Food Combining--how can it benefit you?

Food combining is a nutritional approach that cultures have used for generations. The healthy foods we eat have what nutritionists call bioavailability--you need to know what combinations tap into those available resources so that your body can most efficiently utilize them. It was traditionally done to ensure that people got complete proteins, balanced rations, etc. from their limited plates. Nowadays we have the "Omnivore's Dilemma" (a fabulous term coined by Michael Pollan relating the concept that we have trained our guts as well as our society and production to eat everything under the sun--red 14, MSG, antibiotic infused beef, etc.) The "Omnivore's Dilemma" means that we rarely consciously put together wholesome meals. Instead most Americans eat whatever will satisfy our hormones and taste buds. Other cultures have staple dishes which play on food combining and have nutritional benefit--i.e. Curry (using turmeric and chile powders for digestion, and insulin control). 


If we put a little thought into our plates we too can consciously eat and make the right combinations to benefit and satisfy our bodies nutritional needs. Take a look at the following food-combo list after the jump...



Max-out your food's bioavailability with these combinations: 


Tomatoes & Avocados--Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a pigment-rich antioxidant known as a carotenoid, which reduces cancer risk and cardiovascular disease. Fats make carotenoids more bioavailable. Ideas: Salsa with tomato and avocado, pizza (tomato sauce and cheese for a little fat), salad with tomatoes + goat cheese, nuts, or an olive oil based salad dressing.


Vit. C orange juice & oatmeal--drinking vitamin C-rich orange juice while eating a bowl of real oatmeal (read: not processed) cleans your arteries and prevents heart attacks with two times as much efficacy than if you were to ingest either breakfast staple alone. The reason? The organic compounds in both foods, called phenols, stabilize your LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or so-called "bad" cholesterol) when consumed together.

Fruit salad--Eating a variety of fruit together provides more health benefits than eating one fruit alone. Studies have shown that the antioxidant effects of consuming a combination of fruits are more than additive but synergistic. 

Chocolate & apples--Apples are high in the anti-inflammatory flavonoid quercetin. By itself, quercetin has been shown to reduce the risk of allergies, heart attack, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and prostate and lung cancers. Quercetin is also found in buckwheat, onions, and raspberries. Chocolate, grapes, red wine, and tea contain the flavonoid catechin, an antioxidant that reduces the risks for atherosclerosis and cancer. According to a study, together catechins and quercetin loosen clumpy blood platelets, improving cardiovascular health and providing anticoagulant activity. 

Lemon (vit. C) & Spinach (iron-rich plant)--Vitamin C helps make plant-based iron more absorbable. It actually converts much of the plant-based iron into a form that's similar to what's found in fish and red meats. (Iron carries oxygen to red blood cells, staving off muscle fatigue.) 

Get vit. C from citrus fruits, leafy green vegetables, strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, and broccoli, and getting plant-based iron from leeks, beet greens, kale, spinach, mustard greens, Swiss chard, and fortified cereals.

Soy & Fish--An isoflavone in soy (genistein) inhibits enzymes in the colon and prostate which raises the amount of vitamin D bioavailability in those tissues. Studies show that higher vitamin D levels may offer protection against cancer. Fish such as salmon and tuna are high in vitamin D, so take a cue from the Asian diet and eat fish with a side of edamame.

Peanuts & Whole wheat--You need, and very rarely receive in one meal, the complete chain of amino acids (the best form of protein) to build and maintain muscle, especially as you get older. 

Meat & Rosemary--Grilling over an open flame produces nasty carcinogens, but the herb rosemary contains the antioxidants rosmarinic acid and carnosic acid, which is shown to lower the amount of the cancer-causing heterocyclic amines (or HCAs) that appear in the charred meat.

Turmeric & black pepper--turmeric is known for it's anticancer properties, anti-inflammatory effects, and tumor-fighting activities. The active agent in the spice is a plant chemical, or polyphenol, called curcumin. However it has low bioavailability (body can't access resources well) alone. But adding black pepper to turmeric enhances curcumin's bioavailability by 1,000 times, due to black pepper's hot property called piperine.

Almonds & Yogurt--Vitamins that are considered fat-soluble include A, D, and E. Carrots, broccoli, and peas are all loaded with vitamin A and should be paired with a healthy fat such as the kind found in olive oil. Vitamin D—rich products include fish, milk, yogurt, and orange juice. 

**most info from Men's Health online**