Combinations of some foods to which we have long been accustomed are not always good choices for our health. According to nutritionists and doctors, some of them can disrupt digestion, others can deprive us of energy, and still others can put us in a hospital bed.
Which foods are best not to eat together, The First Doc. tells you.
1. Carbohydrates and animal protein
Many cooks add simple carbohydrates to meat dishes, combining duck with apples or rabbit with pomegranate. But in terms of health, such combinations are not healthy.
The fact is that animal protein itself is a difficult product to digest. It takes the body a long time to digest it. Carbohydrates can slow down protein digestion and in combination can contribute to bloating, gas and flatulence.
2. Meat and dairy products
This “pair” should be avoided by anyone with a high risk of anemia. This is explained by the fact that there are substances that improve iron absorption and those that, on the contrary, impede it.
For example, iron absorption is promoted by vitamin C, which means it is good to combine meat with leafy greens. And at the same time, it is impeded by calcium from dairy foods, so it is better not to eat meat and milk together.
3. Substitutes and strong tea
Subproducts are an inexpensive food that can provide many health benefits to humans. It is high in protein, vitamins B6 and B12, and iron. Liver, tongue, and heart have lower protein content compared to meat, but at the same time a higher concentration of valuable minerals such as copper, manganese, zinc, and others.
Subproducts are recommended for anemia because they have more iron than meat. But to get the most out of them, do not combine them with strong tea, because it prevents the absorption of iron.
4. Yogurt and strawberries
Dairy products have many health benefits if one does not have an intolerance to dairy sugar. And strawberries are a treasure trove of valuable vitamins. Why not combine them?
The fact is that strawberries are high in oxalates, which reduces the absorption of calcium from dairy products. If a person consumes several servings of dairy products per day, as recommended by experts, adding strawberries to one meal will not make a difference. But if the calcium content in the diet is already low, it is better to refuse this combination.
5. Bacon and eggs
This combination of foods is very popular in Western food styles. For example, people in the United States often eat scrambled eggs and bacon for breakfast. But it is worth noting that such a tandem is not a good idea for health.
Combining two high-protein foods puts a high strain on the digestive system, which can provoke digestive problems. To avoid this, it is better to combine protein with vegetables rich in fiber.
6. Beans and cheese
This combination is very common in Mexican cuisine, but you can’t call it healthy. For people with a weak digestive system, this duo can cause increased gas and bloating.
Dairy products and legumes are difficult to digest, so it is better not to eat them together.
7. Fried duck and pickles
This duo (just like other combinations of foods that contain fat and lots of salt) is considered potentially harmful to health.
Salt can cause fluid retention in the body and contribute to high blood pressure, and fats can contribute to high “bad” cholesterol.
Such changes in the body are dangerous for the health of the cardiovascular system, so it is better not to take risks.
8. Coke and pizza
Many fast-food chains advertise this food combination. But sweet soda and pizza are incompatible foods. Pizza is high in hard-to-digest protein and fat due to its cheese and meat content. And cola is full of refined carbohydrates.
The body finds it difficult to digest the abundance of fat, protein, and refined carbohydrates, which is why it feels heavy in the stomach and has digestive problems. In addition, carbohydrates can increase false hunger, which will contribute to ordering more pizza and, as a consequence, overeating.
9. Spinach and tomatoes
Both foods are naturally high in oxalates. The latter can form oxalate-calcium stones in the kidneys.
Patients with kidney failure are primarily at risk, but healthy people should exercise caution as well.
10. Honey and ghee
This combination of products is unacceptable in Ayurveda and considered forbidden. There is a scientific explanation for this.
When warm honey (>140°C) is mixed with melted butter, such as in the preparation of a popular beverage, brocade, a substance called hydroxymethylfurfuraldehyde (HMF) is released. This compound can cause negative health effects. This is according to a 2010 study published in the journal Ayurveda.
Different digestive enzymes act to successfully digest animal foods, even if they are vegetables traditionally combined with animal protein.
Potatoes and red meat, herring and milk do not bring joy when eaten “in one sitting. For example, cucumbers are conventionally acidic and tomatoes are alkaline. An energetic vitamin salad of cucumbers and tomatoes, seasoned with sour cream, seems to be good for everyone, but after eating it, there is a certain heaviness in the body. This is not dangerous, but uncomfortable.
Somewhat better smooths out such a combination of vegetables is not sour cream, but olive vegetable oil. In addition, raw tomatoes before bedtime will lead to indigestion.
Alcoholic beverages with coffee, cocoa and chocolate, as well as in combination with milk and sweets (for example, biscuits) are also undesirable.
With caution, knowledgeable people treat carbonated beverages, including those created on the basis of diluted dry mixes (and such are the majority today), with which it is undesirable to wash down “basic food”. In this case, an unbeatable recipe is to dilute drinks and food with water.
