It is advisable not to consume fish and milk together if you are a seafood lover. There is a common belief that consuming fish and milk together may result in skin patches or pigmentation. If we were to go by rabbinical beliefs, milk and fish were considered a disastrous combination and were harmful to your health. Modern science disagrees. From a scientific standpoint, there is no evidence proving that drinking milk after fish is harmful or could cause skin pigmentation.
Several fish dishes are prepared with curd as an essential ingredient, and curd is a dairy product, so this theory is redundant. At most, it may cause slight indigestion, but that too depends on the individual. It cannot cause adverse side effects like skin pigmentation. The ambiguity regarding this combination doesn’t seem to end here. Dr. Deepali Bharadwaj concurs that this combination should be avoided, “Fish and milk should never be consumed together.”. It can cause severe allergies.”
Similar reasons motivate us to turn to Ayurveda. Ayurvedic Expert Dr. BN Sinha explains that fish is a non-vegetarian food, while milk, although it is an animal product, is considered vegetarian. This renders the combination as incompatible. Consuming them together increases the tamas guna in the body which could lead to an imbalance. It also gives rise to certain chemical changes in the blood. This causes skin pigmentation or a condition also known as leucoderma, he tells us.
According to Delhi-based nutritionist Dr. Tapasya Mundhra, dairy products do not go well with protein-rich foods. The reason is that milk has a cooling effect on the body, whereas fish has a warming effect as it is rich in proteins, and when these proteins break down during digestion, a lot of energy is released.
People tend to believe fish and milk are harmful together, but science disagrees. The effects are still unknown.
An ideal Mediterranean meal, which is now being considered as one of the healthiest diets globally, includes a combination of fish, yogurt or milk along with cereals, healthy fats and nuts.
Several studies have shown that the combination of nutrients in a Mediterranean diet can be beneficial for preventing heart disease, diabetes, and even mental health problems like depression.
Dr. Anju Sood, a nutritionist based in Bangalore, says since there is no proof that dairy products in combination with milk cause vitiligo, you don’t really need to work on it. According to her, “There is absolutely no harm in eating them together.”
Clearly, there is no consensus regarding the consumption of dairy products and fish at the same time. However, it is recommended to avoid the combination as a precautionary measure.
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