Throughout time, there have been some classic food pairings that just seem to survive. Peanut butter and jelly. Mint and dark chocolate. Guacamole and basically anything. While taste is often a definitive factor in food pairings, in many cases, nutrient bioavailability (your body’s ability to absorb the nutrients) has a huge part to play as well! This is where nutrient synergy comes into play. Nutrient synergies occur when the combination of two separate ingredients enhances the overall health-promoting potential of the food. Read on for four ways to supercharge the absorption of important vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants in your diet.
Iron and Vitamin C
Iron is an essential mineral that is a building block for hemoglobin, the protein found in our red blood cells that helps our body shuttle oxygen throughout our bodies. It is also a necessary part of myoglobin, a protein found in our muscles that is responsible for storing oxygen in the muscle tissues.
There are two types of iron that we can get from our food, heme and non heme iron.
Heme iron is found in animal foods and is the most readily absorbed form of iron by our bodies. Sources of heme iron are richest in organ meats, red meat, and pork. Up to 40% of the iron content of a food can be readily absorbed (2).
Non-Heme iron primarily comes from plant sources, such as dark leafy greens, dried fruits such as raisins, and lentils. Non-heme iron is much less readily absorbed, approximately 5-12% of the iron content of non-heme iron will be readily absorbed by the body (2).
The low absorption rate means that many people are at risk of being deficient in iron. Fortunately, we can enhance the absorption of iron by pairing it with a vitamin-c rich food! In one study, researchers found that taking 100mg of vitamin C with a meal increased iron absorption by 67% (3)!
Here are some easy ways to get your 100mg of Vitamin C:
1 cup steamed or roasted broccoli (101mg vitamin C)
6 Roasted Brussels sprouts (each sprout has 13mg!)
10 Strawberries (108mg vitamin C)
1.5 cups kale (120mg vitamin C)
2. Turmeric and Black Pepper
It feels like turmeric is having a real spotlight moment, isn’t it? Suddenly, it’s in everything from lattes to protein shakes, supplements, and I’ve even seen it added to cocktails.This super spice has been used for thousands of years in traditional Indian medicine to treat various health conditions, thanks to its beautiful anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, and anti-fungal properties. Unfortunately, the active ingredient responsible for these benefits, curcumin, is rather poorly absorbed in the body (1).
This is where humble black pepper steps in and really shines! Black pepper contains a bioactive compound called piperine that when combined with curcumin, can enhance it’s absorption by 2,000% (4)! It is thought to work in two ways. First, piperine makes it easier for curcumin to pass into the bloodstream and second, it can slo down the breakdown of curcumin by the liver, further increasing the blood levels. As an added bonus, consuming turmeric with a source of fat (such as avocado or ghee) will allow the curcumin to completely bypass the liver, even further enhancing its bioavailability!
3. Tomato and Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Picture yourself in Italy, cruising the stress of Rome on a vespa, stopping at a perfect little hole-in-the-wall restaurant for lunch. It hardly matters what you order, because tomatoes and fresh olive oil are going to be part of your meal in some way. Clearly, the Italians are on to something here!
Tomatoes are the best food source of an antioxidant called lycopene. Lycopene protects the body from oxidative stress, some cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. While not particularly difficult for the body to absorb, lycopene’s ability to work within our bodies is significantly enhanced when olive oil is in the mix!
In a 2005 study, researchers showed that adding olive oil to cooked diced tomatoes resulted in an 82% increase in plasma trans-lycopene and a 40% increase in plasma cis-lycopene over subjects who ate the same tomatoes without olive oil (5).
To have the healthiest olive oil, fresh is best! But unfortunately, according to a study from the University of California, Davis, 69% of imported olive oil samples failed to meet minimum sensory standards for extra-virgin olive oil, and had defects ranging from rancidity to adulteration with cheaper refined oils. (6). When shopping for an olive oil, there are a few things I always advise my patients to look out for:
Harvest Date- this is the date that the olives were harvested to produce the oil. The olive oil is best used within 18 months of this date and within 6 months after opening the bottle.
Bottle material- light will oxidize the olive oil, so look for bottles that are dark green glass, UV-protected glass, or stainless steel.
Smell and taste- your olive oil should taste and smell bright and fruity! It should never taste or smell dull, waxy, or benign.
4. Brazil Nuts and Sulforaphanes
Sulfor-whats?
Sulforaphanes are natural plant compounds found in many cruciferous veggies like broccoli and kale that have powerful health benefits! Meanwhile, Brazil nuts are a phenomenal source of Selenium, a similarly powerful antioxidant. Together, this dynamic duo have the power to modify the expression of selenoenzymes in the human endothelial cell line and protect cells from oxidative damage (7).
There is a delicate dance going on in our bodies every day, a balancing act between free radicals and antioxidants. Free radicals are constantly produced in the body, and despite the bad reputation they have, they are necessary for health. Did you know that your immune cells rely on free radicals to fight infections? It’s true. However, when free radicals outnumber your antioxidants, your body is in a state of oxidative stress that can result in damage to your DNA, cell death, and many diseases.
To help your body stay in balance, try a shaved Brussels sprout salad with 1-2 crushed Brazil nuts to provide plenty of sulforaphanes and selenium. Your body will thank you.