Explanation of Incompatible Foods or Viruddha Aahara as per Ayurveda!

Ayurveda says that food has the power to nourish us; but it also has the power to poison us - it all depends on how and when we eat it. We have already explained in detail about why Ayurveda stresses on eating right. We have also discussed the right kind of food, the right time to eat as well as the right quantity of food to eat. Click on the links to read in detail.

Now let's discuss another very important aspect of Nutrition as per Ayurveda - Eating foods that are compatible with each other. Yes, we may not realize it but there are a lot of things that we eat that are not meant to be eaten with each other as per the age-old science. These foods are everywhere - in our kitchens, in the takeaway or while dining in at a restaurant. Not only are these combinations bad, but over time, they can even lead to poisoning in certain cases!

Incompatible foods, which may differ from person to person, Dosha to Dosha and situation to situation, are referred to as Viruddha Aahara in Ayurveda.

There are two main reasons why foods become incompatible:

• Their properties are opposing

This means that the two foods are at such opposite ends of the spectrum - like hot and cold, that their qualities do not match at all.

• Their properties are too similar

If two foods are too similar, then they could aggravate a particular Dosha by producing side-effects.

While these are the main reasons why foods become incompatible, we will provide more details about it in our post on types of Viruddha Aahara.

Certain foods are good when taken on their own, but when combined with certain other foods, they could produce a negative effect. They might either generate additional water or Kleda in some cases, or lead to accumulation of Ama or toxins, or block the Srotas or the channels in the body and might even lead to indigestion. This might happen because the foods might overload the Agni in the body, affecting digestion.

Incompatibility of the food might also affect different people differently. These are some of the reasons why the effect of incompatible foods may not be that strong in certain cases:

• The person has a strong Agni or metabolic fire.
• The person is young.
• The person exercises well enough, so the body can take a lot.
• The person's body is already accustomed to incompatible foods.
• The person has only taken a small quantity of incompatible foods.
• Cooking the badly combined food with spices and herbs.
• Natural antidotes we consume, which reverse the effects - mostly spices that are beneficial.
• Other foods that the wrongly combined foods are being eaten or cooked with.

So what are the different types of Viruddha Aahara? Follow the next post to find out!