Proper combination of food substances, keeping in view the 5 factors given in the previous article, can enhance the process of digestion and aid in nutrition of body.If the negative effects of food items are known, they can be made wholesome by combining them with appropriate counteracting food items or “antidotes” as given below:
• Cheese increases congestion and mucous. It aggravates pitta and kapha. To counteract this, you can add black pepper.
• Eggs in cooked form increase pitta, and in raw form, increase kapha. Turmeric and onions are the antidotes.
• Ice-cream increases mucous and causes congestion. If taking ice-cream is inevitable, then top it with clove and cardamom.
• Curd increases mucous and causes congestion. Cumin and ginger will take care of the ill-effects of curd.
• Fish increases pitta. Coconut, lime and lemon are the remedial measures to counteract the bad effects of fish.
• Meat is heavy to digest. Cloves or pepper powder makes the digestion easier.
• Alcohol has both stimulating and depressing effects. Chewing a pinch of cumin seeds or 1-2 cardamom seeds may minimise these undesirable effects.
• The bad effects of tea can be lessened with ginger. In the same way, ill-effects of coffee can be kept at bay with nutmeg powder.
• It is a known fact that sweets increase congestion. Addition of dry ginger powder (Sonthi/soonth) to the sweetmeats will decrease the congestion.
• Tobacco aggravates pitta and stimulates vaata. Brahmi, calamus root (vasa/vacha) are used as antidotes to tobacco.
• Rice and wheat increase kapha and fat. Clove and ginger are used to enhance the beneficial effects of these cereals.
• Legumes produce gas and distention. Garlic, cloves, black pepper, ginger, rock salt or chilli powder are the antidotes.
• Cabbage produces gas due to its sulphur content. Cook in sunflower oil adding turmeric and mustard seeds.
• Garlic increases pitta. Grated coconut and lemon counteract this effect.
• Green salad produces gas. Cooking reduces the gas formation but, at the same time, its therapeutic benefits may also be lost. If you want to have salad in raw form, add a little quantity of lemon juice to it.
• Onion also produces gas. To prevent this either you should take it in cooked form or you should add salt, lemon, curd and mustard seed powder to it.
• Potato, due to its high carbohydrate content, produces gas. This can be reduced with ghee and pepper.
• Tomato increases kapha. Lime and cumin are the antidotes to it.
• The ill-effects like increase in kapha of banana, can be counteracted with cardamom.
• Mango produces diarrhoea. Adding ghee with cardamom is the remedy.
• Melon causes water retention. Grated coconut with coriander is the solution to this.
• Almost all those who consume nuts and peanuts, experience gas and burning sensation in the stomach. As a remedial measure, either you should soak them overnight or cook them with sesame oil, ginger, roasted cumin powder and pepper.
Food faddism is robbing the joy of eating these days. Go ahead and enjoy varieties of roods by planning your menu. Bon appetite and bon health!