Eat these seven foods together to boost your health

Daily Mail

27 Oct, 2016 12:51 AM3 mins to read

Banana's and Yoghurt are a great combo as together they help absorb calcium. Photos / 123RF, Nick Reed

Maximizing benefits from our food choices can be a simple way of ensuring our body gets the nutritional value it needs to stay healthy.

You may be aware of what nutrients are in the foods you are eating but are you aware of how they are absorbed by the body?

London-based nutritionist Rob Hobson says experimenting with food mixology can add to the nutritional value of meals.

When food is eaten, nutrients are expelled when we chew and create the action of enzymes.

Once in our gut, more enzymes are involved to help nutrients absorb into the bloodstream.

Not all nutrients are used to the same measure which means they differ in bioavailbilty - a term used to define the proportion of a nutrient that is absorbed from the diet and used for normal bodily functions.

Preparing food and cooking also helps ready the nutrients for the body.

Here are seven beneficial food mixology examples - that don't sound too bad at all.

Olive oil and tomatoes

Research shows that including 3-5 grams of fat with foods rich in carotenoids can help with their absorption.

These compounds, commonly found in orange and red foods have antioxidant properties that help protect the body from disease.

Turmeric and black pepper

Curcumin is the active ingredient in turmeric that has been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. Photos / Supplied, 123RF

To get the maximum health benefit from turmeric it needs a supplement because of its active ingredient curcumin, which is poorly absorbed.

By adding black pepper - which contains piperine, you can increase the value of turmeric.

Beans and cauliflower

Non-haem iron can be found in beans but when combined with a rich source of vitamin C, the absorption of this mineral is expanded.

Cauliflower is high in vitamin C and works well with beans in soups and stews.

Salmon and crème fraiche

Although we normally head toward sunny skies for our vitamin D, salmon is one of the few foods that actually contain the vitamin.

Vitamin D is necessary for the absorption of calcium, which is found in dairy foods such as creme fraiche that can be combined with lemon and herbs to a delicious sauce of salmon.

Milk and honey

Used to make serotonin and melatonin in the brain, milk contains the amino acid trytophan.

Carbohydrates like those found in honey assist in the absorption of trytophan as the release of insulin lessens the competition from other amino acids.