What is food synergy?

In short, it’s the pairing of complementary nutrients to maximize, digestion, metabolism, immune function, and absorption.

Some things just work better together. Don’t you agree?

Let’s take plant-based sources of iron for example, this iron is called non-heme iron, not to be confused with the iron we get from animal products known as heme iron. One is absorbed much easier than the other.

Does this mean that you drop your plant-based diet? No. What this means is that for our cells to absorb optimal amounts of non-heme iron from plant foods, we should pair it with ascorbic acid or Vitamin C.

I agree, this can seem overwhelming, especially if you are new to a plant-based lifestyle. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if the markets and stores would include small disclaimers such as “Spinach is a good source of non-heme iron but be sure to cook it slightly and pair it with vitamin C for better absorption.”..? 

Ahhhh, yes..it probably would. BUT that is why I am here 🙂 Let me do the dirty work for you!

If you’re taking the time to invest in your health, you might as well be getting the best bang for your buck!

Here are FIVE bio hacks for optimal absorption:

 

1- Cooked Broccoli & Mustard (SULPHORAPHNE ABSORPTION)

Sulforaphane found in cruciferous vegetables (specifically broccoli) protects our cells from damage by activating a pathway (NRF2) that ignites several beneficial properties such as boosting immunity, combating oxidative stress, and inflammation, and increasing detoxification. It is known as a powerful cancer-fighting compound. Pretty amazing!

BUT for sulforaphane to be released it needs an enzyme called myrosinase. This enzyme occurs naturally in raw broccoli but when broccoli is cooked the enzyme gets destroyed.

Mustard powder is high in myrosinase. 😉

 

Solution 😃: Add mustard powder to cooked broccoli and increase absorption up to 4 times the amount.

 

2- Iron & Vitamin C (IRON ABSORPTION)

Iron is a main component of hemoglobin. We all need iron, women more than men predominantly during years of menstruation.

Hemoglobin carries oxygen to our lungs, and other tissues in our body. Iron is also important for DNA synthesis and repair. As stated above, non-heme iron derived from pants is much harder for us to absorb than heme iron (in meat).

 

Solution 😃: When preparing plant-based meals such as kale, spinach, and other leafy green, mushroom, lentils, and even soy be sure to pair your plant-based meal with foods high in Vitamin C, such as red peppers, oranges, lemon, strawberries or raw tomatoes.

 

3- Turmeric, Black Pepper & Healthy Fat (CURCUMIN ABSORPTION)

Curcumin is a polyphenol found in turmeric that has many benefits for our well-being. This compound is packed with anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal activities. The yellow pigment in turmeric gives curry its aroma and taste.

Due to the long list of healing properties, curcumin has been used medicinally to protect us from all kinds of inflammatory chronic diseases, such as heart disease, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic diseases just to name a few.

The problem is that curcumin is not easily absorbed by the body. In fact, the body doesn’t naturally provide the optimal environment for this fat-soluble compound, and the little that does get absorbed gets broken down so quickly that there isn’t anything left for the body to use. How sad.

 

Solution 😃: Make sure to add fat such as olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil or ghee to your meals with turmeric for help with absorption and black pepper (piperine) to slow the breakdown of curcumin in the liver. Add more curry meals, golden milk, ginger turmeric tea to your diet and you’ll be laughing to 100 + years.

** To increase digestion and regulate appetite add some ginger too**

 

4- Green Tea & Lemon (CATECHIN ABSORPTION)

Green tea has been around for centuries, and its most predominant antioxidants are polyphenols and flavonoids, specifically catechins.

The properties of green tea offer a wide array of benefits including protection from neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, improving oral health, anti-aging, and boosting overall immunity.

Once again, the cancer-fighting, immune-boosting catechins get lost in the digestive process and according to researcher, Mario Ferruzzi, in the end we are only left with mere 20%.

 

Solution 😃: Add citrus juice, and specifically lemon to green tea. This will boost the levels of catechins and increases absorption 5 times that of green tea alone.

 

5- Olive oil & Tomato (ANTIOXIDANT ABSORPTION)

Tomatoes are packed with a carotenoid called lycopene. Lycopene is found in red, orange and pink produce. Red tomatoes are one of the best sources. Lycopene has high antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that are great for prostate health, bone health, skin, heart health, eye health and brain health.

Like curcumin, lycopene is fat-soluble which means that for best absorption it needs to be paired with fat, and studies have also indicated that cooked tomatoes increase lycopene availability by a whopping 54%!

(It is also important to note that cooking tomatoes reduces their Vitamin C content…just in case you wanted to pair cooked tomatoes for increased iron absorption;)

Solution 😃: Be sure to add a healthy fat such as olive oil to your cooked tomatoes.

 

 

 

REFERENCES

Vanduchova A, Anzenbacher P, Anzenbacherova E. Isothiocyanate from Broccoli, Sulforaphane, and Its Properties. J Med Food. 2019 Feb;22(2):121-126. doi: 10.1089/jmf.2018.0024. Epub 2018 Oct 27. PMID: 30372361.

Okunade O, Niranjan K, Ghawi SK, Kuhnle G, Methven L. Supplementation of the Diet by Exogenous Myrosinase via Mustard Seeds to Increase the Bioavailability of Sulforaphane in Healthy Human Subjects after the Consumption of Cooked Broccoli. Mol Nutr Food Res. 2018 Sep;62(18):e1700980. doi: 10.1002/mnfr.201700980. Epub 2018 Jul 26. PMID: 29806738.

Lynch SR, Cook JD. Interaction of vitamin C and iron. Ann N Y Acad Sci. 1980;355:32-44. doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.1980.tb21325.x. PMID: 6940487.

Stohs SJ, Chen O, Ray SD, Ji J, Bucci LR, Preuss HG. Highly Bioavailable Forms of Curcumin and Promising Avenues for Curcumin-Based Research and Application: A Review. Molecules. 2020 Mar 19;25(6):1397. doi: 10.3390/molecules25061397. PMID: 32204372; PMCID: PMC7144558.

Prasad S, Tyagi AK, Aggarwal BB. Recent developments in delivery, bioavailability, absorption and metabolism of curcumin: the golden pigment from golden spice. Cancer Res Treat. 2014 Jan;46(1):2-18. doi: 10.4143/crt.2014.46.1.2. Epub 2014 Jan 15. PMID: 24520218; PMCID: PMC3918523.

Singhal K, Raj N, Gupta K, Singh S. Probable benefits of green tea with genetic implications. J Oral Maxillofac Pathol. 2017 Jan-Apr;21(1):107-114. doi: 10.4103/0973-029X.203758. PMID: 28479696; PMCID: PMC5406788.

https://doi.org/10.1002/mnfr.200700086

https://www.foodnavigator.com/Article/2002/04/23/Tomatoes-cooked-better-than-raw

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dea84020de9c370c6bd586d/t/5ed1609d3eaad50ebc523d92/1590780061508/Tomatoes+-+Lycopene+Absorption+with+EVOO.pdf