Why Combine Food?
The way you combine certain foods can affect the way the nutrients are absorbed, as well as your blood sugar, which controls your hormones that influence weight loss or gain. Food combining also greatly affects digestion, which is the key for losing weight. The secret to mastering this is to know how quickly a particular food digests. Protein takes the longest and fruit is the fastest, followed by greens, non-starchy vegetables, and then starches. When you eat food in the correct order, nutrients will be optimally absorbed, leaving your digestive tract toxin-free.
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Here are some food combinations from breakfast options, snacks and even beverages to help you get started They’re simpler than you think, and can help turn that scale around fast!
It is a well-known fact that good fats help increase lycopene absorption, which helps reduce the risk of cancer. But did you know that many essential vitamins are activated and absorbed best when eaten with fat? Vitamins that are considered fat-soluble include A, D, and E. Carrots, broccoli, and peas are all loaded with vitamin A and should be paired with a healthy fat such as olive oil. Vitamin D-rich products include fish, milk, yoghurt and orange juice, whereas Vitamin E sources are sunflower seeds, nuts, avocado, etc. So toss some almonds into your yoghurt, and eat full-fat dairy.
2. Rice + Peas
Most of us assume that gaining weight as we age is just a fact of life, but it isn't. As we get older we lose lean muscle, which is a natural metabolism booster that helps you burn calories. A good way to maintain that beneficial muscle is to lift light weights and make sure that between 25 and 35 percent of your calories comes from protein.
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Most of us assume that gaining weight as we age is just a fact of life, but it isn't. As we get older we lose lean muscle, which is a natural metabolism booster that helps you burn calories. A good way to maintain that beneficial muscle is to lift light weights and make sure that between 25 and 35 percent of your calories comes from protein.
(Related: 3 Secrets To Successfully Sticking With A Weight Loss Program)
Red meat and poultry are great options, but they can contain a high amount of saturated fat. Rice is an incomplete protein due to its low amino acids but adding peas balances that out. It is low in amino acid lysine but peas, on the other hand, are lysine-rich. Pairing rice and peas gives your body a healthy protein boost.
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To try this combination, add some beans and peas with your brown rice and you'll get a healthy dose of potassium, a mineral that further counteracts age-related muscle loss by making the blood less acidic.
3. Spinach + Avocado Oil
If you’re tired of your usual go-to spinach-and-olive-oil salad, mix things up with avocado oil. Made from pressed—yes— avocados, it’s rich in heart-healthy monounsaturated fats that may help improve cholesterol and ward off hunger. It also contains vitamins B and E and bloat-banishing potassium. And studies show that people who eat foods with high water content, such as leafy greens, have lower BMIs and smaller waistlines than those who don’t. So, go green and get lean!
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To make your combo, sauté a cup of spinach in a tablespoon of avocado oil for a quick, easy and filling side dish. Avocado oil also works well drizzled over whole-wheat breads, fish and home-made pizzas.
4. Salsa + Chickpeas
Looking for a good snack option? Try this: add some chickpeas to a light dip like salsa which adds bulk without the calories and boosts your intake of protein. Plus, eating chickpeas regularly may also improve your overall food choices. Studies proved that people who ate half a cup of chickpeas a day weighed a pound less and ate less food overall.
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5. Cayenne + Chicken
You feel like chicken tonight? Go for it because it is good for you and here’s why - protein-rich foods like poultry not only boost satiety, but also help people eat less at subsequent meals, according to research. Adding cayenne pepper fires up the fat burning process. A compound in the pepper, called capsaicin, has proven to suppress appetite and boost the body’s ability to convert food to energy.
Just one gram of red pepper (about ½ a teaspoon) can help manage appetite and increase calorie burn after a meal. So go beyond chicken and season grilled fish, meats and eggs with a pinch of red chilli pepper.
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6. Honeydew + Red Grapes
Fight that fat and banish bloating with a fruit salad comprising honeydew and red grapes. Melon is a natural diuretic, so it helps fight the water retention responsible for making you look puffy even though you have a toned stomach. Red grapes help reduce belly fat because they contain an antioxidant called ‘anthocyanin’ that slows the action of fat-storage genes. This dynamic duo makes for a delicious, healthy dessert, perfect for summer.
(Related: WEIGHT GAIN IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE, JUST LIKE WEIGHT LOSS IS.)
7. Potatoes + Pepper
Potatoes are given a strict ‘no’ when it comes to a low carb diet. Surprisingly, a second look at the science reveals the spuds can actually help you lose weight. Researchers found that potatoes are actually more filling than fibre-rich brown rice and oatmeal — and they’re a good source of bloat-banishing potassium, so you’ll look slimmer almost immediately. Just be sure to skip the butter in favour of pepper. Piperine, the powerful compound that gives black pepper its taste, may interfere with the formation of new fat cells — a reaction known as adipogenesis —which can help trim your waist, zap body fat and lower cholesterol levels.
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8. Coffee + Cinnamon
This combination will soon become your favourite. Next time you’re in a Starbucks, ward off diet-derailing hunger by adding cinnamon to your coffee. Cinnamon is flavourful, practically calorie-free and contains powerful antioxidants that are proven to reduce the accumulation of belly flab. Pair that with an appetite-suppressing cup of caffeine, and you’re losing weight first thing in the morning.
Source: https://food.ndtv.com
