Incompatible Food Combinations

As learned from the list of foods to avoid there are foods that cause definite physiological consequences when eaten. Pungent foods such as horseradish, hot chilies, cayenne pepper and chili pepper cause obvious responses in the body when eaten. These foods as we have discussed provoke the energy pattern Pitta because they provide the vibrational frequency in the physiology that is already quite prominent. Since there is too much of this vibrational frequency in the physiology to begin with, the provoking food adds to this abundant vibrational frequency and provokes the physiology into imbalance.

Another way to provoke the energy body in general is through incompatible food combinations. Below is a list of such combinations that should be looked upon in the same way as those foods that we would avoid. These intolerant food combinations can provoke the physiology in general and hence lead to imbalance much the same way the foods that we avoid can produce imbalance.

The following table lists *some* of the incompatible food combinations worth avoiding:

Beans	Fruit, cheese, eggs, fish, milk, meat, yogurt
Eggs	Fruit (especially melons), beans, cheese, fish, kichari, MILK, meat, yogurt
Fruit	As a rule, with any other food. *There are exceptions, such as certain cooked combinations, as well as dates and milk which have the same rasa, virya, and vipaka.
Grains	Fruit, tapioca
Honey **	With equal GHEE by weight (e.g. 1 tsp honey with 3 tsp ghee); boiled or cooked honey
Hot Drinks	Mangos, cheese, fish, meat, starch, yogurt
Lemon	Cucumbers, milk, tomatoes, yogurt
Melons	EVERYTHING -- especially dairy, eggs, fried food, grains, starches. Melons more than most fruit should be eaten alone or left alone.
Milk	BANANAS, cherries, melons, sour fruits, bread containing yeast, fish kitchari
Nightshades, e.g., potato, tomato	Melon, cucumber, dairy products
Radishes	Bananas, raisins, milk
Tapioca	Fruit, especially banana, mango, beans, raisins, jaggary
Yogurt	Fruit, cheese, eggs, fish, hot drinks, meat, MILK, nightshades

Foods in CAPITALS are the most difficult combinations.

These guidelines are by no means an exhaustive list. It must be remembered that a proper Ayurvedic diet should also consider nutritional value, constitution, seasons, age, and any disease condition.

** According to ancient Ayurvedic literature, honey should never be cooked. If cooked, the molecules become a non-homogenized glue that adheres to mucous membranes and clogs subtle channels, producing toxins. Uncooked honey is nectar. Cooked honey is considered poison.

Amended extracts reprinted with permission from: Ayurvedic Cooking for Self-Healing by Usha and Dr. Vasant Lad, 1997. For more information on this book, Ayurvedic programs, products and services contact: The Ayurvedic Institute, P.O. Box 23445, Albuquerque, NM 87192-1445, (505) 291-9698; www.ayurveda.com