You might be surprised to find out that there are a number of food combinations you should avoid. Pairing certain foods together can negatively affect your digestion system and end up making you sick.

Here are six popular food combinations that can ruin your health:

1. A Sandwich and Coffee

Many people eat breakfast on-the-go, especially when they’ve had a hectic morning and they’re running late for work. A breakfast sandwich and a cup of coffee has become a regular meal choice. The problem is, the simple carbs in bread prevent the calcium in the cheese from being digested properly. Adding instant coffee to the mix ends up providing zero benefits when it comes to heart health.

Tip:

If you love a good breakfast sandwich, try switching to green tea.

2. Tomatoes and Cucumbers

Tomatoes and cucumbers is a popular combination for a healthy and refreshing salad. But adding these two ingredients together can actually disturb the biochemical pathways of your body. The mixture can cause calcination and swelling, and the vitamins that the foods contain won’t be digested properly.

Tip: Eat these foods separately instead of together!

3. Potatoes and Meat

A steak and fries might sound like a delicious meal. Unfortunately, it’s not the healthiest combination. The starch in potatoes needs alkalotic digestive fluids, while the proteins in meat needs acidic digestive fluids. When you eat them together, the foods can end up causing heartburn, gas and other digestive issues.

Tip: Don’t eat meat and fried potatoes.

4. Pasta and Minced Meat

The salivary glands produce both ptyalin and amylase. These substances help transform starchy carbs such as pasta into simple sugars. When simple sugars are mixed with meat, they can end up creating a dangerous chemical mixture that can lead to diabetes.

Tip: Eat pasta as a separate dish. Add herbs and vegetables to give it more flavor and texture.

5. Dairy and Pineapple

Sour fruits such as pineapple cause the digestive system to work a little slower. Pineapple also contains bromelain, an enzymic complex that can cause health issues when combined with dairy products.

Tip: If you’re adding fruit to your yogurt, try apricots or plums instead of pineapple. Or, skip the fruit and add oats or honey.

6. A Banana and Milk

Some nutritionists believe that fruit should be consumed separately from other foods. Sweet fruits that contain a lot of natural sugar can stay inside the body for a longer period of time. This can cause the digestive system to slow down, especially when you combine them with milk.

Tip: Eat a banana separately as a snack, instead of with a meal.