Proper Food Combining: Fruit First!

As a kid, I thought it would be a great idea to eat dessert first. But Mom was certainly correct to argue that it would spoil my dinner. However, you may be surprised to find out that dessert first is actually not such a bad idea after all. That is, if you would prefer to avoid post-meal intestinal discomfort.

For optimal digestion and assimilation of nutrients, certain types of foods should not be combined with others. Follow these rules when preparing meals in order to achieve comfortable and optimal digestion:

1. Fruit First: Fruit should only be eaten on an empty stomach and never after consumption of starches or proteins. A piece of fresh fruit contains all the elements it needs to digest itself; it needs almost no help from the body. Fruit passes through the digestive system in under an hour and will rot or ferment if the passage of the fruit is hindered by starch or protein. Often, desserts are made of fruit. That is why I say dessert first may not be such a bad idea. When you slam fruit on top of a tofu burger, the fruit will begin to rot since it takes the digestive system 3-4 hours to digest that protein. When you slam fruit on top of mashed potatoes, the fruit will ferment. In each case, the result is gas, bloating, indigestion, or heartburn. No fun for you, your neighbors, or your digestive system.
   
   My strategy is always to eat fruit first thing in the morning. I know my stomach is completely empty and no problems will result. Additionally, fruit for breakfast is a great idea because it is cleansing and the perfect way to stimulate bowel elimination.



2. Separate Starch From Protein: Starches and proteins require different digestive environments. The protein requires an acid environment while the starch needs a more alkaline one. If the two are combined, no ideal environment is achieved which results in undigested starches and proteins moving through the digestive system. This means you are not only suffering the discomfort but you are also not absorbing the nutrients from your food. Some foods, such as a garbanzo bean, are naturally composed of some combination of protein and starch. In this case, it is okay to eat the food because it is naturally composed. The body can coordinate digestion. Don't make it difficult on your body by combining all kinds of proteins and starches yourself.


3. High Water Content Vegetables & Natural Fats Are Neutral: Vegetables and natural fats such as avocados and olive oil are neutral and may be combined with either starch or protein. It is a great idea to eat a big, green salad with any meal. Fats and oils can really add flavor and substance.

A sample day's worth of meals might look like this:

Breakfast
Fruit or Green Smoothie

Lunch
Protein
Vegetable salad

Dinner
Starch
Green Salad with olive oil and balsamic vinegar


Now that you know the basic rules to proper food combining, apply them and become aware of how your current habits can be altered for improved digestion.

Smile, 'cause dessert is being served first from now on!

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Raw Power Breakfast

My favorite mid-morning breakfast (after my green smoothie, of course) is a sprouted buckwheat cereal with Hazelnut milk. So good! This combo will stave off hunger all morning. Just yesterday I prepared for a long trek up Mount St. Helens by starting off with a coconut smoothie and the buckwhat cereal I'm going to share with you today. It did the trick and gave me the energy I needed for the climb.

Raw Sprouted Buckwheat Cereal

Ingredients:

• Raw buckwheat groats
  
• Raw sunflower seeds
  
• Raw pumpkin seeds
  
• Raw Chia seeds
  
• Cinnamon
  
• Raisins
  Optional:
  
• Slippery Elm Bark powder
  
• Licorice Root powder
  

At least 8 hours beforehand, you will need to sprout some raw buckwheat groats, raw sunflower seeds, and raw pumpkin seeds. Amounts don't matter much here; you just make as much as you want and keep the ingredients in the refrigerator for the next day. I sprout each of these items overnight by soaking them in water. In the morning, I drain the water and rinse the seeds. I store the sprouted sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a jar in the refrigerator and continue to rinse the buckwheat for another 8-24 hours. I sprout the buckwheat just until I can see little tails poking out, but I do not want them to get too long.

Once you have your sprouted seeds and buckwheat, combine the ingredients in a bowl in the following approximate amounts:

• 1/2 C. Buckwheat
  
• 1/4 C. Sunflower seeds
  
• 1/4 C. Pumpkin seeds
  
• 1 tsp. Chia seeds
  
• 1/4 tsp. Cinnamon
  
• 1/8 C. Raisins
  
• 1 tsp. Slippery Elm Bark powder
  
• 1/4 tsp. Licorice Root powder
  

Top the combo with homemade Hazelnut Milk made as follows:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C. Raw Hazelnuts
  
• 4 Dates
  
• 1" Vanilla Bean
  
• 3 C. Filtered water
  

1. Sprout the Hazelnuts overnight by soaking them in filtered water.
   
2. Rinse the nuts in the morning and put them in your blender.
   
3. Add the dates, vanilla bean, and about half the water to the blender.
   
4. Blend on high for approximately 3 minutes.
   
5. Add what remains of the water.
   
6. Adjust the sweetness with dates and consistency with water.
   

Yummy!

