Food Combos that Increase Nutrient Absorption

Nutrients that help each other out

Certain nutrients work together synergistically to increase nutrient efficiency in your body. Some of these pairings include:

Iron and vitamin C

Found in foods like leafy greens and lentils, iron is essential for making red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your system. Foods rich in vitamin C, like lemons and tomatoes, can help increase your absorption of this mineral.

Vitamin A and healthy fats

Because vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, it’s more readily absorbed when consumed with healthy fats. For instance, pairing raw veggies with an oil can help you absorb as much as 50 percent of their vitamin A compared to about 5-10 percent from the raw veggies alone.

Vitamin D and calcium

Calcium, found in foods like milk, tofu, and leafy greens, is important for strong bones, and pairing it with foods containing vitamin D (like salmon) will help you absorb more of this vital mineral.

The healthy fats found in olive oil can improve your body’s lycopene uptake from red-hued fruits and vegetables like tomatoes

Prebiotics and probiotics

Prebiotic fiber in foods like bananas, oats, and chia seeds help feed the beneficial bacteria in your gut, while probiotics (think kefir soda, kimchi, sauerkraut, yogurt, and kombucha) are fermented foods that actually contain strains of live bacteria. Eating both in your diet can be a way to improve your gut health and support digestion.

Food pairings for nutrient absorption

Many nutritious food pairings also just so happen to be classic combinations. Here are some of our favorites.

Hummus and bell peppers

Hummus and bell peppers provide that iron-vitamin C pairing while also combining healthy fats, protein, and fiber.

Because vitamin A is a fat-soluble vitamin, it’s more readily absorbed when consumed with healthy fats

Apples and peanut butter

Not only do tart, crisp apples taste great with grounding peanut butter, the pair also delivers nutrients like fiber, protein, and healthy fats that help increase your satiety so that you feel full longer.

Tomatoes and olive oil

The healthy fats found in olive oil can improve your body’s lycopene uptake from red-hued fruits and vegetables like tomatoes. The powerful antioxidant has been linked to improved heart health and cancer prevention support.

Green tea and lemon

Green tea is bountiful in antioxidants, including a bioactive known as EGCG, and adding citrus juice to green tea has been shown to improve the bioavailability of these beneficial compounds.

Berries and grains

The plentiful fiber in berries and grains like oats can aid in digestion, and many berries contain the vitamin C that helps your body absorb iron from grains.

Salmon and broccoli

Salmon, rich in protein and healthy fats, goes great with the fiber and micronutrients in this green. But the vitamin D found in salmon can also help increase your calcium absorption from your broccoli as well.

A complete protein is one that in itself contains all nine essential amino acids your body needs to get through food, including leucine and lysine.

Turmeric and black pepper

Curcumin, a powerful antioxidant found in turmeric, helps support a healthy inflammatory response, but it’s not easily absorbed by your body. By pairing your turmeric latte with piperin, a phytonutrient found in pepper, you can enhance curcumin absorption.

Food Combinations for Complete Protein on a Plant-Based Diet

If you eat mostly plant-based, pay a little extra attention to what you eat to make sure you’re getting enough (and complete) protein.

A complete protein is one that in itself contains all nine essential amino acids your body needs to get through food, including leucine and lysine.

If you eat mostly plant-based, pay a little extra attention to what you eat to make sure you’re getting enough (and complete) protein

Many animal foods automatically contain all these amino acids, while most plant sources don’t. This means that in addition to being intentional about meeting your protein needs on a plant-forward diet, you also need to include a variety in combination to get all your amino acids.

Plant sources that already complete proteins include quinoa, tofu, spirulina, amaranth, buckwheat, chia seeds, hemp seeds, and nutritional yeast.

Otherwise, here are some common combinations for ensuring you get complete protein throughout your week:

• Beans and brown rice
• Hummus and pita bread
• Pasta and peas
• Lentils and rice
• Peanut butter and whole wheat bread
• Certain protein powders

At re_, we sell a variety of protein powders that offer a powerful serving of complete plant protein, like our Sprout Living Chocolate Maca Protein Powder and Vanilla Lacuma Protein Powder, made with prebiotics and nutrient-dense superfoods.

Other Tips for Maximizing Nutritients

If you’re interested in maximizing nutrient availability in your foods and processing your food more efficiently when it comes to blood sugar, here are some of the things you can try.

Choose fresh, heirloom produce

Not only are heirloom foods an important part of our agricultural system, but they also tend to be more nutritious than many hybrid foods. In addition, because our modern soils are largely nutrient depleted thanks to Big Ag farming practices, food grown using regenerative practices that focus on soil health may be likely to deliver more nutrients.

Not only are heirloom foods an important part of our agricultural system, but they also tend to be more nutritious than many hybrid foods

Finally, because supermarket produce is often picked early, distributed over long distances, and left on shelves for weeks, these fruits and veggies may not retain as many nutrients as just-picked, farm-fresh produce.

Keep the peel

Many fruits and vegetables contain a great deal of nutritional content within their peel, so don’t assume that by peeling that kiwi or cucumber you’re getting all the nutrients it promises. Keep the skins on your apples, peaches, potatoes, and other safe-to-eat peels, and add citrus zest to your foods to get some extra nutrients and flavor.

Eat in order

The sequence with which you eat your foods can impact your blood sugar response. For instance, in order to lower your glycemic response from a meal, it can be best to start with the fiber-rich vegetables on your plate, then the protein and fats, then starches and sugars.

Keep the skins on your apples, peaches, potatoes, and other safe-to-eat peels, and add citrus zest to your foods to get some extra nutrients and flavor

It’s further advised that if you’re going to enjoy a carb-heavy dish or dessert, it’s best to “coat” your carbs by pairing them with a healthy fat or protein. For instance, if you’re going to eat some pancakes, add peanut butter to help your body better process those simple carbs.

Chew thoroughly

Eating slowly and chewing your food thoroughly is the first step in digestion. By breaking up your food with thorough chewing, you stimulate the production of digestive enzymes and stomach acid, making food more absorbable to your body before it goes through your digestive tract.

Stay hydrated

It takes moisture to move food through your digestive system. Water also helps break down food, soften stool, and carry nutrients across the intestinal barrier. Drinking plenty of water helps keep your digestive system running smoothly, so stay sipping throughout the day with a handy, plastic-free water bottle.

We hope these tips were helpful! To maximize your nutrition for a healthy lifestyle, focus on eating a colorful plate and getting a variety of plant foods using these powerful combinations. When in doubt, remember classic pairings like rice and beans, then aim to get at least 30 different plants into your diet each week.

At re_, we offer a variety of mostly plant-based, organic foods including local, farm-fresh produce, powerfully nutritious protein powders, dried legumes and whole grains to give you plenty of options to play with in your menu.

Sources:

5 Power Food Pairings That Boost Nutrition

How to Boost Your Nutrient Absorption - Russell Havranek, MD

Food Synergy | Salisbury University