Foods and medicines are more than just things to satisfy cravings or make you feel better – they’re complex chemicals that nourish the body and help it thrive. But when these chemicals come into contact with each other (in the gut, for example) they can interact, sometimes leading them to not work as intended or triggering uncomfortable side effects.

If a medication absolutely shouldn’t mix with a particular food or drink, you’ll invariably find this pointed out on the prescription label. But it can be easy to miss or forget about these warnings once you get into a routine of taking your medication, and less severe interactions may not even be flagged. The same can be said for foods that block the absorption of supplements: because they’re not really regulated like medicines, it can be hard to find information.

So, to help you wrap your head around the often-complex science of how food, supplements and medications can interact, we asked Ian Budd, pharmacist at Chemist4U, to talk us through some of the most common ones to look out for. Here’s what he had to say.

Common foods, medicines and supplements you might not know can impact each other