THE POWER of Food Pairing

Eating clean is easier than ever. There are so many resources for delicious, nutritious, gorgeous recipes that satisfy the eye as much as they do our cravings. However, it’s still not always easy to get every single nutrient we need on a daily basis, especially for those of us with auto-immune issues or chronic struggles.

This is why we should be working smarter, not harder. Cue food pairing. This is essentially the strategic combining of specific nutrients that play well together. Certain nutrients can actually help our body absorb and retain others for a dynamic, optimally nourishing experience. Here are a few top pairings that are easy and delicious together.

Vitamin C + Iron

Think spinach with tomatoes, or red peppers and hummus. The bright vitamin C from the tomatoes or peppers paired with the high iron content in spinach or chickpea hummus are excellent together. The vitamin C actually helps us absorb the nonheme iron, which is even more crucial for women who typically tend to be more iron deficient.

Lycopene + Fat

Tomatoes do contain lycopene, but so do papaya, watermelon, guava, persimmon, and asparagus. It’s a potent antioxidant for skin and eye health, but it’s fat soluble. Paired with a healthy fat like grass fed butter or yogurt, avocado, almonds, or coconut, it’s able to assimilate into our system so we can actually absorb its goodness.

Protein + High-GI Carbs

High GI carbs, or high-gastrointestinal carbohydrates, are excellent post-workout for their fiber, enzymes, and sugar content that helps replenish some of the energy stores we just burned out. However, eaten alone, they can cause our blood sugar to spike, so they are better utilized when paired with a protein like nuts, yogurt, or cottage cheese. This makes them an excellent post-workout snack to refuel and feed our muscles!

Vitamin K + Vitamin D… + Fat

Many people are supplementing K and D together, and for good reason. Both these vitamins help one absorb the other so our bodies can assimilate the bone healing properties. They help us absorb and use calcium correctly, so that our bones and teeth can regenerate and stay resilient.

Leafy greens like Kale are packed with vitamin K, while mushrooms are nature’s favorite heavy-hitting source of vitamin D, and lucky for us, they are delicious sautéed together! They are also both fat soluble vitamins, so don’t forget to add your grass-fed butter or olive oil when cooking for the ultimate combo.

Curcumin + Black Pepper

The age-old anti-inflammatory powerhouse that is turmeric contains the compound curcumin, which is responsible for its super powers. It’s also a powerful antioxidant, but it’s not very bioavailable to us for absorption without the compounds in black pepper, so it’s crucial to enjoy these two together in both savory and sweet dishes. A little black pepper can actually compliment a sweet dish quite well!