FOOD
COMBINATIONS
Ancient gastronomic wisdom
gets revived with Naini Setal
vad giving much-needed advice
on how to combine different
foods
The food we eat can either be
the most powerful form of
medicine or the slowest form
of poison.
Recently a sage brought to my notice
that when milk is had plain and cold,
it can cause mucus accumulation, but
when it is had with turmeric, it’s a po
tent cure for respiratory illness. When
fermented into curd, it can control
runny bowels, but when it is convert
ed to ghee, it can aid constipation. It is
amazing how one ingredient has such
varying effects on health based on the
way it is consumed.
The science of eating and combining
foods is an ancient one, perfected cen
turies ago. Let’s revisit the do’s and
don’ts of these food combinations, rel
evant to our modern times.
• Fruit
Remember this rule: Eat it alone or leave it alone! Fruit should be had by itself and not with a meal. When had with a meal, it inter feres with digestion. The only fruits that one can have with a meal are pineapple, papaya, and pomegranate as they are packed with di gestive enzymes that aid digestion.
Fruit when accompanied with milk results in acidity and reflux.
Having fruit with your meal raises blood sugar levels. Keep a minimum gap of two hours be tween the fruit and your meal.
• Protein
The world seems obsessed with protein, but do we know how to make the most of it? Consum ing large doses of protein is pointless if it isn’t being absorbed well.
Eat one protein source in a given meal. i.e., ei ther lentils, dairy, soy, poultry, meat or seafood. Combining multiple sources makes digestion difficult.
Protiens must been had with vitamin C (lemon juice)
To ensure maximum absorption of the protein, consume it with a rice source of Vitamin C like lemon juice, tamarind, or kokum.
Vegetarians and vegans need to
accompany dals or p u l s e s with a grain
l i k e
rice or
whole
w h e a t
to receive
all the essential
amino acids (building
blocks of proteins).
• Fat
The infamous villain of the 80s, fat is the true-blue hero of today’s times. Here is how you can make the most of it.
Butter on toast and ghee on rotis isn’t just for flavour. Grain-based
foods like rice, wheat, and
millet require fat to
help di
g e s t
t h e m .
W i t h o u t
the fat, any
grain can cause
constipation and flatulence.
Tadka, the tempering of spices and herbs in fat, is an ancient practice that makes sure we ab sorb all the therapeutic properties of the spices. Without the fat, the spices will cause the stom ach to be on fire causing acidity, reflux, and ulcers.
To absorb fat-soluble vitamins like Vitamin A, D, E, and K, one needs fats like ghee or oil.
Food 41
This is probably why Vitamin A-rich foods like carrots, peppers, and pumpkins are best had with a tempering.
• Veggies
Vegetables are un
disputedly ben
eficial for our
bodies. Eating
seasonal and
local produce
is key to en
suring good
health, but the
right combina
tion of these foods
is needed to prevent
diseases.
Cruciferous vegetables like cabbage, cauli flower, broccoli, and cucumbers can cause bloating for some. When eaten with pulses like rajma, chole, channa, etc., they can cause severe flatulence, acidity, and indigestion. It is always better to have them with a simple moong dal to prevent this. Ideally, these vegetables should not be consumed at night.
• Veg dishes from vegetables
People have forgotten what vegetables are. Whenever I ask people to name vegetables, they mention potato, paneer, corn, gatta, man gori, moong, and even macaroni!
Vegetarian fare is made from vegetables and all the above are not vegetables. When you use them in place of vegetables, it will cause bloat ing, constipation, gas, and raised blood sugar levels.
• Dairy
As mentioned before, the nature of dairy prod ucts has a bearing on their effects on our body.
42 LifePositive | OCTOBER 2023
Milk, when had by itself, causes mucus pro duction and congestion of the respiratory tract. One should always have it with turmeric, gin ger, cinnamon, cocoa, and tea powder to help break up the mucus.
Curd is a potent form of probiotics but can cause constipation for some. This is why it works better when combined with a digestive aid like roasted jeera powder, rock salt, or tem
pering. Cold curd can also cause a cough, so adding a tempering of spices and herbs is al ways beneficial.
Add turmeric to milk for better results
• Water
Our diets are incomplete without water, but many of us only think of getting our daily in take when we sit down for a meal. Because one hasn’t hydrated well before, one gets thirsty at mealtime. But water, when had with or around a meal, dilutes the digestive acids in the stom ach and makes the food difficult to digest.
So pay heed to the above suggestions and eat your way to health.
Recipe
Pumpkin Raita
Ingredients
250 gm grated and boiled pumpkin
500 ml curd
Salt to taste
Roasted cumin to taste
Red chilli to taste
1/3 cup chopped coriander
Method
1. Stir the curd with the spoon till smooth (or whip it slightly).
2. Add all the other ingredients to this curd. 3. Serve chilled.
Moong Dal
Chillas
Ingredients
• 3 tbs green
moong dal
with skin
• 4 green chilies
chopped
• A pinch asafoetida
• Salt to taste
• Oil for cooking
• ½ bunch spinach
• 100 gms carrots grated
• 1 onion finely choped
• 1 tsp. cumin seeds
• 400 gms doodhi grated
Method
1. For the chillas, soak the moong dal for at least 3 hours.
2. Add the green chilies, spinach and 1 tea cup of water and grind in a blender. Add the doodhi, carrots, onion, jeera, asafoeti da and salt.
3. To proceed, spread a little moong dal mix ture on a hot frying pan of about 125 mm. diameter. Smear a little oil around the mix ture and cook for a few seconds. Turn over and cook the other side till light brown. 4. Serve hot with green chutney
Naini Setalvad is a nutritionist, specialising in lifestyle and immunity disorders. Her foundation, Health For You, throws light on healthy food habits. Contact her at healthforyou@nainisetalvad. com
Food 43
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