INCOMPATIBLE FOODS

INCOMPATIBLE FOODS

Visham or Viruddha

Ahara: An Ayurvedic Perspective

The purpose of this article is not to create fear, but to highlight the importance of proper food combinations (food compatibility). Habitually following suitable dietary combinations can not only enhance the body’s natural immunity but may also help prevent many chronic diseases.

The close relationship between food and health has been emphasized in Ayurveda for centuries. In his famous work Vaidya Jeevan, the Ayurvedic scholar Lolimbaraja (About 1538-1608 ) writes:

पथ्ये सति गदार्तस्य किमौषधनिषेवणैः।

पथ्येऽसति गदार्तस्य किमौषधनिषेवणैः॥

That means : “If a patient follows proper dietary rules and wholesome food habits, medicines may hardly be needed. Conversely, if proper dietary discipline is not followed, medicines alone are unlikely to provide lasting benefit because treatment cannot succeed without correcting the diet” .

Therefore, according to Ayurveda, proper diet and self-discipline are the first and foremost medicines in the treatment of disease  particularly Chronic and Complex diseases.

The Sushruta Samhita (Sutrasthana, Chapter 1) describes food as the root of strength, complexion, vitality, and immunity. Among the various means of maintaining and restoring health, food is given the highest importance. It is also stated that a physician who understands the nature of disease can often provide significant relief simply by prescribing an appropriate diet (Pathya).  In Ayurveda, the term Pathya refers to foods and practices that are beneficial to the body, easy to digest, and supportive of recovery from illness.

A famous Ayurvedic principle states:

“Hitabhuk,

Mitabhuk, Ritubhuk”

“हितभुक्, मितभुक्, ऋतुभुक्”

That means  “person who consumes wholesome food, in moderate quantity, and according to the season generally remains healthy” .

The Ayurvedic Concept of Incompatible Foods

The concept of Visham or Viruddha Ahara (incompatible diet) is extensive and highly practical. In essence:

“It is not only important what we eat, but also when we eat, how much we eat, with what foods it is combined, in which season it is consumed, by whom it is consumed, and how it is prepared and eaten.”

According to Charaka, regular consumption of incompatible foods may contribute to:

• Weak digestive power (Agnimandya)
• Formation of Ama (toxic metabolic residues within the body)
• Skin disorders
• Allergies and itching
• Impurities of blood (Rakta Dosh)
• Joint disorders such as arthritis and rheumatism
• Obesity
• Tendency toward diabetes
• Reduced immunity

Ayurveda considers Vishama Bhojana (improper, incompatible, or unsuitable eating habits) as a major cause of disease. Classical texts such as the Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridaya describe eighteen forms of dietary incompatibility.

Eighteen Types of Incompatible Diet (Vishama Bhojana)

Important Incompatible Food Combinations

Milk-Based Incompatible Combinations

Curd-Based Incompatible Combinations

Honey-Related Incompatible Combinations

Fruit-Related Incompatible Combinations

Ghee, Oil and Fat-Related Combinations

Other Common Incompatible Combinations

Beneficial Food Combinations in Ayurveda

Additional Dietary Observations

• Walnuts, peanuts, and water chestnuts are often regarded as highly nourishing foods and may provide more energy and nutrients than meat, egg and paneer.
• Jamun (Indian blackberry) contains copper; bananas, mangoes, and spinach are recognized sources of iron and other micronutrients.
• Traditional literature mentions trace mineral content in foods such as silver in kachnar buds and gold in amaranth.
• Bathua (Chenopodium) is traditionally valued in Ayurveda and folk medicine for supporting digestive and joint health. Eating 12 gram raw Bathua empty stomach for 40 days may cure arthritis and rheumatism.
• Rice consumed together with watermelon is traditionally considered likely to cause digestive upset.
• While eating outside at restaurants, curd may be helpful because it acts as a natural probiotic, supports digestion, helps balance stomach acidity, and may reduce discomfort from spicy foods.

Note

The above principles are based on traditional Ayurvedic concepts of digestion, doshas, potency (Virya), and food compatibility. Modern nutritional science supports some of these observations (such as avoiding reheated oils, overeating, and poor-quality foods), while others remain traditional Ayurvedic recommendations only but by and large these concepts are overwhelming modern nutritional science which is superficial and could not have gone into the depth of food related health.

Sir Robert McCarrison (1878–1960), who is regarded as one of the pioneers of nutritional research in India, established a Food and nutrition  Investigation Unit at Coonoor (Tamil Nadu) in 1918. This institution later evolved into what is now associated with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

When McCarrison conducted extensive investigations and analyses of the nutritional constituents of Indian foods, he reportedly expressed his amazement at how the ancient Indian scholars of dietetics possessed such a scientific, analytical, and profound understanding of nutritional balance centuries ago. He observed that modern scientists have added little that is fundamentally new to these principles; rather, through their continual experiments, they have largely been confirming and validating the same concepts and rules day after day.

This view emerged because many of the dietary principles that McCarrison presented to the world after nearly twenty years of research and experimentation had already been described centuries earlier by Lolimbaraja. Similar principles had also been propounded much earlier by Maharshi Atreya, traditionally believed to have lived around a thousand years before Christ. These teachings are found in classical Ayurvedic texts such as the Charaka Samhita, Sushruta Samhita, and Ashtanga Hridayam, which preserve ancient doctrines on diet, health, and nutrition and were written around a thousand years before Christ .