French fries go with ketchup, and tomatoes go well with eggs. Most of us know what foods fit with each other – but have you ever wondered what shouldn’t be eaten together?
Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has many ideas about how different food combinations can affect your health. TCM divides people’s body types into nine constitutions. TCM doctors can use your body’s constitution to figure out what foods can improve your health.
The two most common body types are the hot body constitution and cold body constitution. These are related to the opposing energies, yin and yang, which must stay in balance – for example, if you have too much yin, you need more foods with yang.
Those with a cold body constitution often feel cold and tired, struggle to fall asleep, and may get diarrhoea easily. They usually do not have enough yang.
People with a hot body constitution often have warm hands and a dry tongue, and they might sweat a lot at night. They do not have enough yin.
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According to TCM, people with different body constitutions benefit from different food combinations.
“When we talk about what food to eat and not to eat, we really need to think about our different constitutions. For example, if this person is yang type, they probably should eat more yin food,” said Dr Kevin Yue Kin-man, an associate professor at the School of Chinese Medicine at Hong Kong Baptist University.
He added that most Hongkongers had a hot body constitution because of the city’s damp, warm weather.
Based on these ideas, here are some common food combinations that people should be aware of.
Dr Kevin Yue is an associate professor of Chinese medicine at the Hong Kong Baptist University. Photo: Edmond So
What hot body constitutions should avoid
Pairing beef and chestnut, two “warm” foods in TCM, could be harmful for hot body constitutions.
Dr Ma Jianying, an assistant professor at Baptist University’s School of Chinese Medicine, explained: “Combining them together is like adding oil to fire, heating up the body ... which will cause different kinds of heat symptoms.”
The professor added that according to TCM, your body might struggle to digest beef with chestnuts and to take in nutrients when these foods are paired up.
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Mangoes are also considered a “hot” food, so people with hot body constitutions should eat less of it. This will help prevent heat-related problems from getting worse – for example, eczema, acne or other skin issues.
“Mango fruit has a damp and hot nature in TCM theory,” said registered Chinese medicine practitioner Novena Xie, adding that eating mango with shellfish could make the effects on the body even worse.
“People with allergic skin conditions should avoid this food combination because it will greatly increase the dampness in the body and act as a stimulant for skin allergies.”
According to Chinese medicine, acne, eczema and other skin conditions can be affected by what you eat. Photo: Shutterstock
What the cold body constitution should avoid
Watermelon and green beans are both cooling foods, but this pairing could be too cold for some.
“For people with a cold body constitution, this food combination should be avoided because together they create a very strong cooling effect and may cause dizziness and digestive issues,” Xie said.
Another set of cold food groupings to avoid include having crab with tea or persimmon.
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Xie explained: “Crab meat is a very cold type of food in TCM theory, and persimmon fruit is also cold in nature. Most people should avoid eating this food combination, as it can be hard on the digestive system.”
“Only those people with very strong yang energy, the ... hot body constitution, are able to eat this type of food combination.”
According to Dr Ma, the warnings against this pairing might be reflected in Western science as well. Tea and persimmon contain tannins, which have been found to make protein harder to digest. So when tea and persimmon are eaten with crab, which is rich in protein, we might experience indigestion.
Crab meat is a “cold” food in traditional Chinese medicine. Photo: Shutterstock
When you eat the wrong combination
If you end up having one of these potentially harmful food pairings, you will know that something is wrong if you experience discomfort, such as diarrhoea or nausea.
According to TCM practitioner Xie, people who experience stomach issues after eating cold food combinations can try drinking boiled ginger water with tangerine peel to help the body warm up again.
As for anyone who might experience mild acne after having too many hot food combinations, they can drink honeysuckle and chrysanthemum tea because this can help reduce the “heat” in the stomach and lungs.
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They might also suffer from sore throat and mouth ulcers after eating too much “hot” food.
In this case, Xie recommended drinking mint tea to refresh the body while also cooling down the throat and mouth.
However, Dr Yue emphasised that for anyone who is experiencing severe or persistent discomfort, it is best to consult a registered Chinese medicine practitioner or Western doctor.
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