Proper Food Combining cannot be called a diet, because it's not a diet. It's simply a new way of eating that's more fun, no calorie counting and you can eat more than you usually do. Can't beat that right?

This list below is a conglomeration of several books I've read from people I consider the gurus of in Proper Food Combining, Herbert Shelden (Proper Food Combining Made Easy), Harvey and Marilyn Diamond (Fit for Life), Doris Grant & Jean Joice (Food Combining For Health) as well as books by Lee DuBelle and Marilu Henner. The biggest thanks goes to Dr. William Howard Hay, who discovered this system back in 1908 and made it public over 100 years ago. These ‘gurus’ agree on the basics but differ slightly on the smaller points, which baffled me. I needed some simple formula that I could refer to that didn’t confuse me, so I created this page.

I can't call this a diet, because it's not a diet. It's just a new way of eating that's more fun, no calorie counting and you can eat more than you usually do. Can't beat that, right? One other benefit is that it gets you up or down to the weight your body should be carrying. Most have shed pounds without really trying as becoming healthier was their main goal. Nice surprise.

BREAKFAST
Up until noon everyday, you may have as much fresh fruit juice and fresh fruit as that you desire. We're talking oranges, apples, pineapples, pears, bananas, melons, etc.  Don't overeat, but don't under-eat either. Eat until you are satisfied. Most fruits only take 1/2 hour to clear your stomach, but bananas and melons take 1 hour. So eat as much as you want until 1/2 to an hour before lunch respectively. Remember, fruits are the cleansers of the system and must be eaten on an empty stomach.

At the other meals, decide if you want a starch meal or a protein meal. You can have as many vegetables and salads with dressing as you desire. BUT don't mix starches and proteins because --- they don't mix.

LUNCH
I don't know about you, but I still love sandwiches. But my sandwiches are a usually a little different. My starch meal is usually at noon. So I have -- and I love this one -- a cucumber sandwich on wheat bread and I use honey mustard on it. It’s delicious. I also love fried potatoes (cooked in olive oil) with it. Other times I get a sub sandwich, but it's always the veggie with no cheese. You could even make that at home. I usually have a salad with that and whatever vegetable is available. You could also have rice, potatoes, bread with butter, or anything within the starch category, plus a salad and vegetables.

DINNER is my protein meal, but you could switch to starch anytime you want. Some people find it easier to have a total protein day or a total starch day. It doesn't matter. For dinner I have either fish, chicken, meat and of course, a salad and one or two vegetables, but no starch with this protein meal. Why? Because starches and protein don't mix. You don’t want to eat foods that fight each other.

Eating this way, if I get hungry at night I have a lot of choices. My meals are properly combined so they will go through my system in four or five hours. An improperly combined meal takes at least 8-12 hours to digest. I usually take advantage of the chance to have another fruit -- the cleansers of the system. OR a salad with nuts or just a handful of mixed nuts until I'm full. There are loads of things you can have later if you've properly food combined during the day. Also, usually whatever my last meal of the day was, either protein or starch, I always make extra, and if I get hungry, I can have another meal later in the same category -- no problem.