Incompatible foods ?

Viruddha ahara  is an unique concept explained in Ayurveda, which refers to food- food interactions, food processing interactions etc. Foods which are wrong in combination, wrong process of production, consumed in incorrect dose or at incorrect time, can lead to interruption in normal metabolism and growth of tissues.
When two or more foods having different tastes, energy and post digestive effect are combined, agni becomes overloaded, inhibiting the enzyme system and resulting in the production of toxins, these combinations of food are called as incompatible foods (Viruddha ahara) . At the same time these foods, if eaten separately, might well stimulate Agni (digestive power), be digested more quickly and even help to burn or remove toxins.

The literal meaning of word Viruddha is opposite. It sounds that the food 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.

Nutrition science attributes consumption of acid ash producing foods (sugar, fats, and colas), acid residuals in the body and improper digestion as the root cause of all disease.  Similarly, in Ayurveda, it is said that improper food combinations produces weak acids leading to various disorders.

These foods in less quantity are harmless, if you have good digestive power and if you are used to it for years.

Effect of incompatible food on body: 

• Incompatible food combinations can lead to flatulence, indigestion, and fermentation. 
• Prolonged intake of such combinations can lead to toxaemia. 
• Those substances which when consumed, cause aggravation of the doshas but do not expel them out of the body and bring about abnormalities in the rasa,rakta, mansa,meda, etc (dhatus) and give rise to diseases.
• Impotency, various skin diseases, digestive disorders or it can lead to even death.

Ayurveda literature has described 18 types of Viruddha Ahara, which can be summarized as follows:

Viruddha word here denotes opposition. So, it can be understood that any procedure, combinations, dose, amount of food, opposite properties of food if consumed regularly for a longer period can lead to number of disorders.

Examples of viruddha ahara:

1.Place Incompatibility (Desha Viruddha) :

 To eat dry and tikshn (which are of sharp taste e.g. sour,salty tastes)) substances in dry region and  unctuous substances in Marshy land. To normalise doshas you should have unctious and hoot foods in dry region and dry and tikshna foods in marshy region.

2.  Time Incompatibility (Kala Viruddha): 

Intake of cold and dry substances in winter, Pungent and hot substances in summer.

3. Digestive Power Incompatibility (Agni Viruddha): 

Intake of heavy food when the power of digestion is low, intake of light food when the power of digestion is good. You should eat according to your digestive power otherwise indigestion takes place.

4. Quantity Incompatibility (Matra Viruddha): 

Intake of honey and ghee in equal quantity have notorious effect on health.1

5. Habit Incompatibility (Satmya Viruddha): 

Intake of sweet and cold substance by person accustomed to pungent and hot substances because body is used to such habits and when you go out of the way allergy or indigestion can develop.

6. Dosha Viruddha: 

Utilization of drugs, diets and regimen having similar qualities with Dosha, but at variance with the habit of the individual.

7. Processing Incompatibility (Sanskar Viruddha): 

Drugs and diets which, when prepared in a particular way produced poisonous effects. E.g. meat of peacock roasted on a castor spit or heated honey2.

8. Potency Incompatibility (Veerya Viruddha): 

Substances having cold potency in combination with those of hot potency. e.g. Milk and Fish 3.

9. Bowel Incompatibility (Koshtha Viruddha): 

To give less quantity,  less potency and less stool forming food to a person of costive bowel as it will lead to more constipation. Administration of more quantity heavy and more stool forming food to a person having laxed bowel, for him it shall be difficult to digest and can cause loose stools.

10. Avastha Viruddha:

 Intake of Vata aggravating food (cold and dry)  by a person after sexual act, physical exertion or intake of Kapha aggravating food(unctious, heavy foods)   by a person after sleep or drowsiness. Increased dosha will exert it's effect on body.

11. Sequence Incompatibility (Kram Viruddha): 

If a person takes food before his bowel and urination or when he is not hungry  or  too long after his hunger has been aggravated. 

12. Caution or contraindication Incompatibility (Parihar Viruddha):

Consuming cold water immediately after hot tea or coffee.

13. Treatment Incompatibility (Upachar Viruddha): 

Having cold water after ghee. It is advised to take warm water after ghee as it helps in it's digestion.

14. Cooking Incompatibility (Paak Viruddha ): 

Under cooked, over cooked  or burnt food, all of them are not good for health.

15.Combination Against ( Samyoga Viruddha): 

Intake of sour substance with milk. Fruit salad or milk + banana.

16. Incompatibility in Interest (Hridaya Viruddha):

 Intake of unpleasant food.

17. Richness of Quality Incompatibility (Sampad Viruddha):

 Intake of substance that are not mature, over matured or altered taste.Now a days we see artificially ripened fruits and veges with Calcium carbide, it is a corrosive agent and can cause ulcer in stomach and is carcinogenic as well.

18. Against rules for Eating (Vidhi Viruddha): 

Taking meals in public place, while chatting or watching TV.

Frequent intake of virudhha ahara (incompatible food) leads in to toxins. Then, in the alimentary tract this toxins provoke all doshas and which get mixed with digestive juice and then rasa dhatu and so on, it spread from one dhatu to next dhatu. 

Some other examples of  incompatible foods:

Related research:

A new branch called topography (a science related to combination of food) is emerging, which tells about the combination of basic categories of the food. 

• As per this science proteins must not get combined with starch and carbohydrates and may be consumed differently. This is because starches require an alkali medium and the amylase in saliva contains ptylin, an enzyme that breaks down starch into maltose. 
• Consuming proteins and starches together will result in absorption of one being delayed by the other. 
• Similarly, eating sugars and acid fruits hinder the action of ptylin and pepsin, reducing the secretion of saliva, and delaying digestion.

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.