What food combining is, what are examples of synergistic food combinations, and how they can support your health
Food combining is pairing certain foods and nutrients to influence our health. Synergistic food combining describes how nutrients interact to enhance their bioavailability and create a desirable effect. There are many ways to incorporate these food combinations into your life to get more benefits from your food.
Bioavailability is the proportion of nutrients that enter one's circulation after consumption. The more bioavailable something is, the higher proportion of the nutrient enters circulation, making it more able to have an effect.
Phytochemicals are chemical compounds in plants that have beneficial effects for the body. Many are also antioxidants.
Synergistic Food Combinations:
Green Tea (or matcha) and Lemon Juice
Green tea contains catechin, a phytochemical and antioxidant that increases brain and heart health. When combined, lemon juice increases the bioavailability of the catechin in green tea by up to 5 times [1].
Add a squeeze of lemon to your green tea!
Broccoli and Tomatoes:
Tomatoes contain lycopene, a phytochemical great for heart health and protective against cancer. It was found that when broccoli and tomatoes were consumed together, it decreased the weight of tumors in men with prostate cancer 52% more than when consumed separately [2].
When roasting veggies, roast broccoli and tomatoes together
Add broccoli as your vegetable when having pasta or pizza with tomato sauce
Olive Oil and Tomatoes:
Olive oil increases the absorption of the lycopene in tomatoes [3].
Make sure to use olive oil in your tomato sauce!
Use olive oil when roasting tomatoes
Enjoy some Caprese salad with olive oil
Vitamin C and Plant-Based Iron
Vitamin C increases the absorption of iron from plant-based foods [4]. This synergistic food combination is especially helpful for vegetarians or vegans.
Sources of vitamin C: citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, kiwi and grapefruit), bell peppers, tomatoes and cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and cauliflower).
Plant-based sources of iron: lentils, chickpeas, beans, tofu, tempeh, cashews, quinoa, spinach, swiss chard, potatoes and chia, hemp and pumpkin seeds.
Sauté your spinach with lemon
Try a spinach salad with lemon or orange vinaigrette and pumpkin seeds
Make a tofu scramble or lentil soup with bell peppers
Turmeric and...
Turmeric contains the phytochemical curcumin.
Turmeric and black pepper: When turmeric and black pepper are combined, the phytochemical, piperine, in black pepper increases the bioavailability of curcumin by 2,000% [5].
Turmeric and olive oil: The piperine in olive oil also increases the bioavailability of curcumin [3].
Combine turmeric and black pepper/olive oil in curries and salad dressings
Make a rub for your meat with turmeric and black pepper
"Research suggests that curcumin can help in the management of oxidative and inflammatory conditions, metabolic syndrome, arthritis, anxiety, and hyperlipidemia. It may also help in the management of exercise-induced inflammation and muscle soreness, thus enhancing recovery and subsequent performance in active people." -Hewlings
Fat and Foods With Vitamins A, D, E or K
Vitamins A, D, E and K are fat-soluble vitamins and therefore need to be consumed with fat to be properly absorbed in the body. Foods that contain both fat and fat-soluble vitamins are salmon, egg yolks, sunflower seeds, nuts and more.
Vitamin A: liver, sweet potato, spinach, carrots, black-eyed peas, red bell peppers, cantaloupe and broccoli
Vitamin D: cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, sardines, egg yolk, beef liver and mushrooms
Vitamin E: sunflower seeds, almonds, hazelnuts, pine nuts, peanuts, spinach, collard greens, red bell pepper and asparagus
Vitamin K: kale, mustard greens, Swiss chard, collard greens, spinach, Brussels sprouts and broccoli
Sources of fat: avocado, eggs, fatty fish, nuts, chia seeds, full-fat Greek yogurt, butter, oils (coconut, extra virgin olive oil) and full-fat dairy
Try a kale or spinach salad with avocado or nuts
Top your sweet potato with Greek yogurt
Roast your vegetables in olive oil
Vitamin D and Calcium
Vitamin D increases the absorption of calcium in the body. Vitamin D and calcium are both beneficial for bone health, making this combination great for strengthening bones and decreasing the risk of osteoporosis.
Vitamin D: cod liver oil, salmon, tuna, sardines, egg yolk, beef liver
Plant-based vitamin D (mushrooms): When mushrooms are exposed to UV light they are able to make vitamin D [7]. When buying mushrooms, look for ones that have been exposed to UV light. You can also look on the label for vitamin D content.
Sources of calcium: dairy products and plant-based sources (lentils, beans, chickpeas, tofu, tempeh, bok choy, almonds, amaranth and dark leafy greens)
Try salmon and bok choy
Scramble your eggs with some full-fat cheese
Sauté your mushrooms and dark leafy greens
Have a spinach salad topped with mushrooms
Grilled Meat and Rosemary
When meat is exposed to direct high heat from cooking on the grill, heterocyclic amines (HCA) can be created. HCA can increase the risk of cancer [8]. Adding rosemary, however, significantly decreases the formation of the HCA produced [9].
Add some rosemary to your marinade
While it isn't necessary to combine these foods, you will get more benefits from your food when you do. Play around and see what you enjoy!
1
Purdue University. (2007). Citrus juice, vitamin C give staying power to green tea
antioxidants. ScienceDaily. Retrieved from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071113163016.htm
2
Canene-Adams, K., Lindshield, B.L., Wang, S., Jeffery, E.H., Clinton, S.K., & Erdman, J.W.
(2007). Combinations of tomato and broccoli enhance antitumor activity in dunning r3327-h prostate adenocarcinomas. Cancer Res 67(2), 836–843. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17213256
3
Passano, T. Food Synergy, Salisbury University.
4
Heffernan, A., Evans, C., Holmes, M., & Moore, J.B. (2017). The regulation of dietary iron
bioavailability by vitamin C: A stystematic review and meta-analysis. Proceedings of the Nutrition Society 76(OCE4), E182. Retrieved from https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/013552A920BF94D2BEFA94133AA6AB29/S0029665117003445a.pdf/divclass-title-the-regulation-of-dietary-iron-bioavailability-by-vitamin-c-a-systematicreview-and-meta-analysis-div.pdf
5
Manayi, A., Nabavi, S.M., Setzer, W.N., & Jafari, S. (2018). Piperine as a potential anti
cancer agent: A review on preclinical studies. Curr Med Chem 25(37), 4918–4928. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28545378
6
Hewlings, S.J.; Kalman, D.S. (2018). Curcumin: A Review of Its Effects on Human Health.
Foods6(92) https://doi.org/10.3390/foods6100092
7
Simon, R. R., Borzelleca, J. F., DeLuca, H. F., & Weaver, C. M. (2013). Safety assessment of
the post-harvest treatment of button mushrooms (Agaricus bisporus) using ultraviolet light. Food and chemical toxicology : an international journal published for the British Industrial Biological Research Association, 56, 278–289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fct.2013.02.009
8
National Cancer Institute. (2017). Chemicals in meat cooked at high temperatures and cancer risk. National Cancer
Institute. Retrieved from www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/diet/cookedmeats-fact-sheet
9
Puangsombat, K., & Smith, J.S. (2010). Inhibition of heterocyclic amine formation in beef
patties by ethanolic extracts of rosemary. J Food Sci 75(2): T40–T47. Retrieved from www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20492265
Komentáre