There are many notions about foods that should not be combined with one another. We are often advised not to drink milk after having fish curry, to avoid mixing fruits with cooked foods and to abhor taking tea or coffee 30 minutes before a meal.
But not all “bad” food combinations are necessarily bad, as we find out when we dig deeper into the subject. Happiest Health checks with the experts.
Palak Paneer: A futile combination?
Palak (spinach) and paneer (cottage cheese) are great and healthy ingredients. Palak paneer then must be a dream meal. But many claim that the benefits cancel each other out: It is often repeated that the calcium in paneer hinders the absorption of iron from the spinach. This has resulted in palak paneer being termed a bad food combination.
Most of the minerals in food are in stable form, meaning they are not capable of reacting with one another. A review study observed that while it was believed that calcium could inhibit iron intake, long-term studies have found little effect, suggesting that such reactions could either be short-lived or affected by compensatory mechanisms.
“I would say palak paneer is fine to eat,” says Ridhima Batra, clinical dietitian, and founder of Nutrition Defined. She confirms that the problem lies with combining foods with supplements or supplements with supplements.
There are therefore no harmful effects to eating or cooking palak and paneer together. Dr Girish Gupta, Director of research and development, Sri Sai College of Pharmacy, Punjab, notes, however, that if you were to consume a supplement that has a potential chelation property, there would be some reaction, “the significance of which though wouldn’t be a game-changer.”
Fish and milk
It has been long believed that fish and milk shouldn’t be eaten together as it can lead to skin allergies. But how much of that claim is genuine?
Batra says this combination can lead to skin issues, but only when the fish in question include deep marine varieties like mackerel or herring. Dr Gupta too advised avoiding this combination, noting the ayurvedic perspective which views such food types as incompatible with one another. However, he notes that medical literature has no mention of such an interaction.
“Fish and milk belong to a certain category of foods called Viruddha Ahara which consist of foods that are incompatible with each other. Prolonged consumption of these food combinations should be avoided,” says Dr Yashaswini G, senior consultant at I-AIM Healthcare Centre, Bengaluru.
Tea and coffee
It is often advised to avoid having tea or coffee 30 minutes before or after a meal. The rational here adds up as this can lead to reduced nutrition absorption from the meal. Depending on the type of meal, tea or coffee could reduce the iron absorption from it.
Food and water
When it comes to drinking water before or after a meal, the benefits or cons depend entirely on your goals. Batra says drinking water in-between, immediately before or after a meal could lead to indigestion as well as a reduced ability to eat the amount of food.
However, studies have shown that drinking water before a meal can reduce the calorific intake from it, making it a useful tool for weight loss. But even so, adding a gap can achieve the same: Having water 30-40 minutes before or after meal not only helps with reducing weight, but also aids with better digestion and nutrient absorption.
Fruits as snacks
“Fruits should always be eaten as snacks,” recommends Batra, when asked whether fruits should be combined with other cooked foods. The rationale once again has to do with digestion: Unlike cooked food, fruits do not take a lot of time to get digested. Therefore, when they are eaten along with cooked food, they get stuck in its midst ultimately getting fermented before they can be digested. Fruits should ideally be eaten up to 30 minutes before a meal or 90 minutes after one.
“Fruits along with tea or coffee are also examples of food items that shouldn’t be consumed together as tea and coffee have high amounts of tannin in them which in-turn inhibits the absorption of iron, calcium and zinc,” she added.
All types of melons should always be eaten alone as they are high in their water content.
“I would recommend one to always consume fruits at least an hour before eating a meal as it can increase juice content in the stomach and help in digestion and absorption of the food,” Dr Gupta suggests
The good combination
“A good yet simple dish rich in nutrients would be vitamin C along with iron, a squeeze of fresh lemon in a bowl full of poha should do the trick,” Batra advised when asked to recommend some good food combinations. “Additionally, tomatoes and olive oil are also two ingredients that generally complement each other,” she concluded.
Keeping it simple is always a good practice: Assorted boiled veggies devoid of cooking oils can also be a healthy option.
