- America loves its food combo classics: burger and fries, peanut butter and jelly, wine and cheese, and hot apple pie with ice cream.
- But some delicious combinations are doing your body more harm than good when eaten together.
- INSIDER spoke with several health and food experts to find out which food pairings you should avoid for improved health and wellness.
When two or more ingredients share similar flavor compounds, the chemical structures in food that create aroma, they taste good together, according to James Briscione, director of culinary research at The Institute of Culinary Education and author of "The Flavor Matrix."
Peanut butter and jelly is one of the most iconic, according to Claudia Sidoti, head chef and recipe developer at HelloFresh. The saltiness and fat in the peanut butter combined with the sweet and tart fruity flavors of jelly is a national favorite, she said.
However, there are some food pairings that make your body work a lot harder than it needs and can cause health problems. INSIDER spoke with several health and food specialists to find out what food pairings you should try and avoid for the sake of your health.
SEE ALSO: 10 bizarre food pairings that are actually really delicious
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Whole grains and spinach
If you've gotten into the habit of meal prepping, your recipes likely include a type of grain, a vegetable, a protein, and maybe even a fruit. Although this seems like a foolproof method to a balanced diet, you'll want to take a closer look at your bowl to ensure you haven't combined a whole grain with a leafy green, Briscione told INSIDER.
The high fiber from the whole grain and oxalic acid from the leafy green can block calcium absorption, Briscione shared.
To still maintain strong bones, you can still eat your spinach, but do so at least two hours before you consume high fiber foods such as quinoa. This allows your body to maximize the vitamins and minerals of the calcium-rich spinach you consumed earlier, according to Bone & Joint.
Muffin and orange juice
One common breakfast routine that may leave you feeling quite fatigued shortly after is a muffin and glass of orange juice. The reason being that this breakfast combo has an excess of carbohydrates, according to The Black Doctor, which causes your blood sugar to peak and then suddenly drop, causing you to crash right after.
To prevent this, try eating a whole grain muffin for added fiber, and use orange zest in your muffin recipe or enjoy a few slices of fresh orange on the side instead. That way, you get the benefit of the fiber from the whole fruit and muffin, whereas the juice is simply sugar, water, and flavor according to Briscione.
Burger, fries, and a soda
The unhealthy combination of salt, fat, and sugar found in your burger, fries, and soda combo meal may be enough to turn you off from this popular dish, according to David Nico, PhD, MBA, author, communicator, and certified wellness coach.
But if that's not convincing enough, the increased cravings that come along with this food combination may do the trick. Nico told INSIDER that processed sugar basically shuts off the signals in the brain and gut that tell you you're full, driving you to consume more and more of these unhealthy foods.
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