Sometimes we believe the food we are eating is healthy because it has less fat or no fat. But there is something called ‘incompatible foods’ in Ayurveda which when combined and consumed for too long, could lead to diseases or illnesses in the body, even though individually the foods may be good for the body.

According to Ayurveda, consumption of incompatible foods can lead to

• Aama- Accumulation of food particles which are indigestible,
• Can affect skin and cause eruptions and boils,
• Cause gastric issues
• Diabetes,
• Water retention in the body,
• Weight gain, lethargy and tiredness, among other diseases.

1) Fish And Milk

Two proteins should be very carefully combined in the food, since each kind of protein takes its own time to digest. Milk and fish are both proteins, combining both can lead to formation of Aama, or undigested food particles in the body.

2) Curd/Yogurt In The Night

According to Ayurveda, curd consumed in the night becomes Vishyanda. Vishyanda is not digested or fermented food in the system that leads to Aama formation.

3) Fruit And Milk

Fruit has a sugar called fructose and milk is a protein. The combination does not aid in digestion and leads to Kapha aggravation. According to Ayurveda, preparations like a banana smoothie are counter-indicative.

4) Getting Yogurt Wrong

Yogurt should not be had on its own. It can be had with split green gram (Moong Dal) or honey. Curd should not be boiled. Certain foods lose its properties and become curdled on heating. It is also not advisable to have Yogurt or curd every day.

5) Avoid drinking Water from alkaline regions.

6) Carbohydrate-Protein Ratio

Food should have a healthy combination of carbohydrates and proteins in the ratio of 2:1 with two units of carbohydrates to one unit of protein.

7) Mixing Meat Up

Meats of domesticated animals happen to be heavy to digest and it should not be cooked or eaten along with heavy ingredients like sesame or honey, jaggary or black gram. For example, meat and curd should not be cooked together.

8) Raw Uncooked Food

Ayurveda nutrition experts do not advise absolutely raw or uncooked foods other than fruits.

 9) Heating Wine, Curd or Honey

Do not heat wine, curd or honey, since heating them changes their original properties and can render them hard to digest on heating.

10) Cooking with Liquor

For the above reason, cooking food with liquor is not advisable, especially meat.

11) Treating Sour Foods With Milk

Cooking or mixing sour ingredients with milk can lead to curdling. Curdled food is counter-indicative for health.

12) Eating After Workout

Eating immediately after a stressful workout which causes physical fatigue is inadvisable according to Ayurveda.

13) Summer Diet

During the summer or pre-fall, avoid fermented food, heavy and over-dried meat, since around this time the Pitta or heat element is higher in the atmosphere which drains the body of Prana or life force, making it sluggish and slow. Eating heavy or fermented food can make digestion further difficult, as the system slows.

14) Dressing Salads

Do not use processed Dressings for the salads. Make the dressings at home using materials like buttermilk or honey. The processed or preservatives don’t add value to the salad.

(With Inputs from Dr. Lakshmi, Ayurveda expert from the renowned Sri Sri College For Ayurvedic Science and Research  Hospital, Bangalore)