Spinach and Yoga

Who Matters More: Your Boss or Your Stomach?

Every morning you spend a significant chunk of your time looking in the mirror and putting together an outfit for the day. You take into consideration your appointments, the weather, activity level, and your personal preferences to create a perfect well-suited ensemble.

Unless you are working in the entertainment industry and looking to compete with Lady Gaga or maybe get a job as a clown, you are not very likely to walk out of the door in red pants, green boots, feather hat, and a polka dot skirt. It might be a great Halloween outfit but probably not something that your boss would appreciate during the investor meeting.

Surprisingly, in our backwards society we care a lot more about upsetting our boss and getting weird glances on the street rather than upsetting our own stomach. Many of us spend more time coordinating pants and shirts than planning a well-balanced nutritious meals. Isn’t it a paradox?!

Food combining is similar to a good fashion sense: a skill, an intuitive understanding of how to mix and match things to create a beautiful well-suited to the occasion ensemble both on the plate and in the wardrobe. Some people are born with this sense and some people have to develop it by learning the underlying rules.

If we don’t learn the basic fashion rules, we might end up on a worst-dressed list. If we don’t learn basic food combining rules our body will start getting sick and tired.

Fortunately, there is one rule that works wonderfully both in fashion and in food combining – SIMPLICITY. Simple never fails. Simple is beautiful. A white t-shirt and blue jeans with a black blazer looks great almost on all occasions. Green veggies and high-protein grains with a home-made dressing is an easy-to-make nutritious dish that would work for any body type.

On the other hand an over-filled buffet type plate is similar to going to the client meeting in a clown outfit (not on a Halloween night) – it might not end well.

A few days ago, I wrote for Mind Body Green on 10 Common Food Combinations that Wreak Havoc on Your Health.

Modern Hippie Mag also has my article of 10 American Breakfast Items and Food Combining.

If you are looking to learn more about food combining, check out How to Eliminate the Need for Digestive Supplements with Proper Food Combining and take a look at some food combination rules that I chose to follow in my daily life.

What do you think of food combining? When was the last time when you planned out your daily menu based on the weather, your activity levels, and schedule?

Have a healthy and a happy weekend!

Nadya

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• 10 Interesting Facts About Food Combining (spinachandyoga.com)

Making Sense of a Complicated Theory

Lately, I have been noticing that not everything that I eat makes me feel equally well. The more I pay attention to my stomach before and after food, the more feedback my body provides. While I am still learning to decipher my body’s messages, one finding keeps emerging more often than others: THE SIMPLER THE DISH, THE LESS ENERGY IT REQUIRES TO DIGEST. Which means, I have more energy left to do other things like write, think, teach, do yoga, and just enjoy my life.

Simplicity is a key in many effective concepts. Digestion is not different.

You may eat a vegan diet and still get gas, or feel bloated after a raw dessert tasting. Food allergies aside, improper food combining can be one of the major reasons behind belly troubles. Those who voluntarily eliminated certain food groups from their diet, for example, no dairy, no gluten, no flesh, no eggs, are less likely to confuse their digestion with improper food combinations. Those courageous strong-willed people have fewer food groups to combine in their meal. They have less choice. It makes their diet more simple and therefore more digestion-friendly.

However, you don’t have to eliminate entire food groups to keep your belly happy. Also going gluten free or vegan doesn’t necessarily mean that you don’t have to look into food combining, especially if you want to increase your energy levels.

Lessons From The Past

If you think about it, our ancestors were not very likely to combine multiple food groups in one meal. If they found berries, they ate berries, if they were lucky to hunt something down, they had a feast of meat. But I can’t imagine ancient people cooking side dishes, dressings, and desserts in a cave kitchen. Our many times over grand-fathers and grand-mothers probably ate mostly simple mono meals consisting out of 2-4 ingredients at a time.

Why Food Combining Is Worth a Try

Food combining can be applied to any diet to reduce postmeal digestive un-ease, improve elimination, resolve skin issues, and to increase energy levels. Before we dive into some of the main food combining rules, let me explain the energy and food connection.

