bread, one lettuce leaf, as well as 1 vegetable, such as two tomato slices. A diet soda or one fruit, such as one medium orange may accompany this lunchtime meal.

Dinner

2 ounces meat or protein, like lean chicken breast

1 starch, including ½ cup cooked pasta

1 fat, such as 1 tsp butter

1 vegetable, such as 1 cup steamed vegetables

1 fruit, such as 1cup of melon pieces

1 milk, such as 1 cup of skim milk

Snacks

3 graham cracker squares

6 Saltines

¼ cup of tuna, one piece of bread, as well as 1 tablespoon of reduced-fat mayonnaise

Medium-sized banana

Smoothie, consisting of 1 cup of berries blended with 1% milk and ice cubes.

An excellent free tool for measuring how many calories you are consumming each day is Fitday.com

If you follow the 1200 calorie diet correctly, weightloss should be quite dramatic, at the rate of around 5lbs per week. I advise whilst n this diet that every fourth day you up your calories to around 1800 (if you are a woman, 2600 for a man) this will give your metabolism a boost, which tends to slow down when we follow a low calorie diet for any length of time.