🧠 Food + Medication Safety

🍽️ Lunch Could Be Costing You More Than You Think

Some lunch foods can interact with your medications — even if they seem healthy.

Here are some common food-medication warnings verified by the FDA, Mayo Clinic, and other trusted sources.

🧠 Common Food–Drug Interactions (Lunch + Beyond)

1. Grapefruit Juice – can dangerously raise levels of blood pressure, statin, and anxiety meds 2. Leafy Greens (spinach, kale) – may weaken blood thinners like warfarin 3. Dairy (milk, cheese, yogurt) – can block absorption of antibiotics 4. Black Licorice – may cause heart issues with some meds (especially digoxin) 5. Caffeine – can increase stimulant side effects or interfere with anxiety meds 6. Alcohol – can amplify sedatives, painkillers, and blood pressure meds 7. Salt Substitutes (potassium-based) – may increase potassium dangerously with ACE inhibitors 8. High-Fiber Foods – can slow down med absorption (thyroid meds, etc.) 9. Tyramine-Rich Foods (aged cheese, cured meats) – can cause dangerous BP spikes with MAOIs 10. Orange Juice – can interfere with allergy or cholesterol meds

⚠️ Safety Tip:

Always ask your doctor or pharmacist if any foods may interfere with your medications.