The food which is wrong in combination, which has undergone wrong processing, which is consumed in incorrect dose, which is consumed in incorrect time of day and in wrong season can lead to Viruddha Ahara. It also enlists a variety of incompatible dietary articles consumed in day-to-day life and its hazardous effects on health. Viruddha Anna or incompatible diet is very important issue discussed by ancient Ayurveda Acharyas. It is said to be the cause of many systemic disorders as per Ayurveda literature. Persons who consume ViruddhaAhara are prone to many disorders. It is also essential to know how certain food combinations interact with each other and create a disease. The literal meaning of word Viruddha is opposite.
It identifies that the combination of certain type of food may have –
- Opposite properties
- Opposite activities on the tissues
- May exert some unwanted effect on the body when processed in a particular form
- May exert undesirable effects, when combined in certain proportion
- May have unwanted effect if consumed at wrong time.
Examples of incompatibility/antagonistic (Viruddha-Aahara)
- Veerya Viruddha (potency incompatibility) — eg. fish + milk.
- Sanskara Viruddha (processing incompatibility) — eg. heated honey.
- Matra Viruddha (dose incompatibility) — eg. honey + cow’s ghee mixed in equal proportion.
- Krama Viruddha — eg. hot water after taking honey.
- Kala Viruddha — (time incompatibility) eg. pungent substance in summer and cold substances in winter.
- Krama Viruddha (order incompatibility) — eg. consuming curd at night. Taking Madhura Rasa Dravya (Sweet food substances) at the end of meals and Tikta/ Katu Rasa Dravyas (Bitter/ Spicy food substances) at the starting of meals.
- Samyoga Viruddha (combination incompatibility) — eg. fruit salad or milk + banana.
- Parihar Viruddha (contraindication incompatibility) — eg. consuming cold water immediately after having hot tea or coffee.
It can be said that, the immune system, endocrine system, digestive system, nervous system, and circulatory systems are affected by continuous consumption of ViruddhaAhara.
Some Detailed Examples of Incompatible Food
Green tea or black tea and milk
Tea contains flavonoids called catechins, which have many beneficial effects on the heart. When milk is added to tea, then a group of proteins in milk, called caseins, interact with the tea to reduce the concentration of catechins. So avoid tea and milk together.
Milk and yogurt interaction
As you know consuming both together can precipitate milk inside the stomach that may irritate and induce vomiting.So avoid milk and yoghurt together.
Tea and Garlic
Tea contains anticoagulant compounds called coumarins. When combined with garlic (that also has anticlotting properties), they may increase the risk of bleeding. So, better to avoid tea and garlic together.
Few more examples of Sanskara Viruddha(processing incompatibility)
Deep frying of potatoes can develop toxic substances, such as acrylamide, which can prove to be carcinogenic.
Eating potato chips regularly is Sanskaraviruddha. It is also mentioned in Ayurved text that heating honey is SanskarViruddha. Honey that is available in the market is Agmark honey and this honey is strongly heated before packaging. It is very important to find the relevance about why we must not heat honey.
It has been clearly mentioned in Ayurveda text that oil and food must not be reheated. Reheating of oil creates more oxidation and if consumed may create more oxidative stress creating more free radicals.
Milk which contains lactogen and certain fruits, such as bananas, which also contain common allergen may aggravate an asthmatic attack.
Milk with eggs, reheated cow’s milk, consuming too much sugar along with saturated fats, can lead to number of immunologic disorders. It has been regularly observed in the clinics that rheumatoid arthritis patients who consume curds at night, sour food at night complain of more morning stiffness.
From the above discussion, it is clear that Viruddha Ahara is an important aspect of today’s improper dietary habits. This can lead to several hazardous diseases unknowingly to the patients. Therefore, it is important to enlist the causative incompatible dietary factors and train the patients to avoid such etiologic factors.