Correct nutrition is more complex than it seems; in fact, many would be surprised to know that there are foods that should never be mixed to guarantee their good nutritional properties. In addition to ensuring we get the vitamins and nutrients from everything we eat, combining particular foods in the same meal can make our digestion difficult, slow it down, and cause heaviness and discomfort.
Pay attention because these foods should never be mixed, and it is best always to eat them separately.
Table of Contents
The importance of combining food properly.
Eating is not only a pleasure, but it is the only way we have to nourish our body; that is why it is essential to do it properly. Some foods together facilitate our digestion, guarantee the absorption of nutrients, and even help us combat specific health conditions; however, other products result in heavy digestion and stomach discomfort and produce limited nutrition when combined.
Knowing how to make this combination properly is essential because not necessarily because it tastes suitable means that it is okay to eat it. In this way, it is necessary to know how to mix the ingredients so that our body receives all its contributions. Our stomach can count on efficient and adequate functioning, thus avoiding discomfort and gastric diseases.
Tomato + starchy foods = poor digestion
A guide to knowing how we should eat is to observe nature, those foods that grow together tend to combine well together. In the natural world, combining acidic foods such as fruits with foods rich in starch such as rice, potatoes, or corn, is rare and should not be eaten together. This is because the citrus in these ingredients decreases the absorption of carbohydrates from starch and, thus, hinders its digestion and accelerates its fermentation.
Tomato is an acidic food par excellence. Therefore, it should never be combined with foods rich in starch, such as rice, potatoes, or corn. Consuming the classic dish of Cuban rice, eating a plate of potatoes with tomato sauce, or combining this last ingredient with corn in a salad may not be the most adequate for good digestion.
Spinach + cheese = poor calcium absorption
Although it is a classic combination for many, spinach is a food rich in oxalates, a compound that inhibits the absorption of calcium; therefore, when we combine it with a dairy such as cheese, we prevent our body from adequately absorbing this mineral, somehow wasting the nutrients that we obtain with its intake.
Additionally, putting these two foods together also prevents the iron present in spinach from being absorbed properly, so we do not gain anything by mixing dairy with this vegetable.
Fruit is always alone!
Fruit is a fast-digesting food that usually ferments in our stomach shortly after ingesting it, so it is never convenient to mix it with other foods. It should always be eaten alone first thing in the morning, as a snack, or at least one hour before eating.
Eating fruit for dessert ferries in the stomach and the food we have just eaten, making digestion heavier, so it is best to avoid it. Although it is always recommended to consume the same type of fruit at one time, if you choose to combine them, always mix the same kind: sweets with sweets and citrus with citrus. On the other hand, two fruits should never be combined because they can be very indigestible: melon and watermelon.
To start the day, one more recommendation is better to opt for citrus and juicy fruits; these will help purify your body while also providing hydration.
Beetroot + soy or cheese = calcium absorption is reduced.
As with the combination of spinach and cheese, beet is a vegetable rich in oxalates that, when combined with soy in any of its presentations or with a dairy such as cheese, inhibits the absorption of calcium, preventing our body from being favored by this mineral. Additionally, the iron from the beet will not be adequately absorbed either.
Although it is not a common combination, it is best to avoid it.
Proteins + starches = fermentation and poor digestion
Many of us have eaten delicious rice with chicken, a plate of stewed meat with potatoes, or some good lentils with chorizo and meat. The problem with these foods is that the combination of proteins such as meat, pork, or chicken, with starches such as rice, potatoes, or legumes generate a necessary fermentation in our stomach and intestines, increasing flatulence and discomfort.
The ideal is to combine starches, for example, rice with vegetables, quinoa with vegetables, among others, and proteins also with vegetables avoiding starches. In the same way, and to prevent slow digestion and high-calorie meals, it is best not to combine two starches in the same dish. Therefore rice and potatoes or other similar examples should not go together.
Liquid + food = heavy digestions
Are you one of those who drink more than one glass of water or juice while eating? This is a big mistake that we should not make, much more when instead of water, soft drinks or lovely drinks such as packaged juices are ingested.
The liquids consumed during the meal inflame our stomach and make digestion much heavier, even if it is water, an ingredient that must also be digested like any other. To facilitate digestion, the ideal is to drink liquids 30 minutes after you have finished eating or drink small sips during meals without overdoing it.
This article is merely informative, at FastlyHeal .com we do not have the power to prescribe medical treatments or make any diagnosis. We invite you to see a doctor in the case of presenting any condition or discomfort.
If you want to read more articles similar to These foods should never be mixed , we recommend that you enter our Food category .
I am a Surgeon with a diploma in comprehensive ultrasound and surgical care residency, an area I am specializing in. During the exercise of my profession, I have realized the need for patients to know the diseases they suffer, and I can tell you that a large part of their complications is due to a lack of information. Being a health web writer allows me to transmit my experience, without borders, to all those readers eager for knowledge, educate them in the prevention of diseases and promote a healthy lifestyle.