FOOD COMBINING AND HEALTH
/In general, there is a profound understanding that poor food combining can play a major role in disease formation, and you wouldn’t really make the connection unless you reviewed Ayurvedic medical literature and/or had a fine-tuned awareness of when you eat something that didn’t agree with you, produced some sort of symptom, and didn’t necessarily know why. Ayurveda can explain this completely and thoroughly.
An important understanding that Ayurveda shares with us through its lengthy scientific discoveries is the concept of Viruddha Ahara (antagonistic/bad food combining.) Ayurveda possesses vast literature and numerous volumes on the discussion of Ahara (food) and Vihara (lifestyle) being primary considerations that either support health or support illness. Food intake is essential to the body as we can not live without food. Each cell of the body is dependent upon what we take in, where we know this relationship between input and output. What we put into the system will determine much of what we get out of the system. If we are demanding good health from the body, are we giving it what we deserve in order to have this outcome? Are you noticing the quality of health and energy based on what foods (Ahara) you eat, how much you eat (matra), and when (kala)?
Take a look at your health, and notice what is the quality. Take a look at your life, and notice what is the quality. Take a look at your health and your life, and notice the quality. Do they relate? Do they correspond? What are you doing to maintain health? What are you doing to maintain ill health? Your body is your guide. Notice what symptoms you are having and how they relate to what you eat and don’t eat.
Below you will find some articles discussing the topic of Viruddha Ahara in greater length. Here are some general considerations when reading them and applying these principles to your dietary and lifestyle practices.
Some Examples of Incompatible and Poor Food Combining Include: (read the articles below for more details)
Combining fish with dairy, in any form.
Adding cold water to cool off a hot beverage.
Adding ice to a warm beverage.
Adding sweet taste to extremely pungent dishes, or having this combination in one sitting. Or using spices with contradictory potencies in one dish are considered incompatible. For instance, cilantro added to a very spicy dish with cayenne or hot peppers. A portion of spices in relationship to each other is also a factor to consider.
Heating up any dish directly from the refrigerator. It is best to take whatever meal, and appropriate portion and let it sit out until it reaches room temperature.
If some food you are heating up becomes extremely overheated and you want to cool it down, it is best to remove it from the heat rather than add some cold substance to temper it.
Milk should not be combined with sour fruits. Milk should not be combined with melons. In both instances, this combination causes a curdling and inappropriate fermentation process leading to inflammation.
Fresh fruit should not be combined with food and should be eaten as a separate meal unless the fruit has been naturally dried.
Most meats, including pork, should not be combined with honey.
Eating heavy foods when you feel heavy, or eating foods that are light when you feel light/ungrounded is contraindicated.
Avoid combining meat proteins with dairy.
Avoid combining dairy, especially cheeses, with legumes.
Avoid combining dairy, especially cheeses, with wheat.
Avoid eating quantities of food that are incompatible with your natural stomach size. How to know that? Here’s a quick trick: take your two open palms into a cupping position, this is the size of YOUR stomach for your body.
Other Considerations:
What is your state of digestion (agni/jatharagni)? If it is strong, it has the possibility of off-setting poor food combining, but for how long until it is compromised?
How much of what you are eating, is poorly combined, and when? This will determine how slowly or quickly a pathology may form.
Sometimes, in some cases, certain spices can be an anecdote to food combining. Know which spices to use.
In some cases where certain foods such as banana and milk have been combined at a very young age, your body may have developed a capacity to process this food. Again, how often does this occur today? What is your quality of health to measure this combination? Just because you may be used to it may not necessarily make it a healthy practice. In certain cases, this is called Okasatyma in Ayurveda. Learn more about Satmya/Okasatyma/Asatmya (wholesome, moderately wholesome and unwholesome, and unwholesome) practices HERE.
Are you exercising (vyayama) properly? To some degree, exercising supports metabolic processes more efficiently and can have the tendency to slow down the progression of viruddha ahara, but also remember that in order for the body to be able to have the strength and energy to exercise it requires full, or as much as possible, nutrition on a cellular and microcellular level that depends on the quality of digestion, what it has digested, and when!
Poor food combining can express symptoms such as, but not limited to hyperacidity, brain fog, joint pain, indigestion, gas/excessive gas, bloating, diarrhea, toxemia, burning rectum, burning in the esophagus, pain in the abdomen, low energy, low libido, poor sleep, skin issues, and other diseases. Notice if you are having any of these issues.
“Only once in a while” is something that many people say but don’t realize that when they plot or note down how many of the things they do or ingest “only once in a while” in the context of a month, how much it all adds up to not being a good thing overall. Food for thought.
RESOURCES:
AHARA VIDHI (TAKING FOOD PROPERLY)
SEASONAL REGIMEN OF DIET AND LIFESTYLE
DISCLAIMER: This information is meant for educational purposes only and is not considered medical advice. Any changes in lifestyle should be reviewed with a qualified practitioner and/or primary care physician if you are currently under their care for specific conditions.