Top Food Nutrient Combinations
Learn about the important food combinations for optimum nutrient absorption.
Getting the most nutrition out of your kitchen fridge or backyard garden can be as easy as applying a few main principles. While some nutrients taken together improve the absorption of others, some nutrients can inhibit absorption all together.
Foods that Complement Absorption
Vitamin C and Iron
Iron comes in two forms, heme and non-heme. Non-heme iron is the found in plants and is not as well absorbed as heme iron found in animal products. Vitamin C helps switch iron to the ferrous state, which is easier absorbed.
Examples:
- Add beets to a shake or meal
- Squeeze a fresh orange or lemon on top of a spinach salad
- Add sliced strawberries to any breakfast cereal; hot or cold
- Add green peas to your kidney bean salad
Calcium, Magnesium and Vitamin D
Vitamin D acts like a traffic controller guiding calcium into your bone to make them strong. Since Vitamin D is hard to obtain in sufficient quantities from the sun a supplement is best recommended to take alongside Calcium.
Fat soluble Vitamins and Fat
Fat soluble vitamins include Vitamins A, D, E and K which require fat to be present to be ideally absorbed in the body.
Examples:
- Olive oil drizzled on baked sweet potatoes
- Unsalted almonds or walnuts as a great afternoon snack
- Mashed avocado spread on whole grain toast
- Pine nuts sprinkled on asparagus or broccoli
Foods that Inhibit Absorption
Calcium and Iron
These minerals bind together preventing absorption in the body. A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition revealed a dose of 165 mg of Calcium (in Milk form) reduced iron absorption as much as 50-60%. It is recommended for Calcium to be taken at bedtime for not only improved absorption but a better sleep too for its muscle relaxing properties.
Example items to not combine:
- Broccoli with Kidney Beans
- Kale with Lentils
Oxalic Acid and Calcium or Magnesium
Oxalic acid binds to calcium to form insoluble salts that cannot be absorbed. It too hampers the absorption of Magnesium.
Example items to not combine:
- Almonds or cashews with Sesame seeds
- Spinach and fortified soy/rice milk
Phosphoric Acid and Calcium
Phosphoric acid binds to calcium in the intestine forming calcium phosphates which are not absorbed.
Example:
- Limit pop consumption which is extremely high in phosphoric acid and only drink away from Calcium rich beverages like fortified soy milk.
About the Author
Novak Djokovic Credits Diet For His Success
One of the familiar faces in TRANSCENDENCE, the new 5 part docu-series coming exclusively to FMTV, is 14 time Grand Slam tennis champion, Novak Djokovic. In Episode 1, titled ‘What’s In Our Food?’, Novak shares how a change to his diet was the catalyst to his 2011 comeback.
In his deeply personal interview, Djokovic shares his struggles on and off the court, which lead him to go down to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga at the 2010 Australian Open. From respiratory problems, an inability to cope with the heat, endurance problems, blurry vision, and a slew of other performance issues, Djokovic was fighting a losing battle with himself.
“I’ve experienced, prior to 2010 Australian Open, many struggles on the court… even though I was training hard, I felt like I was losing that fuel in my tank,” he shares.
Embarking on a life-changing journey with the help of fellow Serb, Dr. Igor Cetojevic, Djokovic found the best fuel for his body, and he hasn’t looked back since. The results were swift and impactful, with the tennis star winning ten tournaments and being crowned world number 1 within the next 12 months.
