Incompatible Diet is hazardous to health

By Ekaum Brahmrishi Shree Kumar Swami Ji

At times, we consume incompatible food and as a result, we become deceased. Two contradictory food items taken together is called the (incompatible food).

It is often observed that people go to parties and end up waking up with an upset stomach the next day. They face problems such as belches, burning sensation in chest, vomiting, headache, giddiness etc. They visit the doctors and some get all-right within 2-3 days through medicine prescribed by the doctors but, some have to take medicine for many days, whereas there are some who have to get hospitalized too. Why does this happen? It happens so because the food which is served in the parties happens to be of different types and we continue to consume the incompatible food also during that one or two hours of the event. We continue taking, to mention a few, along with vegetables and pulses, various edible items such as curd, oily snacks, fruits, drinks, coffee, tea, soups, non-vegetarian food, Chinese foods, junk foods, south Indian foods, salads, puddings, ice-creams, sweets etc. After seeing all these varieties of food, the mind of the person wants to taste every item a bit. From here begins eating the contradictory food items which prove hazardous for health.

Not only in the parties, but at home also people eat incompatible food on various special occasions off and on. It is often said that ‘Health is Wealth’ and it is the most popular proverb. Everyone knows that nothing is important in life than the good health. No one can be happy and peaceful without a good health. One can maintain good health by following the rules laid down in the Ayurved.

What is Incompatible Diet?

Ayurved, which is 5,000-year-old system of natural healing, clearly defines what the incompatible diet is. It has its origins in the Vedic culture of India .The food which can be put in the category of incompatible diet are those which are wrong in combination, which have undergone wrong processing, which are consumed in incorrect dose and in incorrect time of the day and season. Persons who consume incompatible diet become prone to many disorders. Therefore, it is very essential that we should attain knowledge about such food combinations which create disease(s) so that, by following them, we could lead a healthy life. Ayurved describes various types of incompatible food. These can be illustrated as follows-

Incompatible food or diet according to Ayurved :

1. 1. Place Incompatible: The food which is beneficial in a cold region would not be good to consume in a hot region. Humans living at dry land with less water are of Vaat dosh predominant in nature. They should avoid dry and sharp food substances because it leads to aggravation of Vaata dosh. People living at marshy place are of Kaph predominance. If they consume more of unctuous, oily and cold food, it would leads to Kaph problems.

2. Time Incompatible: Excessive consumption of dry and cold food in winter and excessive intake of hot and pungent food during summer is time incompatible. As the weather changes, stick to warm food in winter and cold food in summer. One should consume food according to one’s age. Kaph dosh is predominant in young children, so less amount of nourishing food should be consumed.

Vaat dosh is predominant in old age, so moderate amount of strength promoting and Vaat alleviating food should be consumed.

3. Fire Incompatible: Every individual has one’s own specific digestive power which converts food into body tissues. In Sam-agni, food gets digested within time, so Sam-agni people should eat food in moderate quantity. In Teekshan-agni, (strong appetite), food gets digested very easily within time, and in Mand-agni, food is slowly digested and takes long time. Light or less food in Tikshan-agni (when digestive fire is strong), is contradictory; while heavy and too oily food in Mand-agni (having low appetite), is incompatible diet.
4. Quantity Incompatible: Certain food combinations in certain proportion are not good for health. Taking ghee and honey in equal proportion, honey and water in equal quantity, are quantity incompatible as they become toxic.
5. Conduciveness Incompatible: Taking sweet and cold food by a person, who is accustomed to always taking pungent and hot food, is contradictory.
6. Dosh (Tri-dosh) Incompatible :The food which aggravates the Tri-dosh i.e. vaat-pitt-kaph, is called the Dosh Viruddh (Tri-dosh) diet.
7. Processing Incompatible: Food cooked improperly is called processing incompatible i.e. if curd and honey is heated, they become poisonous.
8. Bowel Incompatible: Mild purgative in a small dose in a hard bowel (Kroor Koshth) person and strong purgative in a large dose in soft bowel (Mridu Koshth) person are Koshth (bowel) Incompatible.
9. Potency Incompatible: Mixing of cold and hot substances should be avoided. Consuming food substances having hot and cold properties together are potency incompatible.
10. Health condition Incompatible: Taking Vaat vitiating foods and drinks like dry, cold food by the person who is occupied in heavy manual work, exercise, excessive exerted or has undergone sexual activity is health condition incompatible. Intake of Kaph vitiating food by a person whose Kaph is aggravated due to excess of sleep and laziness is health condition incompatible.
11. Sequence Incompatible: Taking food before the urge of elimination of feces and/or urine, taking food before the earlier food has been digested, taking food in absence of proper appetite and taking late meals after deep hunger, is sequence incompatible.
12. Avoidance Incompatible: Taking those food items which have been asked by the physician to avoid is called the avoidance incompatible.
13. Treatment Incompatible: In case a person is under treatment, intake of diet which has been prescribed to avoid, is called treatment incompatible.
14. Preparation Incompatible: Preparing food with bad odor or fuel, undercooking, burning or overcooking, are preparation incompatible.
15. Combination Incompatible: Intake of sour substances with milk will be contradictory in combination and hence it is combination incompatible.
16. Contradictory/incompatible to Mind: Any food item which is not pleasant in taste or unpalatable, or contradictory to mind, is contradictory/incompatible to mind.
17. Quality Incompatible: Intake of substandard or unsatisfactory food item(s), fruits or vegetables etc. are quality incompatible.
18. Codes Incompatible: As per the Ayurveda, food should be taken in private. Therefore, the meals which are taken in public are called codes incompatible.

Brief examples of incompatible food:

Honey mixed with cow ghee in equal proportion, drinking cold water or cold drink just before meal, particularly dinner; drinking cold fruit juice along with hot milk or coffee, drinking cold water immediately after hot tea or coffee. Eating ice-creams with hot chocolate fudge (both have contradictory potency). Milk is incompatible with meat, fish, sour fruits, banana, fruity milk shakes, fruit creams, and fruit salads. Banana with curd, milk or buttermilk not recommended because Banana with butter milk is taste contradictory. Starches are incompatible with egg, milk, banana and dates. Lemon is incompatible with yogurt, milk, cucumber and tomatoes. Yogurt is incompatible with sour fruits, hot drinks, fish, meat, mangoes and cheese. Most of the People take sweet dish after finishing the meals, specifically at night. It is sequence incompatibility. Radish is incompatible with fish, Milk and Eggs. Tea including milk or milk is incompatible with combination of salt containing chapatti. Potato, tomato, chilies are contradictory with yogurt, milk, melons and cucumber. Reheated cow’s milk is contradictory diet. Cucumber with lemon is antagonistic for body and tissues. Radish with raisins is contradictory. One has pungent and other has sweet taste (raisin) and cold potency, while radish has hot potency. Horse gram with milk is opposite combination of food. After consumption of green leafy vegetables and radish, drinking milk should be avoided as it is potency contradictory. Avoid taking pomegranate juice and grapefruit juice together. Honey should not be heated. Deep frying of potatoes can develop toxic substances, such as acryl amide, which can prove to be carcinogenic. Intake of incompatible food can lead to even death also.

According to the Ayurved, the diet which nourishes both physical and mental health is called as a balanced diet.