A doctor has revealed the foods you should eat together to boost vitamin and mineral absorption and give you the best health benefits.
Harley Street chief dietitian and King’s College researcher Dr Megan Rossi, from Queensland, said the ‘magic’ happens when you combine specific food pairings including turmeric and black pepper, lentils and tomatoes and salmon and spring greens.
“Some food pairings create more than the sum of their parts, with one increasing the absorption of the other’s vitamins and minerals when eaten together,” Dr. Rossi said on Instagram.
“These are my favorite duets.”
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A doctor has revealed the foods you should eat together to boost vitamin and mineral absorption and give you the best health benefits (Dr Megan Rossi pictured)
1. Turmeric and black pepper
The first foods you need to combine for the best health benefits are turmeric and black pepper.
The reason why, Dr. Rossi explained, comes down to the active ingredient in turmeric, which is curcumin.
“Curcumin has been shown to have an anti-inflammatory effect in clinical trials,” Dr. Rossi said.
“Eating turmeric mixed in a dhal, scattered over a soup, or drunk with ginger in a tea is great, but adding black pepper to your dish or drink can increase your body’s ability to absorb curcumin by 1,000 %.
If you don’t like eating these two ground spices, you can also consider a supplement that includes both turmeric and black pepper.
Dr Rossi (pictured) recommends mixing turmeric and black pepper to increase the body’s absorption of curcumin by 1000%.
2. Lentils and tomatoes
The second food pairing you need to do more often, Dr. Rossi said, is one that combines lentils and tomatoes.
“You can get a decent dose of iron from lentils, grains, and nuts, which is vital for your energy levels,” Dr. Rossi said.
“But it’s even better absorbed when eaten with vitamin C-rich foods, like tomatoes or peppers.”
The doctor recommends pairing lentils and tomatoes in a salad as a side to your dinner to reap the health benefits.
The second food pairing you need to do more often, said Dr Rossi (pictured), is one that combines lentils and tomatoes.
3. Salmon and spring greens
Finally, Dr. Rossi explained that salmon and spring greens are a great food pairing that you need more often.
“Vitamin D intake is essential year-round since the hormone produced in your body when sunlight hits your skin is important for a healthy skeleton,” Dr. Rossi said.
“But did you know that getting enough vitamin D will increase calcium absorption by 50%?”
She recommends pairing the vitamin D-rich salmon with spring greens, which are a source of calcium.
Previously, Dr Megan Rossi (pictured) shared the three biggest gut health myths that people believe to be true, including that sugar is bad for your gut
Previously, Dr. Megan Rossi shared the three biggest myths surrounding gut health that people believe to be true.
Dr Rossi said one of the biggest myths is that people often think they have to follow a restrictive diet to be healthy.
“So many people think they need to eat a certain way, but taking care of your gut health is all about inclusivity, moderation and plant-based diversity,” she told Daily Mail Australia.
Dr. Rossi recommends trying to eat 30 different types of plant-based foods each week because they contain “different fibers and chemicals that feed the different bacteria in your gut.”
“From whole grains to vegetables, fruits, legumes, seeds and nuts, research has shown that those who reach their 30s have a more diverse range of gut microbes than those who don’t,” Dr. Rossi said.
“It’s a marker of good gut health and has also been linked to better long-term health.”
The second myth the expert is keen to bust is that cutting carbs will help your stomach.
“Carbohydrates have been unfairly stigmatized when it comes to our health, but they’re not to be feared,” Dr. Rossi said.
“Cutting carbs means you’re also cutting out important types of fiber, which can negatively impact your gut bacteria because fiber is their favorite food and feeds our gut microbes.”
The third thing the “gut health doctor” said she often hears is that sucrose (or sugar) is bad for your gut.
“Sugar is actually absorbed higher up in your gut, so it doesn’t reach your lower gut where the majority of the microbes are,” she said.
“That means you definitely shouldn’t cut fruit because of its sucrose content.”
Dr. Rossi is the author of the book Eat Yourself Healthy: An Easy-to-Digest Guide to Health and Happiness from the Inside Out.
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