Fifteen years ago the doctors suggested that we eat pasta as a good healthy food. They also thought we would possibly lose some weight by doing so. Now we are eighteen percent fatter. Why?

While pasta is not a bad food, we have altered our eating habits slightly. If you completed a food log for a week, you would see that your plate would consist of at least half being in one food group. Most of our diets are lopsided. This eventually slows down the digestive process. When people like me ask you to eat a balanced diet what does it mean? It could mean different things. I call balancing your foods, synergizing your food groups. Synergize means; the action of two or more forces.

When is a car easier to turn the wheel? When you are sitting still or when you are going down the road? Yes, moving down the road. When you eat different types of food they feed off the others. This means the digestive system works more efficiently, thus steering the car much easier.

Here are some eating suggestions to allow your body to synergize your food into fuel instead of fat:

1. Try not to eat breads with pastas.

2. Put carbohydrates, good fats, veggies, and proteins on your plate each time.

3. Wine and pastas are killers.

4. Never eat more than half your plate in complex carbohydrates or sugars.

5. Fish and veggies are good combinations.

6. One glass of wine at a time

The general rule is to mix it up on your plate. If the plate is lopsided the tires on your fat burning machine will go flat. Foods work well together, not by themselves.