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I promised to offer more information on the potential benefits of Proper Food Combining in my last nutrition post, The Secrets to Detoxing. Proper Food Combining may be the missing cornerstone to healthy eating and something we’ll want to understand if we’re interested in achieving and maintaining a beautiful, healthy body and mind for life.  Entire books have been written upon these subjects so I must admit, attempting to write blog posts on them can feel rather daunting!  However, I suppose that’s the benefit, condensing everything into the most important points so that you can save yourself the effort of sifting through reams of information and get to work applying these anti-aging, beautifying and energy enhancing secrets!  

Proper Food Combining (1,2,3) may enable our bodies to process food efficiently and more effectively absorb the nutrients it needs to stay healthy.  It’s based on the theory that different food groups require different digestion times and different digestive enzymes to aid in the digestive process: some acid, some alkaline.  Therefore, correct food combinations are considered important for proper utilization and absorption of nutrients potentially leading to better digestion and ultimately, better health.  Basically, the simpler the meal the better.  

While the method is easy to follow, it’s certainly a far departure from the Standard American Diet (SAD).  However, after just two weeks following the guidelines in the chart below, general emotional outlook and appearance can improve as toxins are cleared out of the system faster.  Cravings are often eliminated- making it incredibly easy to stick to – while the immediate energy surge, effortless toning, melting away of excess body fat and glowing skin may serve as reinforcements against any ideas of going back to old habits!  

I am continually shocked to learn the amazing wisdom available when I challenge what I find unacceptable… in this case the gut feeling I’d had all along that staying lean and feeling good shouldn’t be difficult.  The constant battle against cravings, subpar energy levels etc., all stayed in place even though I was following the advice and workout recommendations of the most respected doctors and best-selling authors!  Not that I wasn’t seeing major improvements along my journey – I was.  However, until incorporating several aspects of proper food combining, it was all a little too effortful, requiring a level of will-power that wasn’t sustainable.

Here is where I really want to delve into the science of Proper Food Combining so you can understand the “how” behind it all.  The chart (4) below offers an excellent summary for how to apply the results of all the science involved.  And, since this will turn into a book if I explain every possible poor food combination, I’ve provided just two examples underneath the chart; what happens when we combine protein and carbohydrates, and how to consume fruit.  Feel free to post specific questions in the comments below and I’ll be happy to answer them.  

In the meantime, here’s a really simplified version that won’t put us all to sleep:  Basically, when we improperly combine food, the environment required to digest it is compromised, for reasons such as improper levels of acidity, the wrong or inhibited enzymes, improper levels of digestive acid etc..  The result is the body’s inability to digest the food, causing it to putrify, ferment, produce gas and ultimately create a digestive, toxic nightmare.  This scenario zaps our energy and turns any preexisting nutritive benefits into an age-accelerating, weight gain producing horror.  The terrific news is, simply changing the way we eat can immediately reverse all that.  As I stressed in my last post, the best way to transition into a cleansing lifestyle is gradually, so it’s ok and normal that we’ll have a learning/implementation curve.  As always, we NEVER need to be perfect 🙂  

Food Combinations Chart 

(Click on chart to enlarge)

Examples: 

 Protein and carbohydrate concentrated foods.  Breakdown of protein requires an acid medium, therefore, digestion of protein dense animal products requires high levels of hydrochloric acid. Since digestion of carbohydrate dense foods requires exactly the opposite environment, an alkaline medium,  in order to be broken down, high carbohydrate foods that have been mixed with high protein foods will not digest but will sit there fermenting, producing indigestion, bloating and gas. Since this fermentation of carbohydrates will inhibit the digestion of the protein, even more gas, bloating and discomfort will be produced. This makes the typical American meal, composed of a big chunk of meat alongside bread and potatoes, a recipe for digestive disaster.

Fruits. Fruit digests very quickly. It’s extremely cleansing and excellent to eat at breakfast, while the body is still in cleansing mode after a night of fasting.  Always eat fruit on an empty stomach such as at the beginning of the day.  Otherwise, the fruit will get backed up behind another slower digesting food, and will sit in the stomach putrefying, turning what was once a cleansing, beautifying cocktail of nutrition into a toxic, aging, energy drain.  I’ll go into further detail in a future post on how this resulting “toxic sludge” gets permanently baked into the body’s 98.6F environment- just one reason cleansing requires an ongoing lifestyle in order to remove years of toxicity from the body.

