The food combining diet has been around for decades – some swear by it, others think it’s just another fad programme. My version, which I named theHarmonious Food Combining, is less restrictive than the original and it seems to work just as well. If you want to try it out, please first read the following articles before you put together your ownHarmonious Food Combining Meal Plans:

• Food combining(about the original Hay diet)
• Harmonious Food Combining
• Harmonious Food Combining Programme
• Harmonious Food Combining chart
• Harmonious Food Combining – pros and cons
• Harmonious Food Combining Preparation

Having read the principles, pros & cons and the basic rules – and you’ve done all the necessary preparations – you’re now ready to put together an eating plan. It’s important that you haveone PROTEINandone STARCHmeal every day. You should also haveone ALKALINEmeal (fruits or salad). How & when you do it is up to you – but you must have a least 4 hours between the meals. Some people like having a proper, filling breakfast; others are fine with a fruit salad. Some people like their main meal in the evening, some like it at lunchtime. You can actually create two very filling meals every day – one starch and one protein –  if you’re well prepared.

For me this particular meal plan has worked out very well and may, hopefully, suit you too :-

Breakfast (alkaline): Fruit salad (with kefir or live yoghurt). Tea or coffee. Mid-morning snack:nuts or home-made oaty bar. Dandelion coffee. Lunch (starch): vegetable soup with wholesome bread; vegetable stew with rice or potatoes; cheese & salad sandwich; smoked salmon sandwich; vegetarian/vegan pasta dish. I always have a mixed (alkaline) salad with the meal with at least 3-4 ingredients (lettuce, pepper, radish, tomato, onion etc). Green tea. Afternoon snack:banana Dinner (protein): Grilled/baked meat or fish, served with mashed root veggies (seeRoot vegetable mash recipe). On the side you can have steamed or grilled vegetables and a mixed salad. In the winter, some fish or chicken soup or meat-based stews served with root veggies (but not potatoes).

Notes

• Over the years I’ve tried alternative eating plans but I always come back to the one above.
• I make plenty of mashed veggies in advance which I chill/freeze. I cook the main (protein) course for the whole family – I serve theirs with potatoes/rice, mine with the pre-cooked veggie mash.
• If you like sausages, meatballs, burgers, fishcakes you should make sure that they are 100% meat – most of them have starch added to the mixture. (Thai fishcakes are normally fine.)
• Burgers or fish & chips are not allowed on this diet. I cheat by making “fries” using swede, celeriac or parsnip, courgette etc. Or I just serve the burger patty with coleslaw and other salads.
• If you prefer eatingProteinmeals at lunch time, then for yourStarchdinner have a veggie curry, chilli or stew, served with rice or potatoes. Alternatively, baked potatoes, stuffed veggies (squash, marrow, courgette, red pepper) with rice, quinoa, pearl barley, or pasta dishes & vegetarian pizzas also work well as Starch meals.
• You can drink beer with Starch meals and wine with Protein meals.

If you’re a breakfast person here are a couple plans that would work for you:

Version 1

Breakfast (Starch): porridge or toast with honey or cereals with yoghurt; or croissant; or healthy oat cake; or some muffins. Tea or coffee. Mid-morning snack: nuts or hummus with carrot & celery sticks Lunch: (Alkaline) mixed salad or roasted vegetable salad with mixed leaves; tea or coffee or herb tea. Afternoon snack: few fruit pieces Dinner (Protein): Grilled/baked meat or fish served with mashed root veggies (see above) or steamed/grilled vegetables and a mixed salad. Alternatively, fish or chicken soup; meat-based stews served with root veggies (but not potatoes). You can drink wine if you wish.

Version 2

Breakfast (Protein): English breakfast (served with salad not toast); omelette; frittata; egg-muffin; egg& bacon muffin (no flour). Tea or coffee. Lunch: (Alkaline) mixed salad; roasted vegetable salad with mixed leaves; or fruit salad Afternoon snack: fruit pieces or nuts Dinner (Starch): vegetarian curry/stew/chilli with rice/potatoes served with salad. Or baked (sweet or normal) potatoes with roasted vegetables. Or baked stuffed veggies such as marrow, aubergine, courgette, red pepper. Or vegetarian pizza. You can drink beer with these.

In the next article you can findeasy and yummy recipe collectionsfor Starch, Alkaline and Protein meals that can further help you to plan your meals.