Sprouts are an energy-giving food. As Ann Wigmore states in her book, they are "biogenic--alive--and capable of transferring their life energy to your body." You should incorporate as many sprouts into your regular diet. Sprouting your nuts, seeds, grains, and legumes increases the vitamin and mineral content significantly as well as increases the digestibility. Check out Ann Wigmore's book The Sprouting Book to read about the amazing benefits of sprouts.

Pumpkin seeds and Sunflower seeds provide high quality proteins and fats, magnesium, iron, phosphorous, zinc, and vitamin E. By eating the seeds sprouted, those nutrients are ready and available to nourish your body.

Chia seeds provide amino acids for rebuilding tissues and Omega-3 oils to keep your brain and joints healthy and to assist in the absorption of fat soluble vitamins.

The Slippery Elm/Licorice combination is a great addition to soothe, heal, lubricate, and nourish the entire digestive tract. Both act to calm inflamed mucous membranes and tissues.


Sources:
http://articles.herballegacy.com/slippery-elm-ii-%e2%80%93-applications-of-slippery-elm/
http://articles.herballegacy.com/the-benefits-of-the-use-of-licorice-in-herbal-preparations-part-iii/
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Rejuvelac Smoothie for Healthy Digestion

This week I successfully brewed my own rejuvelac! I have been using it as the liquid base in my daily green smoothie and would like you to consider trying it as well. You might be thinking, "Rejuva-what?" Keep reading, and I will explain.

A brief introduction to rejuvelac:

What is it?
Rejuvelac is a fermented beverage used to replenish intestinal microflora and help rebuild digestion.

How is it made?
Rejuvelac is made by fermenting sprouted grain in water over a 2-3 day period.

What does it taste like?
Rejuvelac is slightly fizzy with a hint of lemon flavor. Most people do not like it at first but get used to it. It is not something I would sip out on my deck on a sunny afternoon, but that is why I put it in my smoothies! Nutrition without repulsion!

Below, I describe how to make my rejuvelac.

1.  Start by sprouting 1 cup of wheat berries (or other grain such as rye or millet) in a 1 quart mason jar.

Sprouting Procedures:

• Rinse the wheat berries once. If you have a sprouting screen to put over the mouth of your mason jar, this will make the process much easier, but a screen is not necessary.
  
• Put the grain into your mason jar, fill with pure water, and let it soak for 8 hours or overnight.
  
• Next, drain the grain, rinse once, and drain sufficiently. If you have the sprouting screen, leave the jar tipped into a bowl at a downward slant to allow air to circulate and the grain to continue to drain. If you do not have the screen, drain well and leave the jar open and tipped sideways on your counter.
  
• Let the grain sit for another 8-12 hours and rinse again.
  
• You will rinse it 2 or 3 times a day until the sprouts are tiny and just emerging from the seed. This will take 1-2 days.
  
• Put the sprouts in your blender with some water to cover and blend on high for 5 seconds.
  
• At this point, you are ready to begin fermenting!
  

2.  Put the ground-up grain back in your mason jar and fill the jar up with pure water.

3.  Add a dash of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar or fresh lemon juice to make the solution slightly acid and help the fermentation process along.

4.  Add about 10 slices of fresh ginger root for an interesting flavor.

5.  Cover the top of your jar with a cheese cloth or other cloth that will allow air to come through. Secure the cloth with a rubber band.

6.  Let your sprouted grains soak for 72 hours, no more. Warm temperatures will speed the fermentation process. It that case, it will be done earlier. A white film on top is good. If the film turns colors, throw the grain away and start over. Give the jar a gentle spin 2-3 times a day. Expect some bubbling to show at the top.

7.  After you have let the solution ferment, strain out the grain fragments and store the liquid in a clean, sealable jar. There you have your rejuvelac!

8.  Give it a taste. It won't taste spectacular, but it should be slightly fizzy and lemony.

9.  Make a green smoothie with a banana, lime, greens, and frozen pineapple.

10.  Discard the used grain.

Now, I want to tell you a little more about the benefits of rejuvelac to convince you that this process is worth the effort.

In our guts exist colonies of bacteria which exist symbiotically with us. These probiotic microorganisms are naturally occurring and serve many important purposes such as the following:

• Protecting against foreign bacteria, yeasts, fungi, and infections
  
• Producing and absorbing vitamins, enzymes, and oxygen
• Improving skin health
• Correcting digestive dysfunction

Antibiotics are the opposite of these probiotics and will seriously compromise your digestive health. If you have ever taken antibiotics, it is necessary to rebuild that healthy ecosystem.

Stress is another killer of healthy gut bacteria. Stress can alter the pH of the system and endanger the delicate balance of microflora.

Microflora is also affected by the food we eat. It lives primarily on bits of undigested plant food. An unhealthy diet may allow less desirable microflora to overgrow and other helpful microflora to die leading to an imbalance. This means we should continuously include in our diets plenty of raw plant food that is high in fiber. Keep in mind that many processed and packaged foods contain anti-biotic substances such as preservatives, pesticides, fungicides, sterilizing agents, etc. that can damage your microflora. Even the chemical additives in your tap water such as fluoride and chlorine can throw off the delicate balance of your digestive ecosystem.

