In the past couple of years, with frequent lockdowns our daily life has been disrupted in every possible way. Our eating habits have also gone through many changes because of these disruptions. Many are trying to eat more healthy food and also cooking at home frequently and trying new combinations.

To re-create the taste of your favorite eat-out join, many are trying to club ingredients and try new recipes. But in the process, are we eating the right combination, are we combining our foods correctly? Strange! but it is a fact, which requires more attention.

In ayurveda, it is clearly and boldly mentioned that we should avoid Virudh Ahara - foods which are incompatible together. Not following which can result in production of toxins or ama in our body, consequently reducing our overall immunity.

Virudh ahar can be a wrong commination of food in terms of 18 factors described in texts including - potency, order, quantity, age, metabolic power etc. Virudh aahar can slow down our metabolism, cause pains and aches in our body, nausea, vomiting etc, depending on how much toxins have accumulated overtime.

Ayurveda has stated many antagonist combinations, some common ones are:

• Combining fish and milk.
• Mixing of fruits, especially melons which should be consumed alone.
• Combining banana and milk.
• Heating honey or adding it to hot milk or green tea.
• Eating ushna or hot food during summers or eating sheetal or cold food during winters.
• Combination of cold food with or immediately after hot food, e.g having ice cream immediately after or with tea/coffee.
• Having sour or salted food with milk.
• Having curd at night.
• Over cooking or re-heating cooked food, or cooking food in re-heated oil.
• Storing Ghee in bronze vessel or plastic container becomes toxic. Store ghee in steel or glass vessels.

There are numerous such combinations which are described by our acharyas, our oldest nutritionists, who advise us to make food thy medicine and not have medicines for eating wrong food.

There is a complete field of science, Trophology, for researching on right combinations of food. It works to determine what kind of fusion food is good for our metabolism and overall health, and which combinations are harmful. Some recommendations are:

• Proteins should not be mixed with starches or fruits.
• Eat fruits alone, do not combine with meals.
• Re-heating oil produces toxins causing cardiovascular diseases, Parkinson’s disease and various liver disorders.
• Mixing milk and yogurt.
• Green tea or black tea with milk.
• Deep frying of potatoes produces toxins and cancer causing chemical acrylamide (so preparation of french fries and potato chips is most dangerous and incompatible food).
• Unripe tomatoes or potatoes with alcohol causing more sedation.

Both ancient and modern science are explaining and warning against the wrong fusion of food. Eating good and tasty food is a fulfilling pleasure, but lets not indulge at the cost of our health and immunity.

Be wise and open your eyes before eating, as it is said WE EAT FIRST WITH OUR EYES, if something looks tempting and attractive do give it a thought on its combination.

REFRENCES

1. Charaka Samhita (Charak Chandrika Hindi commentary). Brahmanand Tripathi, Ganga Sahay Pandey, editors. 1st ed. Varanasi: Chaukhamba Surbharti Prakashan; 2007. Sutra Sthana, 26/92.
2. Charaka. Charaka Samhita (Charak Chandrika Hindi commentary). Brahmanand Tripathi, Ganga Sahay Pandey, editors. 1st ed. Varanasi: Chaukhamba Surbharti Prakashan; 2007. Sutra Sthana, 26/106. p.497.
3. Charaka. Charaka Samhita (Charak Chandrika Hindi commentary). Brahmanand Tripathi, Ganga Sahay Pandey, editors. 1st ed. Varanasi: Chaukhamba Surbharti Prakashan; 2007. Sutra Sthana, 26/100.
4. Sabnis M. Viruddha Ahara: A critical view. AYU. 2012;33(3):332-336. Retrieved from: http://www.ayujournal.org/text.asp?2012/33/3/332/108817