Sometimes, eating a healthy diet rich in vitamins and minerals isn’t enough. Many of the nutrients we need to stay healthy and fight disease are not very easily absorbed by the body. The good news is that by combining certain foods (food buddies), you can increase absorption and get greater benefits from the foods you eat.
Here are some of the most effective food buddies who help each other to be used more efficiently:
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Boost Your Nutrient Intake with These Food Buddies
Vitamin C and Iron
Iron deficiency is the most prominent deficiency in the world, and that’s not too surprising because iron can be quite difficult to absorb, and if you’re a woman of menstruating age, your body can very easily become depleted of the mineral.
Luckily, iron’s good friend Vitamin C is there to save the day. When you take iron with Vitamin C, your ability to absorb iron is boosted, and you can get greater benefit from iron rich foods like spinach, lentils and kidney beans.
Good sources of Vitamin C include bell peppers, broccoli, and citrus fruits. So, it shouldn’t be too difficult to whip up a nice meal that contains both iron and Vitamin C.
Vitamin K and Fat
Vitamin K is an essential part of our diet, which helps to improve bone health and which can contribute to lower the chances of birth defects when taken by pregnant women.
However, it is a fat soluble vitamin, and that means it can only be absorbed when taken with dietary fat.
Food high in Vitamin K include leafy greens, asparagus, and green beans. Cook them up in olive oil or butter, which are high in fat, to ensure that your body can truly absorb the goodness. This is one of my favorite food buddies.
Vitamin D, Magnesium and Calcium
This trio of goodness works well when taken together because Vitamin D regulates calcium levels in the body and magnesium can help boost calcium absorption. It is, of course, important to get enough calcium if you want to maintain strong and healthy bones and teeth.
Magnesium rich foods are easy to find and include spinach, natural yogurt, and black beans avocado and bananas. Combine these with Vitamin D rich foods like fish, eggs, milk and calcium rich foods like cheese, and leafy greens… you won’t have to worry about getting enough calcium into your body.
Beta-carotene and Fat
Beta-carotene is a brilliant antioxidant, which is crucial to the formation of another important vitamin – Vitamin A – in the body. Unfortunately, like Vitamin K, beta-carotene is a fat soluble vitamin.
This means you must eat foods rich in the antioxidant, such as sweet potatoes, carrots, and squash, with healthy fats like olive oil, walnuts or avocado if you want to ensure you get enough of it.
It’s not always easy to come up with healthy recipes that maximize your nutrient absorption, but now that you know which nutrients should be taken together, it is very much worth the effort to try. You’ll feel a whole lot healthier if you do.
Disclaimer: You should always speak with your doctor before making changes to your diet.