IF YOU ARE TAKING THIS DON'T EAT THAT

ANTI-DEPRESSANTS Avoid red wine, hard cheese and chocolate. This applies to MAOI monoamine oxidase inhibitor antidepressants. Hard cheese, such as Parmesan or Swiss, red wine and chocolate contain ingredients that can be harmful to the body. For example, they can raise blood pressure. The MAOIs block this enzyme, where as, normally the body breaks them down using monoamine oxidase. DIABETES Avoid too much cinnamon. In large amounts, this spice can lower blood sugar. This is what the diabetes drugs do. Your blood sugar could get dangerously low. A sprinkle of cinnamon in cooking is safe. HIGH CHOLESTEROL Avoid grapefruit and grapefruit juice. They interfere with the body's metabolism, so your intended dose might not be accurate. Some of the statins for high cholesterol to avoid grapefruit with: Lipitor(atorvastatin), Zocor(simvastatin)and Altoprev, Mevacor(lovastatin). BLOOD-PRESSURE MEDICINES Avoid large amounts of bananas and other high-potassium foods. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors lower blood pressure but also boost potassium retention. Eating too many of these foods may cause harmful effects. Madelyn Fernstrom, a nutrition and diet expert featured on NBC's Today, and award-winning neuroscientist and pharmacologist John Fernstrom (her husband) are the authors of a new book, Don't Eat This if You're Taking That.