I will continue to expand upon the applications of Food Combining in my next post where I’ll include a sample daily menu following these guidelines.  In the meantime, my incredibly delicious Quadruple Berry Acai Smoothie followed an hour later by this energizing superfood Macaccino drink, are giving my mornings a powerful start 🙂

 


Cleansing Quadruple Berry Acai Smoothie

Recipe for Cleansing Quadruple Berry Acai Smoothie (Makes 2, 32 oz servings)

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 fresh lemon
  • 10 oz fresh or frozen blackberries
  • 10 oz fresh or frozen blueberries
  • 10 oz fresh or frozen strawberries
  • 2 frozen, unsweetened, acai packets (Pronounced ah-sah-yee, acai berries come from acai palm trees found in Central & South America. They’re touted as being a superfood for anti-aging, weight loss & overall health. If you can’t find Acai, substitute 1/4 cup dried Goji berries or just use fresh or frozen raspberries.)
  • 2 tablespoons pomegranate concentrate, or sub a sprinkling of fresh or frozen cranberries
  • 1/2″ of fresh ginger root (a fabulous anti-inflammatory which also aids in digestion!)
  • your favorite sweetener to taste

Method:

  1. Place all ingredients into a Vitamix Blender.
  2. Fill almost to top with water.
  3. Process until thoroughly blended.
  4. Pour into two 32 oz mason jars and enjoy the GLOW!!

PS.  Don’t forget to post any questions you have in the comments below.  I’m happy to do my best to answer them all.  Also, thank you so much for all the amazing emails you sent me regading StyleNectar and my new Fine Art website too!  I really appreciate the love. You all are AMAZING!

 

In grace, light and presence✨ 

Love 💕

~Jayashrii

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Live Beautifully

&

Be well

Jayashrii (Juliane)   💫
(Jayashrii is my Sanskrit Yogic name given by my teacher in India)

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Sources:

1. How to Always be Well by Dr. William Howard Hay
2. Fit for Life by Harvey Diamond
3. Food Combining Made Easy, Herbert Shelton
4. http://lytnyc.com/pdfs/foodComboChart_03.09.11.pdf

I am not a healthcare practitioner or provider. To the extent that any information is provided through this website, it is for general informational purposes only and is not intended to constitute or substitute for medical advice or counseling, the practice of medicine including but not limited to psychiatry, psychology, psychotherapy or the provision of health care diagnosis or treatment, the creation of a physician-patient or clinical relationship, or an endorsement, a recommendation or a sponsorship of any third party, product or service by me. If you have or suspect that you have a medical problem, contact your health care provider promptly. Information and statements regarding dietary supplements available on this website have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

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The Happy Shake, recipe created by Stacy Stowers

I don't know about you, but I definitely have a sweet tooth.  I love  (raw) chocolate… and (vegan) ice-cream…  and all the sorts of things that make one energized, happy and feeling fabulous in body, mind and spirit.  Wait!  You say.  That sounds too good to be true!  Does something with all that actually exist?  In fact it does.  It's called…

 The Happy Shake!

Inspired by supremely talented raw food chef, Stacy Stowers, this superfoods-galore smoothie, disguised as creamy, chocolate, soft-serve ice-cream, is so unbelievable it's become a staple at "Blissed Out", the Organic Juice & Smoothie Bar on Martha's Vineyard.  So, next time you're visiting the Vineyard, make sure you stop in to try it out… just kidding, of course I have shared my version of the recipe below:-)  

Jim and I enjoy The Happy Shake as a decadent morning kickstart.  Be prepared to experience exuberant energy, an outstanding mood and satiation likely to take you well beyond lunchtime. When you wake up the next day, don't be suprised if you feel extraordinarily well rested. Perhaps you may even notice a new glow to your complexion… 

then you'll know how this recipe got it's name 😉

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The Happy Shake

The Happy Shake (Serves 1) 

INGREDIENTS & METHOD: Make sure you follow the method exactly! You will need a high-powered blender such as a Vitamix.

