Ayurvedic Food Combining

Best Practices:
• Keep your proteins simple and separate.
• Dairy is a protein that is best eaten alone or with some grains.
(It is best to not mix it with other animal proteins.)
• The “heavier” the food, the heavier it can be on your digestion.
Sometimes we need heavier foods, but be aware of the state
of your digestion in the moment.
• Fruit is best eaten alone, or cooked in small amounts
when combined with other food.

Foods Compatible Incompatible

Beans Grains, vegetables, Fruit, milk,
other beans, nuts, cheese, yogurt,
and seeds eggs, meat, and fish

Butter & Ghee Grains, vegetables, Butter may not

beans, nuts, seeds, combine with other
meat, fish, eggs, and foods as universally
cooked fruit as ghee

Cheese
Fruit, beans, eggs,
Grains and
milk, yogurt, and
vegetables
hot drinks

Any other food

Milk (especially BANANAS,
Best enjoyed alone.
cherries, melons,
*Exceptions: rice
sour fruits, yeasted
pudding, oatmeal,
breads, eggs, yogurt,
dates, and almonds
meat, fish, kitchari,
and starches)

Yogurt Fruit, beans, MILK,

Grains and cheese, eggs, meat,
vegetables fish, nightshades, and
hot drinks

MILK, cheese, yogurt,

Eggs Grains and fruit (especially
non-starchy melons), beans,
vegetables kitchari, potatoes,
meat, and fish

Fruit Other fruits with Any other food (aside

similar qualities, from other fruit)
(i.e. citrus together, *Exceptions: dates
apples & pears, a with milk, and some
berry medley) cooked combinations

Cucumbers, tomatoes,
Lemons Usually okay with milk, and yogurt
other foods if used in *Note: Lime can be
small amounts as a substituted for use
garnish or flavoring. with cucumbers
and tomatoes.

EVERYTHING,
Melons especially dairy, eggs,
Other melons (in a
fried food, grains, and
pinch), but it’s better
starches. *Note:
to have each type of
Melons should be
melon on its own.
eaten alone or
not at all.

Grains Beans, vegetables,

other grains, eggs,
Fruit
meat, fish, nuts, seeds,
cheese, and yogurt

Vegetables Grains, beans, other

vegetables, cheese,
Fruit and milk
yogurt, meat, fish,
nuts, seeds, and eggs

Fruit (especially
melon), cucumber,
Nightshades Other vegetables, milk, cheese, and
grains, beans, meat, yogurt *Note:
fish, nuts, and seeds Nightshades include
peppers, eggplant,
potatoes, and
tomatoes.

Most foods, unless the

Hot Drinks hot drink contains
other foods (i.e. milk, Mangoes, cheese,
fruit, almond milk, rice yogurt, meat, fish, and
milk) in which case, starches
reference that
particular food.

Leftovers Ideally, just other

leftovers from the
same meal. Preferably Freshly cooked foods
not more than 24
hours old.

Raw Foods Other raw foods, Cooked foods

ideally in small (especially in large
quantities quantities)