As a dietitian specialized in clinical nutrition and autoimmune diseases and educated in plant-based nutrition, I always put a lot of emphasis on plant-food variety (the so-called rainbow), aiming for the consumption of as many vitamins, antioxidants and other nutrients as possible. We know from the American Gut Project that we need to eat at least 30 different plants a week for better balance in the gut microbiome and better immune support, but besides that, it is important to make sure our system absorbs all the nutrients in the best possible way. Then we can talk about a really balanced diet that ensures prevention of diseases and a healthy life.
Let’s see what we can do about it, to make the most of our diet.
Make the most of food synergy
We’ve talked about food synergy before, so we know by now that by eating whole foods with all their fiber, vitamins and nutrients we have an advantage over supplements. This means that their nutrients interact in the food and in our system, they survive digestion and finally they reach our gut as they’re supposed to, giving us their benefits. Remember, than when it comes to whole plant foods, the more, the merrier!
Make the right combos
It’s common knowledge that iron and vitamin C, when consumed together, we get better absorption of iron. In a plant-based nutrition, iron comes from foods like beans, leafy greens, tofu, seeds, quinoa etc. Which means that if you combine them with a lemon dressing, peppers, orange juice and other foods loaded on vitamin C, you’ll get the desired absorption of iron. Another common combo is turmeric with black pepper, which ensures better bioavailability of curcumin (about 1000 times). Also, lycopene from tomatoes and other fruits like watermelon, apricot, peach, papaya etc. can be more bioavailable when combined with a source of good fat like avocado. Don’t forget to add a source of healthy fat (extra virgin olive oil, avocado, nuts and seeds) also when eating foods filled with fat-soluble vitamins (Α, D, E and K), like sweet potato or pumpkin with avocado, spinach salad with nuts and so on. Something you may not be aware of is that vitamin D, this so important vitamin, needs enough magnesium in our system to be absorbed, from foods like pumpkin seeds, nuts, cocoa, beans, so make sure you get adequate amounts from food.
Mix raw and cooked
Some foods give us higher amounts of some nutrients when cooked and others when raw. Take spinach for example. Raw spinach contains oxalic acid, an organic substance that can interfere with the absorption of some nutrients like iron and calcium, but it’s also high in folic acid, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin which we need. When cooked, oxalic acid is dissolved, it helps us absorb higher amounts of vitamin A and E, protein, fiber, zinc, calcium and iron and it makes important carotenoids more absorbable. On the other hand, the levels of folic acid, vitamin C, niacin, riboflavin drop when we cook it, so what do we do? We combine both raw and cooked spinach and other foods in our diet. Another good example is tomato, whose lycopene levels rise when cooked, but we also like it raw in our salad. In general, try to eat as many fruits and vegetables, raw and cooked, as you can to get the most of them.
Avoid bad combos
Making the right food choices is one step towards the right direction, but you also need avoid the ones that interact… badly. The most common bad food combo is calcium and iron, as it’s known that calcium can inhibit iron absorption. Make sure you eat foods that contain calcium a few hours apart from foods with iron. Milk’s casein (milk protein) may also bind tea’s antioxidants and make them less available to absorb so prefer your tea with no milk (tastes better anyway!). Also, proteins from eggs are known to inhibit iron absorption and the same goes for foods rich in tannins (wine, grapes, cider, coffee, tea etc), which means you need to leave some hours apart when consuming these foods.
Remember to soak
Phytic acid in foods like legumes, nuts and seeds is found to have some benefits, like better calcium absorption and anti-inflammatory properties, but it may actually lower absorption of certain minerals in our system. Although research shows that when consumed in a healthy and balanced diet it may have benefits, if you have nutrient deficiencies or don’t follow a balanced diet, you may need to soak your legumes and nuts before eating them or let them sprout.
