How to Combine Good Fats & Good Carbohydrates

You can approach food combining in a number of ways; combining good carbohydrates with good fats is a common method, according to Kathryn Marsden, author of "The Complete Book of Food Combining." This type of food combining is designed to help manage your weight. When you consume carbohydrates, your pancreas releases insulin, a glucose-regulating and fat-storage hormone. When you consume bad fats along with bad carbs, your body releases excess insulin, making your body more prone to storing fat. With some instruction and practice, you can implement food combining as a weight-management tool.

Tips For You

1. Familiarize yourself with low-glycemic carbohydrates. Low-GI carbs are digested slowly, preventing a sharp insulin spike. Non-starchy vegetables are excellent choices to combine with healthy fats, and the options are plenty. Choose from artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cabbage, beets, bok choy, eggplant, leeks, mushrooms, rhubarb and greens. Non-starchy vegetables are high in fiber and exert very little impact on insulin levels, making them the safest option for this type of food combining.
2. Avoid combining starchy carbohydrates with fat. Unlike their non-starchy counterparts, starchy foods trigger an immediate and sharp insulin release. Since insulin is a fat-storage hormone, you risk storing fat when your insulin levels are high in conjunction with consuming a fatty meal. Avoid white rice, breads, cookies, cakes, pizza, white potatoes, ready-to-eat cereals, white pastas and other foods made with bleached white flour.
3. Incorporate a variety of beans into your food-combining diet for well-rounded meals. Unlike other starchy carbohydrates, beans are protein-rich. Their protein content slows down digestion, causing very little impact on your insulin levels. This makes them safe to combine with healthy fats. Butter beans, chickpeas, kidney, pinto and navy beans, lentils and soybeans are all good options.
4. Eliminate saturated fats such as those found in fatty cuts of meat, processed and junk foods. Consuming unhealthy fats with unhealthy carbs is a double whammy. Instead, combine low-glycemic carbohydrates with healthy fats such as those found in fish, seeds and nuts. Get to know healthy fats found in oils such as olive, sesame, hemp, hazelnut, grapeseed, almond, walnut, safflower, sunflower, flax and avocado. Stay away from hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils, as well as saturated fat-rich oils like palm and cottonseed.