Combining banana with milk and yogurt, pineapple with dairy products because of the enzyme complex bromelain can even cause intoxication.
It is also important to dose the elements of the gastronomic experience. One to two tablespoons of salad, as well as 50-100 g of potatoes and herring, will not lead to discomfort. So it’s not so much what you ingest and in what combination, it’s how much.
It is important to stop in time, and remember that if you are not sure about the benefits of the food and the combination of ingredients that make it up, it is better to eat “little by little”, and after 2.5 hours you can do it again. And do not forget to drink. Pure quality water purifies the body from all undesirable effects.
The myth about the incongruity of foods has little to do with nutritiology. They all contain proteins, fats, and carbohydrates in different percentages. And nature has arranged it so that a healthy human body is able to cope with any food: during a meal in the gastrointestinal tract, together with digestive juices and other necessary substances, all the necessary enzymes to break down proteins, fats and carbohydrates are released.
That is, the “incompatibility” of tomatoes and cucumbers in a salad or, for example, cheese and coffee is greatly exaggerated. But there are still dangerous “duos” to watch out for.
For example, desserts and fruits, fatty fried meats, pickles, citrus fruits and coffee cannot be combined with alcohol. This gives a heavy load on the body as a whole and harms individual organs (liver, stomach, gallbladder, pancreas), leads to more severe intoxication and a long hangover.
Another combination that I do not recommend: fruit and any other food. This is due to the fact that fruit is quickly digested, especially if you eat it on an empty stomach.
If you eat fruit at the same time or immediately after the main meal, it will begin to “ferment. This process is fraught with colic, bloating, heartburn and other discomfort.
Leaving aside traditionally incongruous pairings like herring and milk and individual health peculiarities, the main recommendation is as follows: pay attention not only to the product itself, but also to the method of preparation.
Conditional “meat with potatoes” may be fatty “meat à la française”, generously flavored with mayonnaise and cheese, or may be tender boiled beef with boiled potatoes in wedges, but with sauerkraut, but with a fresh cucumber.
Choose healthy cooking methods, and almost any food will be healthy and combined: it is not for nothing that the balance of the GI is one of the main recommendations of nutritionists.
To be healthy, energetic and not to have problems in the form of heavy stomach, heartburn, indigestion, flatulence and stool changes, it is necessary to combine the right foods with each other. Some foods, like vitamins, are not “friendly.
The process of their digestion can either speed up or slow down. Therefore, it is necessary to find out once and for all which foods are better not to combine.
Top 6 most incompatible combinations
Main dish and fruit/berries
In our food culture since Soviet times it has been laid down that fruit instead of dessert is a good thing. But it is undesirable to combine any dish with berries. Even if it is the healthiest oatmeal.
Fruits and berries are great sources of fiber, but if we eat them immediately after the first, second and compote, they have to wait a long time for their turn. Considering that they contain a lot of natural sugar fructose, the process of fermentation starts, there is a heaviness in the stomach and other negative phenomena.
Ideally, you want the berries to go as a separate meal – 30-40 minutes before a meal or 1-2 hours after. If you have consumed a portion of meat before, then after 2-4 hours.
The exceptions are blackberries and raspberries. They are full of digestive enzymes and a small handful will act as a natural mesim. Take note of this uncomplicated method.
Meat and cheese.
Cheese contains phosphorus, and meat is rich in zinc, which is poorly absorbed because of phosphorus. By the way, sour cream, which everyone likes to add to meat dishes, also gives an anti-effect.
Milk and Baking.
If you wash down sweet baked goods with milk or cocoa and milk, you risk getting an unpleasant fermentation in your stomach or even heartburn.
Wine and dessert
This summer combination, a favorite of many sweet eaters, can take a toll on the body. Alcohol raises blood sugar levels and triggers insulin production. This can cause all the extra calories from the dessert to go straight to the “fat depot.
In addition, after drinking alcohol, the body skips one of the sleep phases and the next day, in order to replenish energy, a person is drawn to carbohydrates, which leads to overeating. To avoid such consequences, choose a proper snack with wine – vegetables and easily digestible protein.
Tea and milk
Tea contains antioxidants and milk contains proteins that put a barrier to the absorption of antioxidants. As a result, we don’t get all the antioxidant benefits.
Red wine and meat
The tannins in red wine keep iron, which is rich in meat, from being absorbed. And this is one of the most difficult elements to replenish in our body.
Used Sources
Studies on the physicochemical characteristics of heated honey, honey mixed with ghee and their food consumption pattern by rats / Annapoorani A., Anilakumar K. R., Khanum F. // Ayu. – 2010
Viruddha Ahara: A critical view / Sabnis M. // Ayu. – 2012
Intestinal gas production from bacterial fermentation of undigested carbohydrate in irritable bowel syndrome / Haderstorfer B., Psycholgin D., Whitehead W. E., et al // Am J Gastroenterol. – 1989
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