The worst food combinations according to nutritionists and the healthiest alternatives

James Briscione, one of the world’s greatest chefs, researcher and author of the book The Flavor Matrix: The Art and Science of Pairing Common Ingredients to Create Extraordinary Dishes, says that combining different products on a plate in a harmonious way is a true art. It is important to consider the chemical structure of the ingredients, as well as the mixture of smells and aesthetic harmony.

Sometimes trial and error lead us to incredible ideas, causing some combinations to be discovered. But the most common is to combine foods according to old recipes. But are they really that good?

the team of awesome.club found 8 combinations of products that can prevent our organism from functioning optimally. Some can even cause some problems. Check out what they are right now.

Often, instead of giving us energy, breakfast can leave us completely drained. For example, eating a piece of cake and drinking orange juice. This all-too-frequent combination features no protein and no fiber, but just a potent dose of carbs. As a result, blood sugar rises quickly and, after a while, goes down. With it, our resistance and ability to work also decreases. A cupcake like the one pictured above contains as much sugar as 2.5 small chocolate bars.

Advice: eat wholemeal cake, juice with lots of water and don’t forget to drink plain yogurt.

At first glance, melted cheese seems to complete a piece of meat perfectly well, but this combination will hardly be called ‘healthy’.

To digest plant and animal compounds, the stomach requires gastric juice in different concentrations and different types of acidity. In cheese there is calcium; in meat, iron and zinc. When both participate in metabolic processes, calcium hinders the assimilation of zinc. The calcium in cheese decreases iron absorption by almost two-fold. Our body cannot digest these products and absorb all of their nutrients at the same time.

Advice: try not to eat both products on the same plate. For example, meat can be combined with some vegetables, such as kale or cabbage, products with vitamin C, which helps the body absorb iron from meat.

Separated, the two products are very good for health. Both fish and eggs are rich in different vitamin and amino acid compounds. Interestingly, there is more vitamin D in fish than in eggs.

A popular myth is that the element avidin, present in the egg, neutralizes vitamin B7 (biotin), present in fish varieties and with a very important role in the metabolism of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. When cooking avidin, it becomes denatured and loses its ability to overtake biotin. So when we mix fish with raw egg, the stomach produces an insoluble avidin-biotin complex, and vitamin B7 is not enough. With boiled eggs this does not happen.

Advice: eat fish with salad or with spinach. This one, rich in magnesium, helps to digest the iodine contained in the fish.

According to the aforementioned James Briscione, one of the most common mistakes even of people who eat well is to combine grains and vegetables wrongly, especially spinach.

What happens is that cereals, combined with oxalic acid (from vegetables), block calcium absorption🇧🇷

Tip: It’s best to eat spinach about two hours before consuming other fiber foods. This allows the body to optimally absorb the properties of this plant, which is rich in calcium.

Everyone loves to eat a croissant and have a cup of tea. But yeast can cause a great feeling of acidity and a great upset in the stomach. In addition, tea contains caffeine, which makes it difficult to absorb vitamins and minerals, for example iron and vitamin B1, present in pasta and which help the nervous system to stay healthy.

Advice: the best thing to do is drink caffeinated drinks an hour after eating some yeast dough.

Many people like to add kiwi to yogurt. Some nutritionists, however, say this is not a good combination. The enzymes present in kiwi are capable of accelerating the decomposition of milk proteins. For that reason, the milk taste bitter.

Advice: it is better to add other fruits to the yogurt.

It is dangerous to combine cantaloupe with other products, especially dairy products. When milk becomes a little acidic, it becomes difficult to digest. Melon smoothie with milk is one of the most effective methods to end digestion problems. No, you’re not going to die, as your grandmother’s famous myth that you couldn’t mix mango with milk suggested. But, if you want to feel better, the suggestion is to avoid this type of combination.

Advice: melon should not be consumed with other products. The ideal is to eat between meals and at least two hours apart.

Wine pairs very well with different desserts, but alcohol influences blood sugar and increases insulin production. As a result, the sugar in a piece of cake turns into fat and makes you fatter.

Furthermore, alcohol and candy are opposites in the ‘processing chain’. At first, the body will digest the dessert (glucose) and then the alcohol. The result will be drunkenness and a hangover.

Advice: to avoid this situation, have a glass of wine with your main course.

Lately, trophology has gained more and more popularity. Trophology is the science that studies the effect of food on the human organism, the combinations that are good and those that are bad, the influence of different products on health, mood and even the ability to work.

We don’t live to eat, we eat to live. Therefore, proper nutrition is one of the conditions for a healthy lifestyle. However, if you are dreaming about a piece of meat or you are dying to eat a piece of cake, don’t think that this is the end of the world, respect your wishes and remember that eating is one of the great pleasures. of life.

How do you deal with food? Do you mix different foods? Share your opinion in the comments.