The Ayurveda Experience Blog
In Ayurveda, food combinations play an important role in how well digestion occurs. There are three factors that make up the properties of a food. First is its taste, or Rasa. We know that there are six tastes in Ayurveda, and foods can have one or more of these tastes. We also need to determine if a food has either Heating or Cooling energies, this is known as Virya. This helps us to know if a food is balancing to our personal Dosha, and if it is good to eat within the current season as well. And then we also need to consider the effect that the food has on the body after it is digested – or Vipak.
In the western Diet, very often foods are served together with different tastes, energies and post-digestive effects. The problem with this is our Agni, the digestive fire, can get overloaded trying to do too many things at the same time. This results in the production of toxins in the body.
So it is important for us to pay attention to the foods that we consume together to make sure that our Digestion stays strong. There are many foods that, when eaten separately, stimulate agni and are digested easily. But some of those same foods, when eaten together, slow down agni and cause digestive distress.
Here are a few basic rules for Food Combinations
– Fruit should never be combined with any dairy product, like milk or yogurt.
– Melon combined with carbohydrates or starchy foods is also bad for digestion.
– Fruit and cheese served together is bad idea.
– Meat and dairy should never be eaten together
