The only criteria people have for a salad is mixing together some tasty ingredients, but despite the flavor, there are also other things to consider. Some ingredients don’t go together in a salad, such as a combination of tomatoes and cucumber. Each of these vegetables has different digestion time, and according to Ayurveda, we must know the exact digestion time of each food we eat before mixing ingredients together.
Combining ingredients that have a fast and slow digestion is not a good idea as the lighter ingredient will end up passing in the intestine just as the first one is completely digested. This will result in fermentation of the food in your stomach that may poison your whole body. It will lead to slow digestion and fermentation of sugars and starches, and won’t allow you to enjoy your meal as you should. Besides this, the process of fermentation can also cause gasses, swelling and pain in the stomach as well as intestinal problems.
Cucumbers and tomatoes are not compatible with each other and should never be consumed together. When they reach the stomach and the process of fermentation starts, the acid released in the abdominal cavity for digestion can cause numerous digestive problems. Here are some other food combinations you should never try:
- Eating fruit after meals is not a good idea – fruits need a lot of time to be digested and should never stay long in the stomach. Eating them after a meal will result in “wine” in your stomach that can lead to acid reflux and other digestive problems.
- Mac and cheese is a popular meal in the USA, but one that should be avoided nonetheless. Macaroni are rich in starch, which has a different digestion time than protein, so the delay will lead to inevitable fermentation and further digestive problems. The same goes for macaroni and meat.
- Meat and cheese omelet is a favorite meal of millions, but you should avoid putting too much protein on the same dish. Choose only one type of protein per meal.
- You should never mix bread or noodles with orange juice as the acid content required to digest the juice can destroy the enzyme responsible for starch digestion.
- Vegetables and cheese is another no-no combination – eating it will only result in bloating.
- You should never eat melon and watermelon together, as these fruits are meant to be consumed alone, not in combination with any other fruit.
- Many people love eating bananas and milk, but this combination will significantly slow down your digestion.
- People usually add fruit to their bowl of yogurt for breakfast, but this combination will slow down your digestion and harm your intestinal flora. This especially goes for adding pineapple to your yogurt, which boosts the active ingredients that cause food poisoning.
Reference:
Lad, Vasant. The Complete Book of Ayurvedic Home Remedies. New York: Harmony Books, 1998.