Caffeine aside, we have a finite amount of energy for any given day. There are several major things that go into energy equation: sleep, emotions, movement, mental activity, and of course food.

• Sleep gives us energy.
• Movement can be energizing due to increase in blood circulation and oxygen but in the end it requires energy. Different types of exercise can also be broken down into depleting and nourishing but more on it later.
• Emotions have a very strong connection to energy levels. Positive emotions like joy are energizing while negative emotions can deplete energy reserves.
• Mental activity requires quite a bit of energy. Clarity and creativity are not very common mental states in exhausted people.
• Food is a double-edge stick. Easy-to-digest food will provide energy, hard to digest or nutrient poor food will require more energy to break down. Some food combinations will even have a negative net gain of energy. Eg: white bagel with cream cheese requires a lot of energy to digest, probably way more than it will provide to the body. Berries on the other hand is a certain quick energy gain.

One of the ways to make sure that you get a positive net gain of energy from food is to eat nutrient-dense foods. Another way is to make sure that those nutrients can be easily absorbed into your body by keeping food combinations simple.

Food combination theories can be quite complicated to understand, and almost impossible to remember right away. However, there is one key rule that will save you a lot of memorizing: SIMPLICITY. The fewer ingredients the less different enzymes you need to digest food and the less likely the food will get stuck in our body fermenting. Simple meals are easier because they require less resources to break down and turn them into nutrients.

Another rule is to keep portions manageable. If you know that you will be eating a complicated meal consisting of hard-to-digest products, keep the amount small (Yes, I am talking about Thanksgiving). It is easier to deal with a small problem rather than a large one.

Here are top 10 rules of food combining that I use and that you might find interesting to experiment with:

1. The simpler, the better
2. Drink a little bit of hot water or herbal tea before a meal, a little bit during, and nothing after for at least 30 min. It prevents gastric juices from diluting and allows for better digestion.
3. No fruits after a meal for 2-3 hours. Fruits require a lot less time to digest but if there is something in your stomach, they will sit there and ferment. It will give you an uncomfortable bloated feeling.
4. Soak nuts overnight. It makes them less dry and easier to break down. They become a lot less heavy by nature. Ayurveda highly recommends soaking all nuts.
5. Do not combine different types of protein in one meal. No fish and chicken, no nuts and dairy, or beans and meat. A meal of combined proteins will take 10-12 hours to digest if you have a strong digestion. Why would you want to voluntarily sign up for 12 hours of non-stop work?
6. Always add greens when having fats with proteins or starches. When fats are eaten with green vegetables the inhibiting effect of fats on gastric secretion is counteracted and digestion proceeds quite normally. Greens combine well with pretty much everything. Can’t go wrong with them! Leafy greens are your best friends.
7. Let you body rest a few times a week by eating monomeals. My favorite monomeals in the fall were roasted pumpkins and stewed apples.
8. Experiment mindfully! When in doubt about a certain food combination, try and pay attention to your body’s feedback. Your body knows better than any nutritionist or hygienist.
9. If having dairy milk, do not combine it with anything. Definitely no fruity milk shakes unless you are craving mucousy cuddled milk in your stomach.
10. Keep it light, warm, and simple if tired or stressed. Healing and restoring requires energy, so does digestion. Be smart about how you use your energy resources.

Have you tried following food combining rules? What did you think?

Are there any food combinations that your stomach dislikes? Please share!

To read more about food combining and other ayurvedic tips for a healthy digestion.

Happy Belly – Happy You!

Nadya

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• Eat in a Rush or Skip a Meal? (spinachandyoga.com)
• Cures for a Bloated Belly (spinachandyoga.com)
• My experience with food combining (thegrassskirtblog.com)
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I say skip a meal!

We live in a busy, tight-schedule always-in-a-rush society at least 5 days out of 7. Meetings, deadlines, family responsibilities, errands, and social life stretch the capacities of our calendars and our physical and mental ones, as well.

During the last 2 days my boyfriend and I were moving into a new apartment. There were boxes to pack and unpack, clothes to sort through, cable and Internet to set up, clean both an old and a new apartment and on top of that to take care of a sick dog…  Long days to say the least.

