This article is about 10 Spectacular Nutrients Provide Energy
Below are the 10 Spectacular Nutrients Provide Energy
- Phosphorus, which is required to build bones and teeth
- Magnesium, which is required for nerve and muscle function
- Potassium, which is required for heart function and to reduce blood pressure
- Vitamin A, which is essential for good vision
- Vitamin C, which is required for collagen formation
- Vitamin E, which is important for heart health
- Vitamin B, which is important for brain and nerve cells
- Vitamin B6, which is important for muscle function
- Biotin, which is involved in fat, protein and carbohydrate metabolism
- Zinc, which is important for wound healing.
More Nutrients translates to more Energy
Learn a bit about smart food combining to make meals you already love work better for you.
It is not about the old, debunked rules of separating carbs and protein, or keeping fruits away from vegetables.
Pair vitamin C foods with plant iron, like peppers with beans, to boost iron absorption. Add healthy fats to veggies, like olive oil on spinach, to absorb vitamins A, D, E, and K.
Combine turmeric with black pepper to enhance curcumin uptake. Mix probiotics with prebiotic fiber, like yogurt with bananas or oats, to support your gut.
Put beans with whole grains, like rice and lentils, for a fuller amino acid balance and steady energy.
These simple pairings help your body turn Nutritious food to Energy, reduce waste, and make each bite count.
Smart Food Combinations
This is the use of foods together that have been proven to provide benefits for you.
All food eaten is digested in the same places (stomach, small & large intestine) and in both acid and more alkaline environments as digestion progresses.
In the past 10 years, research has come a long way toward understanding just how food synergy works according to Elaine Magee, M.P.H., R.D.
When you eat certain foods together in the same dish or the same meal, certain aspects of each food combine in the digestive system to make nutrients more bio-available to you.
When you know what types of combinations are likely to release more nutrients, you can make healthy choices based on what you already like to eat.
Remember, you don’t have to have the foods in the same dish, just at the same meal, and you’ll get the benefits.
Maybe you’re even practicing food combining already—even if you didn’t know it!
Examples of Food Synergy
Here are a few of examples of food combos that can work for you Salads
If you add a citrus or high-c fruit to a green leafy salad, the vitamin C from the fruit will help your body absorb the iron & other nutrients from the vegetables.
You just increased the available nutrition of an already-healthy salad by making it easier for your body to absorb nutrients.
The most common combination that has existed for years is a salad with dressing. The fats in the dressing or oil make the nutrients in the vegetables & leaves more available to you.
Strawberries and bell peppers
Contain vitamin C that will help convert the plant based iron in your leafy greens as well.
So be sure to enjoy a salad with fresh-made citrus (or strawberry) dressing, a dressing with fats or oils, or a bit of bell pepper.
Avocado will also work, as it is a vegetable rich in healthy fats, and so will nuts & seeds as those contain plant oils.
Cinnamon and carbohydrates or sugars
Cinnamon naturally increases insulin sensitivity. You can help your glucose increase more slowly (avoid spikes) by combining cinnamon with sweets or carbohydrates.
Cinnamon tea, cinnamon rubs on meats, and cinnamon in cookies or bread are all examples of this combination.
Tomatoes and avocados or olive oil Tomatoes are rich in antioxidant carotenoids which reduce cancer risk.
They also retain many healthy properties (and some even increase) when cooked.
When coupled with the good fats of the avocado or olive oil this makes the carotenoid of the tomato more body accessible.
Tomato and olive oil are popular in so many great Italian dishes, that if you enjoy eating Italian style you’re probably also already enjoying the benefits of combining.
Think of guacamole with chunks of ripe tomato and pasta sauce begun with olive oil infused with garlic for some more good ideas.
Did you know that marinades can be antioxidant-rich?
If you plan to grill your food over charcoal, wood, or a gas flame, this is an important fact.
The smoke from grilling can contain carcinogen compounds & oxidative particles.
There is research saying that the use of marinades heavy with rosemary, thyme, garlic, or oregano seasonings when used before grilling, can reduce the levels of cancer causing compounds (HCA’s heterocyclic amines) caused by grilling meat by 61-78%!
Just in case you would like to add a little more armor to “battle” those carcinogens, have a veggie loaded salad alongside your grilled meat.
Want to get the most out of your animal or plant protein source?
Plant foods can power your day, not just meat. Chia seeds, almonds, spinach, and quinoa all provide protein, and quinoa is a complete protein.
Add a little enzyme-rich food to meals to aid digestion. Pineapple has bromelain, papaya has papain, and fermented foods like yogurt, kefir, sauerkraut, and pickles supply helpful enzymes. To limit enzyme inhibitors like phytic acid, cook quinoa and soak or sprout nuts, seeds, and grains, then rinse well.
Mixed fruit compotes show real synergy. Berries, melons, apples, and grapes bring many micronutrients that work together, and vitamin C in fruit can help your body absorb iron from dark leafy greens.
Try tossing a few fruit pieces into a salad. The light sweetness can balance the slight bitterness of greens and may win over picky eaters.
Elaine Magee at WebMD notes that quercetin, found in apples, onions, grapes, and berries, may support breathing and tame inflammation when eaten in the same meal with vitamin C–rich foods. This is a simple way to turn Nutritious food to Energy.
