These food pairings can help your body ‘better absorb’ vitamins and antioxidants

Concurring, Lovneet Batra, a nutritionist, took to Instagram to write: “Strategically combining certain foods can help your body better absorb vitamins and antioxidants“, as she suggested the top five ‘food combinations’ for maximum nutrient absorption.

 

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Prebiotics and probiotics- Banana and yoghurt

Lovneet suggested adding a sliced banana to a bowl of yoghurt. “Combining bananas, which are rich in potassium, with high protein foods like yoghurt helps build muscle,” she said, adding that banana is also high in inulin, a type of prebiotic that supports gut health and enhances the body’s ability to absorb the yoghurt’s calcium.

Vitamin D and calcium- Mushrooms and sesame seeds

This vitamin-and-mineral combo will help keep your bones healthy. Vitamin D helps bring in more calcium from the foods you eat and the supplements you take. The two work together because the active vitamin D form leads to a cascade of effects that increase the absorption of dietary calcium in the intestines.

Vitamin C and iron- Lemon and green leafy vegetables

To best absorb non-heme iron, aka plant-based iron, you need to give it a little boost by pairing it with a source of vitamin C. Vitamin C helps break the iron down into a form that the body can more easily absorb.

Healthy fats and vitamin A or lycopene- Olive and spinach

Cooking spinach, as well as serving it with a bit of olive oil, has shown to enhance the body’s ability to absorb the photochemical, she shared.

Vitamin E and C- Almonds and orange

Both vitamins play a role in immunity. By adding vitamin C and E to your diet, you are giving your skin double the antioxidant to fight damage from free radicals, vitamin E also aids in the formation of red blood cells, while vitamin C helps wounds heal.

According to Dr Soni, many other foods that go best with each other include: poha, which is a source of iron, and a dash of lemon juice. “This makes for a great combination as lemon juice is rich in vitamin C, which is required for the proper absorption of iron. You can also squeeze lemon juice on green veggies that are rich in iron,” she shared.

Further, she suggested teaming beans with brown rice as beans are a good source of protein and brown rice is a rich in carbohydrates and together, “these nutrients help speed athletic recovery and improve performance.”

What pairings should strictly be avoided?

Dr Soni shared that turmeric or turmeric-rich foods should never be consumed with tea as it can be extremely harmful for the body. “Turmeric contains curcumin, while tea has tannin —  a combination that is likely to cause gastric problems such as acidity or constipation. Also, many people love banana shake, but as per Ayurveda, banana and milk is a bad combination and can affect your digestion as well as aggravate respiratory disorders like sinus, cold and cough,” she added.

Further, the expert pointed out that palak and paneer is also “not a healthy combination, as spinach is rich in iron and paneer is rich in calcium.” “When these two food items are eaten together, calcium inhibits the nutrient absorption of iron. Also, as mentioned earlier, fruit along with meals or just after meal should be avoided as fruit is absorbed very quickly, but when combined with grains, meats or dried products, they can stay in the digestive tract for too long and begin to ferment. This can cause damage to the walls of your intestine amongst other problems,” she explained.

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