Often when the day gets super busy we end up eating without taking a break from all the ‘important’ tasks on hand. Whether we can’t get away from the computer while mindlessly picking at a salad, or quickly shove in a deli sandwich in between the meetings, eating in a rush sucks! There is no way to eat mindfully while multitasking. When eating in a rush we get the calories but no real nourishment that our body and soul need. The lack of nourishment can show up as cravings for sweet foods, lack of enthusiasm and motivation, and a general feeling of dissatisfaction. On a physical level, eating on the go has some detrimental health effects, as well. It adversely effects digestion since you might not have enough time to chew food. Having been swallowed without proper chewing, the food falls to the stomach as a heavy rock, making us feel bloated and tired in the afternoon.

The alternative to not eating in a rush is a little scary - skip a meal. At first, it might seem outrageous. Some might fear that skipping meals is unhealthy, others that they will get belly-aches, dizziness, and fatigue, or worse that they will drop dead from missing one meal!

In reality, staying without food for more than 5 hours is not that scary, especially if you are busy. I am not trying to talk you into fasting when you are hungry, though. Quite the opposite, if you are hungry and it is a true physical hunger, eat! On the other hand, when we are under a lot of pressure and stress, the hunger can be less than normal. It happens because our body is trying to keep all the energy for the to-do-list and has very little energy left to digest food. Eating at this time simply would be not efficient.

For example, during the last two days I didn’t feel hungry while running non-stop with boxes and making sure that our new place looks like home. On the first day my body asked for food only around 3pm after the move was coming to an end. On the second day I didn’t feel like eating until the whole apartment was set up and cleaned. When everything was done and I could finally breathe normally, it was such a pleasure to cook and eat a warm nourishing meal with full awareness!

Our new view

Herbed Lentil Soup

There are 2 ways to go about eating when you are stressed and not too hungry: (do a short meditation to check in with your body and see if you are hungry or not. If you have a strong physical hunger, eat!)

- If your must-get-accomplished tasks are very pressing but they won’t last more than a day, it is ok to skip a meal, if not hungry. You might even notice that you have more clarity and energy if you don’t eat anything at all rather then giving your body an extra task of digesting food. It is very personal and might not happen if you are a very Vata-predominant individual.

- If you are in a perpetual high-stress mode than try easy-to-digest liquid-based meals. Your goal should be to nourish your body without overtaxing it. It means having light foods full of easily available nutrients during high-stress times. Liquid-based foods provide an easier to access source of nutrition. Try warm almond milk with dates or a room temperature smoothie. Cold smoothies might be hard on the stomach and give a bloated feeling. Add maca, hemp, chia, sunflower seeds, goji berries, buckwheat, or coconut for a long-sustaining energy boost. If you like juicing, add some aloe vera for better absorption. Keep it light and nourishing. Your biggest meal should be when you are less tired and not as busy.

Help your body to deal with stress by reducing energy-draining heavy foods. Your body will thank you!

Do you feel hungry when you are stressed out and have an urgent dead line? Have you tried skipping meals or do you prefer sticking to a normal eating schedule?

Always listen to your body!

Nadya

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Ayurveda, Yoga, and Healthy Diet to Reduce Bloating

Most women, especially those living with PCOS or those experiencing severe PMS are familiar with an unpleasant feeling of having a bloated belly. It feels like you have a balloon in your stomach that’s weighing you down, makes you feel heavy, and not sexy at all! This usually happens right at the time when you need to get dressed to go out for dinner or were planning a fun night on the town with your girlfriends. Bloating doesn’t help with the romantic part of your life either. What is more of a “mood killer” than feeling like you swallowed a basketball?

I used to experience bloating quite a bit before introducing ayurveda and conscious eating into my daily life. As it appears bloating is mostly a result of improper eating habits. Yes, certain people are more subjective to it due to hormonal imbalance (like with PCOS), or dues to weak digestion but it is preventable if one follows some eating guidelines.

