It’s trending again! But “food incompatibility” is really unreliable!!!

“Is the theory of food incompatibility reliable?”

I didn’t expect to meet this “old friend” in our life again on the trending search…

The so-called "food incompatibility" means that certain foods cannot be eaten together, otherwise they will cause discomfort or even poisoning.

No matter where you are, there always seems to be legends about them:

“You can’t eat soy milk and eggs together”

“Spinach and tofu can cause kidney stones”

“Don’t eat green onions and honey together”

…

Are these "taboos" real? Can we still enjoy our meals?

First of all, I can tell you clearly that the saying of “food incompatibility” is not reliable. Let me refute it one by one below.

1. Peach + watermelon = poisoning?

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Peach and Watermelon: It’s unfair!

In summer, various fresh fruits are available, which is a good time to enjoy delicious food. However, many people miss the delicious food because of the saying that "eating peaches and watermelons together will cause poisoning." But in fact, the nutritional composition of the two is very similar, both are water and sugar, but the content of watermelon is about 90% water and about 5% sugar, while peaches are about 85% water and about 12% sugar. Eating them together will not cause poisoning.

However, although fruit is delicious, you should not eat too much. Eating too much can easily increase the risk of diarrhea. Also, if you do not brush your teeth in time after eating foods high in sugar, it can increase the risk of tooth decay and obesity.

2.Fruit + shrimp = arsenic?

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A classic old rumor.

Some people say: "Fruits contain a lot of vitamin C, which will reduce pentavalent arsenic in seafood into toxic trivalent arsenic, that is, arsenic trioxide, which is harmful to the human body." How can I explain it? I can only say that the person who made this statement studied chemistry, but did not learn it completely. This reaction is only a reaction that can be realized in theory. Generally, it can only be realized under very harsh conditions in the laboratory. It cannot happen in our lives.

In terms of dosage, based on the calculation that each kilogram of shrimp and crab contains a maximum of 0.5 mg of inorganic arsenic, in order for all of this arsenic to be reduced to arsenic trioxide by vitamin C, theoretically you would need to eat more than 100 kilograms of shrimp and crab at one time to cause arsenic poisoning. If you want to use this trick, the result can only be "die of bloating."

3. Spinach + tofu = kidney stones?

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To form stones, oxalic acid needs to reach the urine, where it combines with calcium. But in fact, if you eat foods rich in oxalic acid and calcium together, they may combine in the stomach and intestines and be excreted from the body with feces.

If you are still worried, blanching the spinach can remove most of the oxalic acid.

4. Persimmon + crab = stomach stones?

Rumor has it that: "Persimmons are high in tannic acid, which can easily react with the protein in crabs to produce precipitation and cause stones." Is this true?

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Persimmons are not easy to digest. Mature persimmons contain more tannic acid, which is why they taste astringent. Eating too many persimmons at one time may destroy the "tertiary structure" of protein in the stomach and even form insoluble "precipitates", also known as "stones", which affect the normal functioning of the stomach.

But for normal people, based on the amount of persimmons and crabs we usually eat, the tannic acid and protein in them will not produce much precipitation and will not induce digestive problems such as indigestion.

5.Scallion + honey = poisoning?

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"If you want to die violently, honey and chives?" The saying is true, but it is not true.

As for the origin of this saying, it may be that a long time ago someone ate poisonous honey and happened to eat onions, and mistakenly linked the two things together. He told others, and the saying gradually spread.

6.Soy milk + eggs = no absorption?

Many people believe that "soy milk contains substances that inhibit protease, and eating it with eggs will affect the absorption of nutrients", and they will deliberately avoid eating one of them for breakfast. In fact, there is no need to worry at all.

Raw soybeans contain this substance that inhibits proteases, called trypsin inhibitors. Soy milk is cooked, and the inhibitors have been destroyed, which will not affect absorption. Eating soy milk and eggs together is nutritious and delicious.

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7. Sweet potato + chicken, eggs = damage to stomach and intestines?

From the perspective of food nutrition, sweet potatoes are foods with a high starch content, while chicken and eggs are high-protein ingredients. Eating them together will not produce any reaction, but will promote a balanced intake of nutrients.

It’s just that for people with “sensitive” gastrointestinal problems, their gastrointestinal function is not very perfect. They are prone to abdominal pain and bloating after eating more sweet potatoes. Eating more chicken, eggs and other foods containing more protein may aggravate the discomfort, but this has nothing to do with the theory that “sweet potatoes + chicken, eggs = damage to the stomach and intestines”.

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After reading these explanations, are you relieved? "Food incompatibility" itself does not exist. There is no need to worry about it in daily life. Just eat and drink as you should.

However, rumors often emerge in an endless stream. If we encounter new "food incompatibility" rumors, how should we analyze the truth ourselves?

There is a very important sentence that everyone should remember: "Don't talk about toxicity without considering the dosage." As mentioned above, "fruit + shrimp = arsenic?", even if such a result can be obtained in theory, the dosage is often very large and cannot be achieved in real life.

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Another thing to note is whether the food itself has problems. For example, watermelons in summer can easily go bad if left indoors, and you may get diarrhea if you are not careful. Persimmons can cause gastrointestinal discomfort because they contain tannic acid, and beans can be toxic if not fully cooked. These foods are often the hardest hit by the "food incompatibility" theory.

But as long as you master the method of identifying rumors, you don’t have to worry about being deceived anymore~

Information from Science Popularization China, CCTV News

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