Television and film actress Marilu Henner is the author of “Marilu Henner’s Total Health Makeover” (HarperTrade, 1998). Once a yo-yo dieter with little energy and frequent colds, Marilu only began to enjoy stabilized weight, increased energy and stamina, and a renewed sense of well-being after she changed her fundamental eating and health habits. In her book, she shares these secrets.
All about Food Combining…
Food Combining theories date back to the 1800’s. Those were times when there was little, if any, understanding of food digestion and assimilation. The name may have changed over the years, but it’s a concept that has survived through every fad of dieting. The reason people enjoy this form of eating is that they can eat more food than when they are on a typical diet, but less food when they are pigging out.)
How it works…
Proper food combining helps the body digest enzymatically, which produces essential amino acids that repair and maintain the body.
Some of your basic tips…
Divide your day into three food combining segments; preferably eat fruit only in the morning, a protein lunch, and a starch dinner. If you experience a 4:00 slump, try saving some of your lunch to recharge your batteries. Never eat starch and protein together.
Marilu prefers to eat fruit first thing in the morning…This gives her a cleansing fruit meal. Then she packs her lunch with protein in the middle of the day)
Will I be hungry eating this way?
With food combining, your body will be digesting so efficiently that you may get hungry more often…that’s normal. It’s better to eat smaller meals more often so as not to overtax your digestive system.
What if…
…you eat protein and starch during the same meal?
Eat some legumes.
…you eat too much protein?
Eat papaya the next morning
…you eat too much sugar or salt?
For sugar – eat grapes the next morning.
For salt – eat watermelon the next morning.
What about alcohol…is that allowed?
Yes. Drink two glasses of water for every ounce of hard liquor, four ounces of wine, or eight ounces of beer that you drink. When eating starches, it is better to drink beer or grain alcohol (vodka, scotch etc.), since they are starch-based.
How long should you wait between meals?
two hours after eating fruit, three hours after eating starches, four hours after eating proteins.
2 Comments
Your must be logged in to comment.
10:08 pm on January 25th, 2010
i began food combining when i had gained weight for no apparent reason.i was feeling very low energy with aches and pains, joint pains especially, headaches, bad gas and belching and acid reflux. within three weeks of food combining i have lost 4 kilos (ten pounds) most of which was water retention and inflammation. i no longer have bone or joint pain. i am going to continue with this way of eating forever. it does not tax the digestive system and my body is not wasting energy trying to digest improper combinations. i have energy galore and feel great.!!! i actually noticed a BIG difference after only 3 days.
2:09 pm on October 5th, 2012
I find this subject intiresteng and have two angles to share. I was contacted last summer by a producer in Florida. Joan Lunden was hosting. (It might have been the same show Lori mentions above.) Rather than call him directly, I asked my virtual assistant to be the go-between. It became clear it was a pay-to-play and when the producer realized that I (the decision maker) wasn’t going to get on the phone until my V.A. had the price details, he stopped calling. Word up: If your VA can’t get information, it’s likely pay-to-play.On an inside scoop story, I was one of ~7 women who auditioned to be one of the hosts on The Balancing Act. My Miami acting agency sent me to the audition and I flew from DC to FL to attend. I couldn’t believe how disorganized the audition was. Late late late. Like many business owners, I accomplish a lot because I stick to a schedule and balance a lot. Yet in this case, we had a show CALLED The Balancing Act that ironically was very UNbalanced in honoring everyone’s time. I’d have to look back at my calendar, but I recall my audition was at least 2 hours late. I WAS LIVID. I had a rental car to return .. a plane I had to catch to get back to DC (mind you, you don’t get reimbursed for travel $$ on auditions) a DC client auction meeting I could NOT miss honestly, my audition reflected my panicky, disgusted state. Sealing my fate, I left before round #2 of the audition when we were paired with other women to get a sense of chemistry. Jeesh, what a waste of a few hundred travel dollars and all my time. Anyway, I don’t recall the show’s structure as being a pay-for-play. But now knowing that, I’m even happier that things turned out as they did.