To keep your digestive microflora healthy and plentiful consider the following:

1. Begin consuming more raw, fermented foods such as vinegar, miso, kombucha, and rejuvelac. In addition to my rejuvelac smoothie every morning, I drink 2 tablespoons of raw, apple cider vinegar. I drink it down like a shot. If this is too scary for you, don't hesitate to sweeten it with a bit of raw agave or raw honey. Apple cider vinegar is alkalizing as well as a digestive tonic.
   
2. Eat plenty of raw, organic produce that will provide indigestible starches and cellulose on which the microflora thrives.
   
3. Take a high quality probiotic supplement. If I ever suffer indigestion after consuming a heavy meal, I take 2-3 probiotic supplement capsules, and the stomach ache is gone in less than 30 minutes. Probiotics that have worked for me are Natural Choice Pro-5 Probiotic Blend, Dr. Mercola's Complete Probiotics, and NSI Probiotic 10-20. Read a great article on probiotics here.
   

Sources:
http://www.jonbarron.org/detoxing-health-program/2008-10-27.php
http://www.kalsschool.com/Newsletters/tabid/198/Default.aspx#friendly_flora

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Green For Life!

I just read a fabulous book that I HAVE to share with everyone: Green For Life by Victoria Boutenko. I started drinking green smoothies about a month ago but was doing it experimentally and without much direction. I had decided that I wanted to start eating more greens, and hadn't been 100% successful with a daily salad discipline. So one morning I decided to just incorporate into my daily fruit smoothie the spinach sitting in my refrigerator untouched.

Victoria tells her story about how she helped save herself and the health of her family with the discovery of green smoothies. As a tenacious researcher, Victoria provides a host of health facts and explains very simply how a daily green smoothie can make an immense difference in one's health and well being. I am incredibly excited about the green smoothie, what it can do for my health, how good it tastes, and how easy it is to make. For those that don't have much time for breakfast or any nutritious meal, the green smoothie is the answer!

Victoria shows how we can get all our necessary protein from greens as well as a host of vitamins and trace minerals. She contends that dark green leafy vegetables should to be in their own food group separate from other vegetables, and these can be combined with anything, including fruit without any ill digestive effects.

Some of the many benefits of consuming lots of raw, dark green leafy vegetables involve the following:

Fiber: the insoluble fiber found in greens acts as a sponge that soaks up toxins and cleans them out. Without enough insoluble fiber, our bodies will try to eliminate through the skin, eyes, nose, and mouth. Rough, blemished skin and excess mucous are signs of this.

Stomach Acid: Many people today have low stomach acid (hypochlorhydria) and don't even know it. This is a big problem because our stomachs need sufficient hydrochloric acid in order to fully break down our foods and assimilate the nutrients. Without sufficient stomach acid, we become malnourished. Signs that you may have low stomach acid include some of the following:

• Bloating, belching, or flatulence immediately after meals
  
• Indigestion, diarrhea, or constipation
  
• Heartburn
  
• Multiple food allergies
  
• Adult acne
  
• Undigested food in the stools
  
• Chronic yeast infections
  

Victoria conducted her own experiment in collaboration with a medical doctor using volunteers with hypochlorhydria who were willing to incorporate green smoothies into their diets without changing any other habits. After only 30 days, 67% of these volunteers experienced improved stomach acid levels as well as dramatic positive health benefits such as weight loss, increased energy, healthy elimination, decreased cravings for sweets and junk food, and improved sleep. Even better - they all said drinking the green smoothies was easy!

Blood pH: Proper pH balance is a critical factor for optimal health. Cancer and disease thrive in a low pH environment but cannot survive in an alkaline environment. With all the acid-forming, processed foods that are popular today, it is no wonder that cancer is growing prolifically. Additionally, an acid state may be the reason so many people are unsuccessful at losing weight because the body uses fat to store the acid. Eating plenty of alkalizing raw greens and fresh fruits will raise the pH of the body making it possible to maintain optimal, disease-free health.


Rest assured that I didn't divulge the entire contents of the book. I encourage you to get it (check your local library!) and read the fleshed out points and arguments. I only presented a brief taste of the information and evidence that the author presents.

At the end of the book, Victoria provides various smoothie recipes. These will help until you get your imagination going. I will provide one here:

Raspberry Dream
Blend well:
2 bosc pears
1 handful of raspberries
4-5 leaves of kale (take out the thick, woody stem)
2 cups of water
Yields: 1 quart of smoothie

Remember to rotate your greens and include a wide variety. I didn't eat kale or collard greens until I started drinking green smoothies. Victoria says that many weeds you pull from your garden are spectacular, nutrient-packed greens such as lambsquarters. Don't throw the tops of your carrots away! They may contain far more nutrition than the carrot itself. Blend those! The same goes for beet tops.

Read my Green Salad Smoothie article for two more smoothie ideas.

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