It’s been said that eating certain foods together-think red wine with red meat, to neutralize toxins, or grilled chicken with coleslaw, to flush away carcinogens-may help ward off the negative effects of your less-than-healthy choices.
But according to celebrity nutritionist Paula Simpson, the theory only holds true if you’re eating in moderation and offsetting unhealthy helpings with antioxidant-rich foods. “Even if you do eat like this, you are still taking a risk in ingesting nutrient-depleted, toxic, processed foods,” she says. “If you do eat this way, the best thing you can do is balance the meal out with something healthy.”