Since early childhood, we all have been told to consume milk on a regular basis for strong bones and faster growth. Where consumption of milk is said to be very beneficial for your health, one needs to be mindful about what you are pairing it with. According to the ancient Indian medicinal sciences of Ayurveda, consumption of milk with sour food items is not at all advisable as it comes with several side effects. One such sour food item that one should not pair with milk is amla or Indian gooseberry. Although amla comes with myriad health benefits. It is a rich source of nutrients including vitamin C, vitamin B, calcium, iron and fibre. When consumed on their own, these two food items can do wonders to health but a combination of these two can lead to several complications.
Learn about the four side effects of consuming amla with milk from our expert Dr. Tanuja Nesari, Director, All India Institute Of Ayurveda, New Delhi.
Side Effects of Amla & Milk
Milk and amla both are superfoods that come along with various health benefits and are enriched with various nutritional properties. On their own, these food items can work wonders and keep you healthy and fit whereas when consumed together, it might lead to several complications. Here is what our expert Dr. Tanuja Nesari has to say on this.
“Amla is an elixir for life as it is known for its immunomodulating properties, is a rejuvenator, is helpful in diabetes and is considered to be one of the best anti-aging foods. When we talk about consumption of amla with milk, these two are not recommended to be consumed together. According to ayurveda there are 18 types of incompatible food combinations that tend to break down the necessary proteins in the body and release some harmful toxins and free radicals into the body. Amla and milk are one of these 18 incompatible food combinations which are termed as “viruddha annam” in the sanskrit language.”
Side Effects Of Amla And Milk
Listed below are four reasons why one should never have milk and amla together as per Ayurveda:
#1. Causes Impotency
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With fertility being one of the most important topics amongst the ealderlies and adults, it is important to know that your wrong food choices can lead to impotence and infertility. This incompetent food combination is said to affect a person to such an extent that it can have ill effects on the hormonal levels of a person that tends to result into issues like infertility.
#2. Weakening Eyesight
Our eyes are one of the most important out of the 6 senses because they help us to see and witness the beauty of the world. Where consumption of amla is said to be good for eyes and is known to improve the eyesight by strengthening the muscles and fighting the free radicals, consuming it with milk can have reverse effects. Eating amla or Indian gooseberries with milk is said to deteriorate a person’s eyesight
#3. Skin Disorders
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Eyes are not just the only sensory organ that suffer the ill effects of this milk and amla combination, but its effects can be seen evidently on your skin as well. A regular consumption of these ingredients together can result in skin related issues and disorders such as ulcer, blisters, pigmentation, eruptions, etc.
#4. Weakens the Digestive System
Where the Indian gooseberry or amla is one of the rich sources of fiber, it is known to be good for digestion. When paired up with milk, the effects of it tends to get aggravated in the wrong direction due to which it can lead to variou digestive issues such as constipation and acidity. Excessive vitamin C present in the fruit when consumed with milk leads to digestive stress and upsets the gastrointestinal lining. This gastrointestinal issues leads to conditions such as acidity, acid reflux and constipation in some cases.
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This combination of amla and milk tends to have a cumulative toxicity. This means that a person would not get to experience these side effects right away, but they would affect him/her over the period of time. Not just amla, but any sour food when consumed with milk is known to have certain side effects. As many people consume milk with chyawanprash during winters, it needs to be taken into consideration that these two are consumed at least within a gap of 30 minutes. As this chyawanprash also consists of amla powder, its consumption with milk can lead to multiple complications and deteriorating health.
(With inputs from Dr. Tanuja Nesari, Director, All India Institute Of Ayurveda, New Delhi)
