If you think cottage cheese and eggs are the perfect protein breakfast, get ready to reconsider.
In 2021, the journal Food Chemistry published a study that revolutionized the concept of food pairing.
Scientists from Wageningen University (Netherlands) have discovered that when cottage cheese and eggs are consumed at the same time, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide are formed in the intestines – toxic compounds that destroy the microbiome.
"The proteins casein (cottage cheese) and albumin (eggs) compete for enzymes, causing putrefaction," gastroenterologist Dr. Emily Smith told Health Digest .
Why has this become the norm?
The dietetics of the 1970s actively promoted cottage cheese and eggs as an “affordable source of protein.”
But the technology to analyze microbiota didn’t exist back then. “It’s a legacy of an era when the goal was to feed, not to keep healthy,” food historian Mark Kurlansky wrote in The Story of Food.
Listing the consequences, experts talk about bloating and autoimmune disorders.
A breakfast of cottage cheese with eggs can cause spasms, bad breath, and dysbacteriosis.
How do they eat in other cultures?
In Japanese and Mediterranean cuisines, cottage cheese and eggs are almost never combined.
For example, in Greece, eggs are served with vegetables, and cottage cheese with honey and nuts.
“Tradition is the result of a thousand-year experiment in health,” said chef Yotam Ottolenghi on the cooking show MasterChef .
How to fix the situation
Combine cottage cheese with greens, cucumbers or berries. Fiber neutralizes the negative effects of casein.
Eat eggs with avocado or spinach - fats and chlorophyll improve protein absorption.
Separate your meals. Eat cottage cheese for breakfast and eggs 3-4 hours later.
"Food combining is a science, not a culinary whim," emphasized Dr. Herbert Shelton in Food Combining Made Easy.
