What do you usually do when you feel tired for long periods or when your blood tests show that you have deficiencies or when you want to support your immune system and gut microbiome? You’re most likely to take a supplement. In some cases that’s definitely what you need to do – always according to your doctor’s or a health professional’s orders- but have you noticed that all supplements claim that they can’t replace healthy eating? There’s a reason for that and it’s called food synergy.
Food synergy is a perspective that focuses on foods as a whole and not as isolated ingredients, which is exactly the opposite of supplements that focus on one vitamin or one mineral. What happens in food synergy is quite similar to an orchestra, where the compounds of a food interact in the food and in our system, affecting us in a beneficial way as a whole, which is quite different from taking a great dose of a vitamin on it’s own. For us to benefit from our nutrition, we need to consume whole foods, whose nutrients interact in the food and in our system, surviving digestion and finally reaching our gut in a way that affects us positively.
According to research published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, certain nutrients in a food affect how they are absorbed in our system, like zinc and copper, manganese and iron etc. Guidance from a nutritionist or health expert is needed here to make sure you combine nutrients in the best possible way, so that you get better absorption and no blockages. For example, it’s quite different for your system to have plain lentils, lentils with cheese and lentils with some lemon. In the first case you get some iron, but only a small percentage can be absorbed. If you combine lentils with calcium-rich cheese, the iron is inhibited by calcium, while if you squeeze some lemon on them, you get the best combination for iron absorption with the help of vitamin C.
Each fruit and vegetable is unique and has a different nutritional value, with different antioxidants, vitamins, minerals, fiber. Some of them are rich in certain nutrients and when combined with others, rich in different kind of nutrients, we get the most out of our nutrition, as long as we pick mostly whole plant foods, like fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts, seeds, essential for gut microbiome, immune system and weight loss, for those striving with weight problems.
This is why the greatest study on gut microbiome till now, the American Gut Project, found that eating at least 30 different plants a week can create great diversity in our gut microbiome, lowering the risk for heart diseases, diabetes, allergies, celiac disease, arthritis, colon cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, even depression. Some of these plant foods are probiotics, other prebiotics, which means that they help create balance in our gut microbiome. Others are rich in vitamin C, while some provide iron and the antioxidant variety is huge among plants.
As you can see, it would be easy for me as a dietitian to suggest “easy” and quick meals like a can of beans and a roast potato, so that a patient won’t have to dedicate time to make a meal. But the truth is that I want what’s best for you and your health. I want to be able to make your system work as it should, making the most of healthy foods and the synergy of their nutrients, so that not only will you lose weight, but also you’ll gain back your health, your well-being, and be happy.
These tips can help you towards the 30-different-plants-a-week plan without taking much of your time.
- Pair each meal with a salad, with different vegetables each time. Add chick-peas, lentils or beans to your salad, fruit, nuts or seeds
- Prefer frozen fruits and vegetables
- Make use of spare food, to make a new quick and easy meal (combine spare roasted vegetables with quinoa or rice for example)
- If possible, make a weekly plan of your meals or at least plan ahead for most days of the week, so that you can make the right combinations and have variety
- Add fresh herbs to your cooking for extra taste, aroma and nutritional value
- Have always nuts and seeds handy as a snack
- Make healthy additions (nuts, seeds, fruit, vegetables) to your breakfast
- Buy whole-wheat, multi-grain products with extra seeds
Resources
https://microsetta.ucsd.edu/about/american-gut-project/
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23312372/
Want to know how to combine nutrients in the best possible and delicious way? Check out my immune-supporting, plant-based recipes in the blog section of www.feedyourimmunity.com and start combining today!
