You may have noticed that sometimes when we eat our food it takes very long time to digest; resulting in gas, bloating, constipation, diahorrea, stomach pain, discomfort, headache, etc. We regret what we had eaten but cannot figure out what was wrong. Here is a quick guide to decode…what went wrong?
Prime causes of such a discomfort are;
- Having no eating schedule
- Overeating
- Having improper food combination
While timings and over eating can be controlled by self discipline, you need to know how to pick food combinations. What to eat together?…… What not to eat?……
Here are the guidelines to suggest you proper food combination to avoid such unusual situation, follow them to be at ease.
- All cereals should be combined with pulses as they have complementary protein which is required for us.
- Whenever you eat iron rich food like green leafy vegetables add some source of vitamin C like lemon, tomatoes and green chilies. It is required for absorption of iron by the intestine else iron gets precipitated in the gut.
- Never combine caffeinated drinks like tea, coffee with your food as it interferes with the iron absorption.
- Never mix dairy products with non vegetarian dishes. As they have different proteins and enzymes needed for their digestion are different enzyme thus it delays the digestion and creates stomach discomfort.
- Fruits and salads should be combined with nuts (peanuts, flex seeds, sesame seeds etc) as the fat from nuts helps in better absorption of antioxidants from fruits and salads.
- Acidic fruits like oranges, tomatoes go well with fats or proteins.
- Fruits should be eaten on an empty stomach for getting the max benefit. If eaten on full stomach their sugar (fructose) turns into triglycerides (TGA) which is bad.
- Melons should be eaten alone as they digest faster than any other fruits. Try avoiding mixing melons with other fruits.
- Lean proteins like fish, eggs, low fat dairy products combines well with green and non starchy vegetables (cucumber, cabbage, carrot, spinach, fenugreek leaves, etc.)
- Fats and fatty proteins (olives, nuts, avocado, seeds, oils, butter, ghee, cheese etc) works best with green vegetables.
So now you are aware of the right food combinations, select wisely and relish your life.