Out of all the animals in the world, humans – us – probably have the most varied diet.
This isn’t just in the modern day, where every single type of food is available from your local store, nor do we mean during the last 2000 years during the evolution of civilization.
No. We mean that humans have always had the most varied diet.
We eat everything, even foods that mammals aren’t supposed to, like chocolate, and even foods that are specifically designed to hurt us, so we won’t eat them, like chilies.
However, no matter how strong the human gut is, there are just some foods that cannot be eaten in certain circumstances.
The most prominent of these circumstances is when you combine two of these foods together and create a dangerous chemical reaction in your gut.
Persimmons are a delicious fruit, yet many are wary of eating it with other foods for good reason. So, what food cannot be eaten with persimmons? In this article, we seek to find out.
What Are Persimmons?
Persimmons are a seasonal herbaceous fruit native to Asia, North America, and Southern Europe.
The persimmon family of trees are deciduous trees with a relatively short lifespan for a tree, producing fruit between the ages of 3 and 6 and then living until they are about 70 years old.
Due to their deciduous nature, the trees will lose their leaves for winter, regrow them in spring, and drop fruit in late August.
While they do not drop fruit in winter, the fruit may stay on the tree throughout this time.
There are many, many species of persimmon, but there are only a few of them that bear edible fruit.
The most common of these is the Oriental Persimmon, which is native to China, Japan, and Korea – though most of the world’s crop is grown in China.
One of the other very popular types of persimmon is the American Persimmon, which grows across the entire eastern seaboard of the United States.
Both of these trees have very similar characteristics with only their fruit tasting slightly different and that the American variety can reach 150 years old.
Are Persimmons Good For You?
Yes, in fact, persimmons are a very healthy fruit.
Due to the good amount of vitamin C, phytonutrients, and flavonoids they contain, they have been linked to helping with certain health conditions, including the reduction of the risk of certain cancers.
What’s more, they are low in sodium, and fat, making them a great option for people who want to eat healthier.
They are high in dietary fiber, vitamins C and A, potassium, folate, and iron.
They also contain carotenoids that help protect your skin from sun damage, and polyphenols that can help with preventing heart disease and reducing cholesterol.
With all these additions to your diet, you will find that your digestion, metabolism, and blood circulation improves over time.
It can also help your skin, making it less oily and reducing the appearance of fine lines on your face.
What Cannot Be Eaten With Persimmon?
Certain foods, when eaten together, can cause serious damage to your gut.
The reason for this is that foods have certain chemical compounds in them and when they come into contact in your gut and with your stomach acid, they react poorly.
Humans have a very advanced digestive system that is pretty tough, but it was designed to handle food in certain ways.
When something else is added that upsets this balance or causes a reaction that doesn’t normally happen, things can get out of control.
While ripened persimmons tend to be okay with most foods, unripened ones have some chemicals in them, which – when they come into contact with other foods – can create serious digestive issues if eaten in excess.
Unripe persimmons contain soluble tannin, which when combined with a weak acid, like stomach acid, becomes a gluey mess in your stomach.
This mess attaches to other substances and hardens into a woody ball called a bezoar. This bezoar cannot be passed through your stomach and gets larger every day.
If you don’t get it removed, you can die, which is not ideal. However, this is only for unripe persimmons and only in excessive amounts.
For most persimmons, eating them with other food is fine. There is a lot of folklore and warnings passed down for generations about eating persimmons with other foods, but generally it is not true.
For example, lobster and crab are said to turn poisonous when eaten with persimmons and the most recent one is don’t eat persimmons and drink milk or have dairy at the same time.
However, there is very little scientific evidence to support any of these theories.
But, you should always consult a dietician or nutritionist before going ahead with this, as they can provide a more concrete and verified answer.
What Can Be Eaten With Persimmon?
Many foods can be eaten with persimmons, with no problems.
In fact, excluding the foods mentioned above, there are no theories or thoughts on other foods not being okay to eat with persimmons.
The only thing that could feasibly stop you eating persimmons with other foods is the taste of them together.
If they taste terrible together, then don’t eat them, but if you enjoy the flavor, then by all means chow down. Just don’t eat too many, otherwise you will probably get very sick.
People particularly like eating persimmons together with ice cream or yogurt. It adds a sweet, fruity overtone to the snack.
Even just flaking pieces on meals or desserts creates quite the flavor booster to whatever you were eating.
If you are unsure how to use persimmons with your meal, maybe try it with different components and see what you like. It may shock you to find one you enjoy.
Conclusion
Persimmons are delicious and although there is a lot of stigma about what you can and can’t eat them with, none of it is grounded in scientific fact.
As such, you can eat persimmons with pretty much anything, just don’t eat too many and don’t eat unripe ones.
Through Addicted To Veggies, I want to share with you my favorite raw recipes. From brownie recipes, to recipes containing pumpkin, my site is full of delicious and wonderful options to consider.
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