The Food You Eat nourishing or Slow Poison?- beware of opposite foods

The food which we prepare should fulfill many criterion. The food has to be tasty, nourishing and should not harm body. Texts of ayurveda say a strict no to few combinations of ingredients. They describe these combinations as opposite foods. Opposite food combinations lead to accumulation of toxins in the body. These toxins act like slow poisons which can become root cause for other diseases. These food combinations are described as “viruddhahara“ or opposite foods in ayurveda.

What are opposite foods?

When the ingredients of recipes are opposite in their qualities, then those recipes may act like a slow poison which cause accumulation of toxins in body. The opposite foods vitiate doshas and cause discomfort to body. These foods enhance the process of accumulation of toxins in body instead of nourishing it.

Here is the list of opposite foods listed in texts of ayurveda which should not be mixed together.

1.Sea foods or fresh water foods like fish, crab, oysters, prawns etc should not be mixed with honey/ black gram/ milk/ germinated seeds / jaggery.

2.Any sour fruits or foods which are sour in taste, when consumed with milk can imbalance doshas.

3.Milk and horse gram are opposite in qualities. Hence consuming these together have to be avoided.

4.Refrain from drinking milk after consuming green leafy vegetables.

5.Chicken cooked with curd vitiates the dosha balance. It is better to avoid recipes which insist on cooking chicken with curd.

6.Never store ghee in bronze vessel for more than ten days.

7.Consuming the following mixtures in equal quantities can prove harmful to body- Honey +ghee / honey + animal fat / honey + oil/ honey +water/ghee +animal fat/ ghee +oil/ghee +water / animal fat + oil/ animal fat +water /oil +water

8.It is certainly not advisable to boil curd. Boiled Curd initiates the formation of “ama” a sticky toxin.

9.The combination of turmeric and mustard oil is not recommended.

10.Separate vessels have to be used to cook different foods. Avoid cooking vegetables in a vessel which was previously used for cooking fish or other non vegetarian food.

11.Do not fry any spices in the residual oil which is left after a fish fry.

12.Do not consume pork and chicken on the same day or in combination.

13.Radish and black gram have opposite qualities. Never combine them in any recipe.

Apart from vitiating doshas opposite foods also flare up the symptoms of pre existing health conditions like herpes, arthritis, psoriasis, hair loss etc. Hence follow these food combination rules for a healthy “YOU”.