17 Common Dietary Mistakes: Don't Mix Foods Randomly

In life, food pairing is a profound science, and some common pairings we are familiar with are not necessarily correct. Here are 17 common dietary mistakes: don't "pair the wrong mandarin ducks" when it comes to food combinations.

1. Scallion and Mushroom Chicken (Chicken + Sesame)

Sesame can nourish the liver and kidneys, nourish blood and promote fluid production, moisten the intestines to relieve constipation, and blacken hair. However, consuming it with chicken can cause poisoning, and severe cases can be fatal. It can be treated by drinking a decoction of licorice in water.

2. Spicy Green Beans (Garlic + Scallion)

Garlic and scallions are both foods that strongly stimulate the intestines. Eating them together can easily lead to symptoms like abdominal pain and diarrhea.

3. Scallion and Century Egg Tofu (Tofu + Scallion)

I'm sure everyone knows about this one!

4. Banana Yogurt (Banana + Yogurt)

Yogurt can lower cholesterol. Drinking yogurt on an empty stomach can make the lactic acid bacteria in the yogurt difficult to survive due to the high acidity of the gastric juice, reducing its health benefits. Eating it with bananas is also not beneficial to your health.

Banana Yogurt Ice Cream

5. Jujube and Hairtail Congee (Jujube + Fish + Scallion)

Jujube is neutral in nature and can nourish the spleen and stomach, and replenish qi and blood. Eating it with fish and scallions can lead to indigestion.

6. Spiced Tea Eggs (Tea + Eggs)

Strong tea contains a significant amount of tannic acid, which can turn the protein in food into indigestible coagulated substances, affecting the body's absorption and utilization of protein.

7. Green Pepper and Beef Liver (Beef Liver + Vitamin C-rich foods)

Because the vitamin C in fruits and vegetables has strong reducing properties, it can be easily oxidized by copper ions in beef liver, thereby losing its physiological activity.

8. Braised Pig's Trotters with Soybeans (Pig's Trotters + Soybeans)

The alduronic acid residues in the dietary fiber of soybeans can chelate with the minerals in pig's trotters, interfering with or reducing the body's absorption of these elements.

Braised Pig's Trotters with Soybeans

9. Braised Beef Brisket with Radish (Carrot + White Radish)

Carrots contain ascorbic acid oxidase, which can destroy the vitamin C in white radish, greatly reducing the nutritional value of both radishes.

10. White Fungus and Radish Soup (White Radish + White Fungus)

White radish is neutral and slightly cool, with effects such as clearing heat and detoxifying, strengthening the stomach to aid digestion, resolving phlegm and stopping cough, promoting qi and relieving constipation, promoting fluid production to quench thirst, and tonifying the middle jiao to calm the organs. It should be noted that eating radish with white fungus may cause dermatitis.

11. Stuffed River Snails (Pork + River Snails)

Pork is sour, cold, greasy, and heavy, while river snails are very cold. Both belong to cooling foods and can easily damage the stomach and intestines, so they should not be eaten together.

12. Black Glutinous Rice Chicken (Glutinous Rice + Chicken)

The main function of glutinous rice is to warm and tonify the spleen and stomach. Therefore, people with a deficient spleen and stomach who often have diarrhea can get a good therapeutic effect from eating it. However, eating it with chicken can cause physical discomfort.

Glutinous Rice Chicken

13. Braised Spanish Mackerel with Tomatoes (Tomatoes + Fish)

The vitamin C in tomatoes can inhibit the release of copper elements from the fish.

14. Red Bean, Winter Melon, and Crucian Carp Soup (Crucian Carp + Winter Melon)

Crucian carp is warm in nature and sweet in flavor, harmonizing the stomach, tonifying deficiency, reducing swelling and detoxifying, promoting urination and lactation. However, eating it with winter melon can cause dehydration.

15. Red and Yellow Salad (Cucumber + Tomatoes)

Tomatoes are rich in vitamin C, which can enhance the body's resistance, prevent scurvy, and resist infections. Cucumbers contain vitamin C decomposing enzymes, and eating them together can destroy the vitamin C in the tomatoes.

16. Spicy and Sour Cucumber with Cold Noodles (Cucumber + Chili)

Cucumbers contain vitamin C decomposing enzymes, which can destroy the vitamin C in chili peppers, reducing their nutritional value.

17. Spinach and Tofu Soup (Spinach + Tofu)

Tofu contains magnesium chloride and calcium sulfate, while spinach contains oxalic acid. When these two foods are combined, they can form magnesium oxalate and calcium oxalate, which cannot be absorbed by the human body.

Spinach and Tofu Soup