going meatless
“If you perfectly food combine, you won’t believe the results. Your digestion will work so much better and the volume of food you can eat will surprise you. You lose that gassy, bloated, stomach-distended feeling. Suddenly, your food starts working for you, not against you.”
~ Marilu Henner, Total Health Makeover, page 106


Step 6 of the Total Health Makeover® is the Food Combining step. The purpose of food combining is to help your body digest food more efficiently and effectively. This theory was developed by Dr. William Hay in the 1920's. He discovered that, when protein and starches are eaten together, it takes too much energy to digest that meal. The food sits in the stomach longer than necessary, where it does not digest properly. Digestion in this situation is primarily through the bacterial action of fermentation, causing gas, bloating and abdominal pain. If you are uncomfortable after eating, you may find great relief with food combining.

It's actually very easy to combine your foods properly. Think of each meal as either a fruit meal, a starch meal, or a protein meal. Aim to eat one of each meal type every day.

• Fruit meals consist of fruit, which is generally eaten alone. Acid fruits (citrus, strawberries, cranberries, kiwis, pineapples) may be eaten with sub-acid fruits (apples, apricots, blackberries, cherries, peaches, plums, pears, raspberries, mangoes, nectarines, grapes, papayas). Eat sweet fruits (bananas, plantains, dates, persimmons, figs, prunes, raisins, dried fruits) by themselves. Eat melons (cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, casaba, Christmas, Crenshaw) by themselves, because they digest so quickly.
  
  
• Sample fruit meals include fruit smoothie (blend 2 cups of acid and sub-acid fruits with 1/2 cup juice or water), or fruit plate/fruit salad. Fruit is good for the first meal of the day (break-fast) because it helps clean out the digestive tract. Fruit is also a good snack.
  
  
• Starch meals are based on whole grains (brown rice, barley, oats, buckwheat, wheat, rye, corn, quinoa, millet, amaranth, etc.), whole-grain based products (pasta, bread, cereal) or starchy vegetables (potatoes, carrots, parsnips, turnips, sweet potatoes, winter squashes, etc.). Starches are eaten together with vegetables and/or legumes (beans, peas, peanuts, soyfoods, etc.).
  
  
• Sample starch meals include whole-grain pasta with marinara sauce and salad, baked potatoes topped with vegetarian chili, corn and potato chowder, peanut butter sandwich, vegetable stew over couscous, Chinese vegetable stir-fry over brown rice.
  
  
• Protein meals are meals that include animal-based protein, such as eggs, turkey, chicken and fish. If you are a vegan, you will not eat any protein meals. Poultry, fish and eggs are properly combined with vegetables and/or legumes (beans, peas, peanuts, soyfoods, etc.). Note: A meal without animal protein is not considered a protein meal, although it may provide plenty of protein in the form of essential amino acids.

You can read about Food Combining in the following books:

Total Health Makeover
chapter 9 (also chapter 2 on Balance)

30-Day Total Health Makeover
short summary on pages 56-64; recipes are properly combined through Green Week

Healthy Life Kitchen
Chapter 6
Three entree chapters! One each for Grain, Soy, and Protein entrees. Not all recipes are properly combined.

Healthy Kids
Food combining chart on pages 302-303. Not all recipes are properly combined.

You can see and print Marilu's food combining chart.

Getting started with food combining:

• Start with properly combining one meal a day - breakfast is often the easiest meal to start with. Create 4-5 properly combined breakfast menus. Here are a few ideas - melon plate, bowl of oatmeal, scrambled eggs, peanut butter toast, 2 pieces of fruit, or buckwheat pancakes.
  
  
• Create 4-5 properly combined protein meal menus for dinner. This is usually fairly easy because most families eat protein entrees for dinner. If your family still wants a starch with their protein entree (such as potatoes), you can choose not to eat that part of the meal. Here are a few ideas - grilled chicken with grilled vegetables, fish and vegetable packets with salad, turkey meatloaf with steamed green beans and salad, vegetable fritatta (or omelet) with salad.
  
  
• Create 4-5 properly combined starch meal menus for dinner. Try whole-wheat penne pasta primavera with salad, baked sweet potatoes and sauteed kale, acorn squash stuffed with brown rice pilaf and mushrooms, minestrone soup with whole-grain garlic bread, ratatouille over quinoa.
  
  
• For lunch, it can be easiest to start by eating leftovers from a properly combined dinner. Or try a salad of mixed greens topped with tuna salad (protein meal) or cooked grains drizzled with vinaigrette (starch meal).