When we’re in a hurry in the morning, we tend to pick up any two healthy options in the fridge and wolf them down. The most common and easiest is a fruit and a glass of milk or a boiled egg. According to us, we’ve had a healthy breakfast, even if it was rushed. In reality, this type of meal is far from healthy. In fact, eggs with fruits is one of the classic food combinations to avoid for a trouble-free gut.
There are several such common food combinations that are really bad for you and could be harming you more than you think. Here are a few food combinations to avoid:
1. Bananas and milk
Most people would look at this combination and think it’s a healthy choice. But it’s really not. Bananas and milk, when consumed together or within short intervals, can cause heaviness and lethargy. A banana smoothie, for example, can disrupt your digestion and cause sleeplessness. However, if you leave a gap of 20-30 minutes, the adverse effects of this combination will be minimal. According to Ayurveda, this is one of the most incompatible food combinations because of the difficult digestion process.
2. Cereal with milk and fruits
Cereal with milk, combined with fruits, is a very popular breakfast across the world. In fact, in many households, this is considered a healthy, wholesome meal. However, for the same reason that bananas and milk don’t work well together, cereal with milk and fruits should also be avoided. Choose either of the two for your next breakfast, instead of adding fruits and milk to your cereal.
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3. Fried meat and eggs
Sounds like the perfect weekend breakfast, doesn’t it? While anything fried should be avoided in the long run, a fried bacon omelette should be off your menu permanently. This combination is doing a lot more harm to your body than you think. It’s terrible for your digestion and your heart health. Since the protein levels of such a meal are abnormally high, your system will take a long time to digest it, resulting in lethargy.
4. Fruits and eggs
Another favourite, supposedly healthy breakfast, fruits and eggs should not be eaten together. This is especially true for all kinds of melons. Fruits take very little time to digest, while proteins like eggs take much longer. When you eat the two together, the sugars from the fruits, which should have been digested quickly, stay in your stomach a tad bit too long. When this happens, you can get bloated or even get a mildly upset tummy. So, keep a gap of at least an hour between a fruit and a protein.
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5. Fruits and yogurt
Yogurt has protein and fruit has acids. What could go wrong? Turns out, a lot. If you have this combination regularly, it could even prove to be toxic for you, especially with a sensitive digestive system. This food combination can also lead to allergies. So, it’s best avoided.
6. Fruits with or right after meals
We’ve already told you that the natural sugars in fruits are digested really quickly. But if you put those natural sugars into your stomach with undigested, heavy food, the sugars will ferment while they wait for their turn in your digestive system. An orange or an apple right after a meal is not a great idea, even if it seems like the healthy alternative to dessert.
7. Water with meals
This is quite a normal combination on most dinner tables. Drinking water with meals is also used as a way for dieters to feel full with less food. However, this feeling of fullness is actually bloating. If you do this regularly, you will feel uneasy after meals and harm your digestive system. If you’ve had rice or chapati with a meal, you should definitely wait for a while after finishing your meal and take small sips of water.
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8. Pizza and colas
This is such a delicious combination, isn’t it? We love it too. But apart from the fact that they’re both handing you empty calories, pizza and colas together can ruin an entire day for you. Pizzas are heavy, we know that. But when you drink overly sweet colas with pizzas, you’re adding to the lethargy and heaviness, and basically punishing your body. So, while your mind may feel satisfied and happy with this meal, your body is working extra hard to digest these foods. With all the fat and sugars combined, this food combination is best avoided if you want to remain active.
9. Potatoes and dairy products
It takes a long time for the human body to break down and digest dairy. Adding starch to this process delays it even more. The problem here is that when starch sits in your stomach for too long, which it will while it waits for the dairy to digest, it will start fermenting. This fermentation will cause gas and bloating. That’s why, an aloo tikki burger with fries on the side can sometimes make you feel really uncomfortable.
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10. Lemon with tomatoes or cucumber
If you like a lemon dressing on your salads, do not put tomatoes in there. With all the acids in both ingredients working at the same time, the combination of lemon and tomatoes can cause a reaction in your tummy. If you are keen on a salad with tomatoes or cucumber, avoid a lemon dressing. Go for a milder, lighter dressing instead.
Follow these tips, avoid these food combinations, and keep your gut healthy!
