Food Combining - How to Create Food Combinations for Optimum Nutrition

In July '06, we finally went to work on our too-large waistlines. We learned about the guidelines suggested by Michel Montignac for food combinations. The theory is based on food-insulin stimulation and the how carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are metabolised. The guidelines are to avoid those foods in the first column (except for special treats) and use ingredients from either column A or column B, and combine them only with those in column C.

In July, 2006, we decided initially to give this a go for 6 weeks or so to see how it worked for us. It rather quickly had some desired results. We found that, mostly we don't eat different foods but instead changed the way we combine them together in each meal or snack. We had to give up a few favorites like macaroni and cheese, etc., but the results have been worth it so we're sticking with it - albeit allowing ourselves a few deviations as seem warranted.

**Guidelines for Combining Foods**
Category	Avoid	Group A (Legumes, nuts and grains)	Group B (Animal protein and fat)	Group C (eat as much as you want of these)
Grains Vegetables Legumes Nuts	White potatoes Cooked carrots Corn Beets Refined grains	Dry beans Quinoa Lentils Chick peas Peas Whole grain pasta Basmati rice Bulgur/couscous Nuts Soy products Whole grain bread Whole grain cereal		Artichokes Eggplant Broccoli Cauliflower Carrots (raw) Mushrooms Cabbage Kohlrabi Squash Onion Green leafy veggies Leeks Radish Tomatoes Sweet potatoes
Meat Fish Eggs	Visible fat Skin		Beef Lamb, Pork Eggs	Fish Seafood
Dairy	Butter for cooking		Butter Cheese	Skim milk Low fat/skim cheese Low fat/skim yoghurt Low fat sour cream
Miscellaneous	Cookies Soda Candy Sweetened cereal Sugary jams White flour Palm Oil Coconut Oil Ketchup Honey White bread White rice (ex Basmati) Sugar	Jam without sugar Marmalade without sugar Fructose	Olive Oil Canola Oil Nut Oil	Fruits (fresh or dry)

Here are some tips we used to make menu changes:

Make stir fries or other meat dishes and serve with salad and extra veggies instead of rice, pasta, potatoes, etc.
For a snack, try serving cheese slivers on apple slices, celery, or zucchini instead of crackers.
Wrap a hamburger in a lettuce leaf instead of a bun.
Make meat-filled wraps using romaine lettuce leaves.
Make pizza on thick slices of eggplant.
Make lasagna with thin slices of sauteed eggplant or zucchini.
Use kohlrabi, yams, yucca, or cauliflower instead of potatoes. [Make a delicious Au Gratin by cutting up the veggies, boil or steam until barely tender. Meanwhile, saute choped onions, garlic, and a can of chopped tomatoes together to make a sauce. Put the veggies in a casserole, cover with sauce, top with a low-fat mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake until top is brown.]
Make your own mayonnaise from 1 cup canola oil, 1 tsp lemon juice, 1 egg and salt and pepper.

Bill Dillon (KG4QFM)
and
Pat Watt (KG4QFQ)
This page was last modified on August 9, 2009