The Gracie Diet was created by Carlos Gracie, the patriarch of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and the Gracie Family.
The goal was to assure the family members would never be sick or feeling unwell before a fight. This eating regimen focused on food combinations has the objective to prevent blood acidity and fermentation that could be caused by unhealthy chemical reactions of food within the body. This procedure may hamper the digestive process which is the most energy consuming stage in the body.
According to Carlos, keeping the acidity or the alkalinity (pH levels) of the blood is crucial in the digestive process because pH levels of food should be kept neutral for maximum transformation of the food. He added that some food combinations of food kept the pH levels in the blood neutral while others made it acidic or alkaline. The pH imbalance in food may cause several illnesses like hardening of the arteries, osteoporosis, overload of the digestive system organs and weaken the body immune system.
The diet is composed of several food tables divided in the following groups:
* Group A: Animal protein, fats and oils, and vegetables.
* Group B: Cereals.
* Group C: Sweet fruits.
* Group D: Acid foods (in majority fruits).
General guide lines of the diet:
*Foods from group A combine with each other and with one of group B.
*Foods from group C combine with each other and with one of group B.
*Foods from group B do not combine with each other.
*Foods from group D can only be consumed individually.
*Banana and milk are not included in any of the groups since they have chemical combinations of their
own.
Group A – Foods that Combine With Each Other Plus One of Group B:
Almond, Artichoke, Asparagus, Avocado, Beets-red, Brazil nuts, Broccoli, Butter, Cabbage, Carrots, Cashews, Cauliflower, Celery, Chicken, Cocoa, Coconut-dried, Corn on the cob, Crab meat, Crabs, Cucumber, Eggplant, Eggs, Endive, Fats-oils, Fish, French beans, Garlic, Green beans, Green Mustard,
Green Onions, Green peppers, Hazelnuts, Leeks, Lettuce, Lobster, Meats, Mushrooms, Mussels, Octopus, Olives, Olive Oil, Onion, Oregano, Oysters, Parsley, Peanuts, Peas, Pumpkin, Radishes, Savoy Cabbage, Sesame, Shellfish, Shrimp, Spinach, Squid, Thistle, Tomatoes, Turnip and Walnuts.
Group B – Foods That Do Not Combine With One Another:
Barley, Breadfruit, Chestnuts, Chick peas, Corn flour, Corn-dried, Dried beans, Dried peas, Flower of mandic, all starches and Flour, Oats, Pearl barley, Potato, Rice, Rye, Soybean, Wheat, Macaroni and Lentils.
Group C – Foods That Combine With Each Other Plus One of Group B, Not Prepared in Fat:
Apples, Bananas, Cream Cheese, Cottage Cheese, Persimmons, Plums, Dates, Grapes, Guava, Honey, Jaca fruit, Melons, Watermelon, Papaya, Pears, Prunes, Coconuts, Ricota Cheese, Figs, Raisins, Sugar cane, Syrups, Teas of leaves, Lemon peel, Black/herb tea and Coffee/decaf.
Group D – Foods That Do Not Combine With Each Other Or Anything Else:
Apple-Acidic, Apricot, Blackberries, Cider, Cherry, Currants, Curdled milk, Grapes-acid, Grapefruit, Lemon, Loquat, Yogurt, Mango, Peach, Pear-acidic, Plums- acidic, Pineapple, Pomegranate, Orange, Quince, Raspberry, Strawberry, Tangerine and Kefir.
Banana
Combines with: Apples, Cheese, Cream-fresh, Figs-fresh, Grapes-Moschatel, Melons-sweet, Watermelon, Sweet Pears, Prunes-Sweet, Persimmon and all other sweet fruits when fresh.
Does not combine with: Avocado, Butter, Dried fruits, Honey, Olive Oil, Oil + Sugar, Sugar Cane, Syrup/Juice, Syrups and Oils and fat in General (Group B)
Milk
Combines With: All of Group B, Banana raw or baked, Saccharin or similar, Cooked Yolk, Milk derivatives (no curdled milk), Kefir and Yogurt
Does not combine with: All of group A, fruits in general, Egg Whites, Meats, Oily fruits, Olives, Sugars in general, Oils and Fats.
Observations:
*Egg yolk (raw or cooked), Coconut, Coffee, Brewers yeast, and many varieties of teas are compatible with any food, for they are considered neutral.
*Avoid: Sweets, Canned goods, Black pepper, Clove, Cinnamon, Mustard, Pickled foods and Vinegar.
*Never eat: Pork and derivatives.
*Bread: to be less fermentable, shall be made out of pure or natural flour and eaten 24 hours after baked. Also, it should be eaten as toast or oven warmed.
*No Alcoholic beverages.
*Not smoking.
*Drinking a glass of water when you get up and before you go to sleep.
Important: In order to avoid a chemical conflict, it is essential that meals are at least 4 ½ hours apart. Do not eat anything between meals do give enough rest to your digestive system.
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