1.  Liquid Base.  

  • Start with 1/2 cup water
  • Add 4 cups loosely packed spinach
  • Add a Good FAT. You need the good fat for metabolizing the spinach and keeping you satisfied for hours. You may choose from: 1 Tbs. Hemp or Chia Seed or 1/4 Avocado

2.  The Happy Part…

  • 1/2 Tbs. Maca Powder for stamina, endurance and mental clarity.
  • 1 Tbs. Raw Cacao Powder for that HAPPY BLISS feeling. 
  • A great option for some additional alkalizing GREENS… add 1/2 Tbs. Vitamineral Green Powder or Spirulina (I always add it)
  • Liquid Stevia to taste

3. DO NOT add fruit yet… Blend preceding ingredients into a green concoction FIRST!

4. Finally, add 1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries & 1 frozen banana to your green concoction & blend into a chocolate, soft-serve ice-cream. BLUEberries + GREEN = Chocolate BROWN!

5. Optional: top with a teaspoon of cacao nibs.

Now go out and have the BEST Day Ever!

Superfood Note: Super Foods like Maca and Cacao are very powerful foods bordering on medicine. This is a good time to do your own research on these two amazing foods. Start in small doses and listen to your body. 

You may also enjoy: Poached Egg Topped Quinoa Cakes

 & Cocao Crispies

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Maple Cinnamon Crispies & Strawberries awaiting creamy Almond Milk

Maple Cinnamon Crispies (and Cocoa Crispies), a recipe from the beautiful book, Raw Food Real World, by the equally beautiful Sarma Melngailis, falls into the addictive category for me. Not only are they delicious served in a bowl of creamy Almond milk (they remain nice & crispy in milk too!) but, since I find myself daydreaming of their crisp, sweet deliciousness, they're currently my favorite snack as well… a perfect nibble alongside a cup of tea. Fortunately, they're also quick and easy to make! 

Buckwheat isn't actually a grain, but rather, an edible fruit seed which is easy for the body to digest, unlike grains, which increase acidity in the body, upsetting its pH balance. An overly acidic body is a magnet for sickness, disease, cancer and aging. Eating more alkaline foods helps shift your body's pH and oxygenates your system, keeping your body healthy, functioning correctly and even preventing and combating cancer.

Maple Cinnamon Crispies (and Cocoa Crispies) is one of the first recipes I made using my Excalibur dehydrator, a raw foodist's tool for many recipes. The dehydrator achieves the ability to warm and "cook" ingredients in a processs which retains almost 100% of the nutritional content of the food as well as the alkalinity of fresh produce while simultaneously inhibiting the growth of microforms such as bacteria. If you don't have a dehydrator, you could substitute your oven on it's lowest setting, leaving the door slightly ajar (to achieve a temp. of 115 F). Be sure to purchase raw buckwheat groats for this recipe, not the toasted type called kashi.

Enjoy!

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Maple Cinnamon Buckwheat Crispies

Maple Cinnamon Buckwheat Crispies & Cocoa Crispies (Serves 4-6)

Recipe from the beautiful book: Raw Food Real World by Matthew Kenney & Sarma Melngailis

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups buckwheat groats, soaked for at least 1 hour (will yield about 3 1/2 cups)
  • 3/4 cup maple syrup
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 2 packets stevia
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt

Method:

  1. Rinse buckwheat groats to get rid of extra starchiness.
  2. Place groats in food processor along with remaining ingredients. Pulse until combined but not pureed, until it looks like soupy oatmeal.
  3. Divide between two Teflex-lined dehydrator trays, spreading to about 1/8" thick with an offset spatula. Dehydrate at 115 F for 8-12 hours until top is dry to touch & teflex peels away easily. (If using your oven on lowest setting with door propped to achieve consistent 115F, spread on a nonstick baking matt or secured nonstick foil so doesn't slip when spreading.)
  4. Set a second dehydrator tray lined with only mesh screen this time, over each partially dehydrated sheet of buckwheat crispies. Flip two trays over in order to then remove top tray & peel away teflex. Place flipped buckwheat back into dehydrator for an additional few hours until completely dry and crunchy.
  5. Break into pieces and store in airtight container. You may also store in fridge for maximum freshness for up to a few weeks.

Cocoa Crispies:  Replace the cinnamon with 2 heaping tablespoons of organic cocoa powder or carob powder.

 

You may also enjoy: Vibrant Pear & Fuji Salad with Pecans & Cheddar