I still remember that unpleasant feeling of a full belly even after a small meal and it makes me happy that I found ways to prevent it. Now that I found a solution for myself, I want to share what works for me and, hopefully, some of you will find these suggestions useful as well.

Conscious eating is one of the main components of preventing bloating. If you are aware of how your stomach feels, how hungry you are, and the effects that foods have on your body, you will be able to adapt your eating habits accordingly. I believe that people who are truly conscious and follow their intuition rarely experience digestive un-ease.

If you don’t trust your body to that level just yet, here are some suggestions to prevent and alleviate bloating while you are working on making friends with your belly:

It is best to prevent bloating, instead of trying to address the issue when it is already there. It is a lot easier and will save you the trouble of experiencing this pretty unpleasant feeling. So the suggestion list will start with prevention strategies:

• Eat only when truly hungry
• Allow your previous meal to fully digest before eating the next meal or snacking. It means wait at least 3 hours in between meals!
• While eating, chew well and don’t talk while chewing. If you are eating with others, put your folk down while eating. DON’T EAT and TALK at the same time
• Follow general food combining rules
• Don’t eat fruits after a meal. It will be gas forming and produce bloating
• Try chewing on a slice of ginger with lime juice or lemon 20 min before a meal
• Use digestion stimulating spices when making your food. Try black pepper, ginger, cumin, and asafoetida for beans.
• Try adding Enzymes, especially to heavy meals
• Regularly take Probiotics, especially if you were on antibiotics recently
• Pay attention how your body reacts to dairy and flour products. If you feel bloated after them, you might have to cut down on them. It will be a lot easier to convince yourself to do it, once you feel a direct correlation between eating those products and a bloated stomach. No doctor or nutritionist will tell you what is right or wrong for you better than your own body.
• Don’t drink anything cold while eating
• Avoid drinking anything 30 min after the meal. It will dilute digestive juices and will make it harder to digest food.
• Reduce SALT. The easiest way to do it is to start cooking your own meals.
• Start taking Triphala regularly. Triphala treats the entire digestive tract. Take 1/2 teaspoon triphala mixed with 1/2 cup warm water and eat 1 tsp of honey with it every evening at bedtime. I take Triphala daily and my favorite brand is Banyan Botanicals. They use only organic sustainably grown herbs. Triphala in powder can be a little intense if in the beginning but it absorbs better if taken in a tea form rather then in tablets. Tablets are good for traveling.
• Try aromatherapy. Bloating is more likely to appear if you are anxious, stressed, or worried. It is all due to Vata imbalance. Any Vata balancing essential oil will help to pacify Vata and your nerves along with it. Try Peppermint, Orange, Rose, cinnamon, and basil. You can also just get a stress-relieving or balancing essential oil mix at most health food stores.
• Learn Agnisar Kriya and try Nauli Kriya. Do them every morning before a meal after having a glass of warm water with lemon. I have been doing it for years and besides strong abs and a flat stomach it is great for all digestion related issues.

If for some reason, you feel bloated, try these remedies:

• Chew on a few fennel seeds or sip a hot fennel and mint tea. Prepare fennel tea by crushing one teaspoon of fennel seed and adding it to one cup of water in a pot. Bring the water to a boil, and cover and steep it for 10 to 15 minutes. Cool and strain. A traditional dose of fennel tea is about two to three cups daily.
• If you are at the restaurant or don’t have fennel seeds, opt for a mint/peppermint tea. It is also soothing to the digestive tract.
• Do 5 mins of a deep abdominal breathing
• Lay on your left side and breathe deeply
• Go for a brisk walk for 30 mins. I like doing a few jumping jacks or twists. It helps to increase blood circulation since your heart will be beating faster and release gas.
• Do a child’s pose, wind-relieving pose, supta vajrasana, mayurasana (it is tricky but is the most powerful digestion-stimulating gas-relieving asana)

This list came out to be a little longer than I planned but it means you have a lot lot to choose from and to experiment  with! Let me know if any of these work for you and what other advise you might want to share with others. I will add it to the post along with your name and website .

Keep your belly happy!

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