Great food pairings for better nutrition - Healthy eating advice Herbalife
Like 0 Dislike 0 Published on 23 Apr 2013
I'm Susan Bowerman, Herbalife nutritionist. Some foods just seem to taste better when they're eaten together like cake and ice cream. But there are also some nutritional benefits when you pair certain foods together in the same meal.
People often ask me if there are certain foods that they should or shouldn't eat at the same time. For the most part, your digestive system is designed to process pretty much anything you send its way, and in pretty much any combination. But sometimes, eating certain foods together can actually give you a bit more nutritional benefit than if you ate the foods separately. Here are a few examples of what's known as 'food synergy'.
• Onions and garlic with whole grains. Sulfur compounds found in onions and garlic can help your body absorb minerals -- like zinc - from whole grains. Zinc is found in both animal foods and grains, but it's harder for your body to absorb from it plant sources. So next time you cook up some whole wheat pasta, toss it with some onions or garlic for a nutrition boost.
• Colorful veggies with a little fat. Many fruits and vegetables contain antioxidant compounds called carotenoids -- found in abundance in carrots, spinach, tomatoes and other deeply colored foods. When you eat these foods with a little bit of fat, it helps your body absorb the healthy pigments. So, if you make a salad with deep green lettuce, carrots and tomatoes -- all of which contain carotenoids - adding a little healthy fat from avocado will help your body absorb these beneficial compounds.
• Black pepper with fruits and veggies. Black pepper contains a compound called piperine which gives pepper its spicy flavor. Piperine also helps your body absorb beta-carotene an antioxidant found in green and orange fruits and vegetables. To help your body absorb beta carotene, add plenty of pepper to your mixed vegetable salads, or try a twist of pepper on fresh cantaloupe or peaches. In addition to the nutrition boost, spicy pepper also enhances the sweetness of the fruit.
• Vitamin C with veggies and grains. Vitamin C makes the iron found in plant foods more absorbable. And it doesn't take much - the amount of vitamin C in one orange can nearly the triple the iron absorption from a bowl of oatmeal. Tomatoes in your bean soup will help you absorb the iron in the beans; strawberries will help you absorb the iron in your cold cereal, and the iron in spinach will be better absorbed if you season it with lemon juice.
• Fish and leafy greens. One of the functions of vitamin D is to help your body absorb calcium. Fatty fish, like salmon and mackerel, store vitamin D in their flesh, and leafy greens like turnip greens, mustard greens and kale, are sources of calcium. They're a natural pair for a healthy meal, and the vitamin D in your fish will help your body take up the calcium in the veggies.
• Broccoli and mustard. A beneficial compound called sulforaphane -- found in broccoli as well as cauliflower, cabbage, mustard and horseradish - is more readily absorbed when you eat a mixture of foods from the broccoli family rather than any single one. So try tossing your steamed broccoli with a little grainy mustard for an added kick of flavor and nutrition.
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