Nutritionist claims palak and paneer is a bad food combo; here's why

Nutritionist Nmami Agarwal in her recent Instagram post gives reasons why palak and paneer shouldn’t be eaten together.

Palak paneer is a much-loved winter delicacy people look forward to in the cold weather. From regular dinner option to party food, the popular dish finds space in almost every menu. It's considered a nutritious food too as spinach is rich in iron, potassium, protein, fibre and a variety of other micronutrients. Paneer too is a storehouse of protein, calcium and is good for people with diabetes. Both palak and paneer are good for your bone health and improving overall immunity. However as per a nutritionist, palak and paneer together can offset each other's benefits and basically do not go well together. (Also read: Spinach recipes: Healthy and tasty palak snacks to boost your child's immunity)

Nutritionist Nmami Agarwal in her recent Instagram post gives reasons why palak and paneer shouldn’t be eaten together. Agarwal says certain foods are healthy individually, but when eaten together they may lower the nutritional advantage of the other. In case of palak paneer, iron of palak and calcium of paneer do not really help each other's nutrient absorption.

Why palak and paneer don't go well together

"Love palak paneer? Well, it's not the right combination. Tastes really yum, right. Why? Because there are certain combinations that don't go well together. Now healthy eating doesn't mean just eating the right food items. It means to eat the right food items in the right combinations. There are certain combinations that inhibit the nutrient absorption of each other when eaten together. One such combination is iron and calcium. Spinach is rich in iron and paneer is rich in calcium. When these two food items are eaten together calcium inhibits the absorption of iron. So, for maximum iron utilisation let's have palak aloo or palak corn instead," suggests Agarwal.

What Ayurveda says about wrong food combo

Ayurveda also has a concept of Viruddha Ahaar where the ancient medicinal practice prohibits combination of certain ingredients like banana and milk as having them together can release an energy called Vipaka and can lead to several health problems. Combination of fish and milk, honey and ghee in equal proportions, curd and cheese are also considered Viruddha Ahara.

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