Debunking the tomato and cottage cheese myth: What experts say
This theory strikes many of us with a mighty bang. Combining tomatoes and cottage cheese is allegedly a severe mistake that carries significant consequences. Does this mean we need to exclude our favourite breakfast from our diet? See what the expert has to say on this matter.
9 July 2024 19:03
Many of us have already fallen for the idea that combining two seemingly innocent vegetables —cucumber and tomato — is a rather "average" idea than an "outstanding" one. Of course, framing it in a way that this duo hidden in one salad gives it some toxic properties is an exaggeration or just a plain food myth. However, it cannot be denied that these vegetables do not interact positively with each other, and the influence of one on the different makes our salad significantly poorer in health-promoting properties.
Does combining cottage cheese with tomatoes work the same way? Is a sandwich with cottage cheese and a slice of red vegetables a toxic breakfast? Or maybe just bland? What is the point of one product reacting to another? These questions did not come out of nowhere, as the thesis about this supposedly harmful combination appears on the internet from time to time. Below, we explain what this is all about.
Tomato and cheese. Harmful combination?
According to this thesis, combining tomatoes and cottage cheese causes insoluble mineral salt crystals to form. This is supposed to burden our joints, where the mentioned particles are supposed to deposit and lead to troublesome pains and inflammations. Does this make sense? MSc Aleksandra Cichocka, a Department of Diet-Related Disease Prevention specialist in Warsaw, answered this question. In "Practical Medicine" magazine, she addressed this in the following way:
In scientific publications regarding diet in joint diseases, I have not encountered a recommendation to avoid combining tomatoes and cottage cheese in a dish. You can find this opinion on the internet, but not in scientific literature.
The specialist added that the theory about the harmful combination of cottage cheese and tomatoes is nothing more than another food myth that should not be listened to. However, she noted that people suffering from rheumatoid arthritis indeed have to follow certain dietary restrictions, which sometimes include tomatoes (as well as other nightshade vegetables). Fortunately, this has nothing to do with the supposedly toxic effect of tomatoes on cottage cheese. What a relief!
