Are You Mixing Explosive Foods Together?

Do you always feel great after a meal, or do you feel mysteriously bloated, nauseous, have acid reflux, burning in the upper abdomen, heavy, suddenly sleepy & tired, or even cranky? Sometimes we think we eat right, and if we take each food item separately, it might actually be true, but when we combine them together - sometimes these foods aren't mixing quite right inside our belly.

Here is a quick guideline for someone who wants an easy and quick digestive fix:

• Starches + Veggies = OK

• Starches + Starches = OK

• Proteins + Veggies = OK

• Plant Proteins + Plant Proteins = OK

• Fats + Carbohydrates = OK

• Fats + Starches = OK

• Fruit + Raw greens = OK (except melons)

• Proteins + Starches = No No

• Animal Proteins + Animal Proteins = No No

• Fats + Proteins (animal or plant) = No No (or pair moderately)

Let's go over the No No's:

1. Protein & starch don't mix because protein & sugar don't mix. At all. Sugar kickstarts a fermenting process in your GI tract which causes bloating. Starchy foods include:

• Breading

• Potatoes

• Rice

• Legumes (beans, chickpeas, lentils)

• Any noodles (including Gluten-Free, which are still made from legumes or rice)

• Wheat & Gluten-Free breads

• Corn

• Peas

2. If it's starch (ex. potatoes) or grain (ex. rice) time - make it vegan. Pair potatoes, quinoa, pasta, rice with veggies.

3. Fruit likes to travel LIGHT through your belly. Eat fruit by itself, in a salad, or in a juice/smoothie. If the fruit is your dessert, wait 30 minutes after a meal.

• Fruit + oats = No. Oats are full of Starch.

• Fruit + regular yogurt = No. A dairy is a form of animal protein that doesn't mix well with fruit.

• Fruit + dairy-free yogurt = YES.

• Fruit + cereal/granola = No. The cereal is heavily based in starch.

4. If it's dairy time, which is a form of animal protein - make it lacto-vegetarian (which excludes eggs). Lacto-vegetarian recipes. Remember to avoid starch for a better bowel movement.

• Choose goat & sheep-based dairy over cow dairy as those are easier to digest.

Try to avoid the Standard American Diet as much as possible. It combines all the wrong things, making your digestive tract explode on you, increasing inflammation & a myriad of other symptoms.

Potatoes are probably one of the toughest vegetables to give up in the American Diet, so consider making a side from these great options instead:

• leafy green salad

• steamed broccoli

• baked garlic asparagus

• cauliflower rice

• grilled zucchini

• grilled eggplant

• sauteed mushrooms

• sauteed spinach & bacon