Everyone has a best friend or colleague, and the same is true for nutrients in food. If you pay attention to skillfully combining various foods with different nutritional characteristics in your diet, it is not only beneficial for the human body to absorb its nutrients well, but also can double the nutritional value.
Spinach stir-fried with eggs
4 Best Nutrient Pairings
【Iron + Vitamin C】
Representative combination: Sesame paste and green peppers.
Iron is an important nutrient needed by the human body and exists in food in two forms. One is heme iron, found in meat and animal liver, and the other is non-heme iron, found in beans and nuts such as melon seeds, hazelnuts, and sesame.
The iron in plants is not easily absorbed by the human body, but with the help of vitamin C, the absorption rate of iron will be greatly improved. Fresh fruits and vegetables are generally rich in vitamin C.
【Lycopene + Good Fats】
Representative combination: Tomatoes and olive oil
From pomegranates to watermelons, lycopene gives fruits and vegetables their bright red color. This super antioxidant can prevent heart disease and certain cancers. Since lycopene is fat-soluble, it is better absorbed when eaten with fat.
Studies have found that eating tomatoes with avocado, which is rich in unsaturated fatty acids, increases the absorption rate of lycopene by 4.4 times. Other foods rich in good fats include olive oil and nuts.
【Sulforaphane + Selenium】
Representative combination: Broccoli with roasted beef
Both of these substances are members of the anti-cancer army. Sulforaphane is a compound found in cruciferous plants. After entering the bloodstream, it inhibits the growth of tumor cells.
Selenium is a mineral found in fish, meat, eggs, nuts, and mushrooms. It combines with proteins in the body to produce antioxidant enzymes, which in turn protect the body from free radical damage. Studies have found that when these two substances are combined, their respective effects are increased by 4 times.
【Folic Acid and Vitamin B12】
Representative combination: Spinach and eggs
Folic acid is found in vegetables and legumes, while B12 is found in animal foods. The combination of these two nutrients helps produce new cells and also eliminates the side effects of homocysteine on the human body. This amino acid can cause Alzheimer's disease.
5 Best Food Pairings
Crucian carp and tofu soup
1. Fish with tofu
The fat components in soybeans have the effect of lowering cholesterol. The fat in fish contains an unsaturated fatty acid called eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). This substance helps blood flow more smoothly, prevents clotting, and lowers cholesterol.
In addition, the taurine component in fish also has the effect of lowering cholesterol. Therefore, eating tofu and fish together greatly enhances the effect of lowering cholesterol.
It should be noted that when making fish braised with tofu or fish stewed with tofu, it is better to use firm tofu. Adding some vegetables and shiitake mushrooms will make it more flavorful and nutritious.
2. Pork liver with green peppers
For people with anemia and for children and adolescents, blood-enriching foods are animal liver and lean meat. Animal liver is rich in iron, but many dietary factors affect the absorption and utilization of iron. The absorption of iron requires the conversion of high-valence iron to a low-valence iron complex, a process that requires the action of vitamin C.
Pork liver with green peppers is a win-win situation because green peppers are rich in vitamin C. 100 grams of green peppers contains 72 milligrams of vitamin C, which is 2.3 times that of spinach and 4 times that of tomatoes. At the same time, the dietary fiber in green peppers can promote the excretion of cholesterol from food. Also, when stir-frying pork liver and green peppers together, the rich variety of fat-soluble vitamins and beta-carotene can be fully absorbed and utilized.
To prevent the loss of vitamins during cooking, wash first, then cut, and stir-fry quickly over high heat. Cook and eat immediately, and drink the soup with the vegetables.
3. Sesame with kelp
Sesame contains a variety of nutrients needed by the human body. Its protein content is higher than that of meat, and its amino acid content is very rich. Its calcium content is twice that of milk. Sesame is even richer in fat, up to 54%, and also contains more lecithin, which can prevent premature graying or loss of hair. It contains various nutrients beneficial to the skin, such as vitamin E, which can improve blood circulation, promote metabolism, and achieve a beauty effect.
Kelp is rich in calcium and iodine, which helps in the synthesis of thyroid hormone. The combination of these two foods can not only beautify but also delay aging.
4. Pork with garlic
There is a folk saying, "Eating meat without garlic cuts the nutrition in half," which is scientifically sound. The vitamin B1 content in pork is 9 times higher on average than in other meats, but this vitamin is unstable and does not stay in the body for long. If eaten with garlic, the allicin in garlic combines with vitamin B1, changing its water solubility to fat solubility, thereby greatly increasing the body's absorption and utilization, and achieving better health benefits.
When cooking, garlic should not be boiled for a long time; it should only be stir-fried quickly over high heat to prevent the active ingredients from being destroyed. To remove the garlic smell from your mouth after eating garlic, drink a glass of warm milk, which can effectively remove the garlic smell. This is because the residual smell in the mouth comes from the "allyl sulfide" substance in garlic. The protein in milk can combine with "allyl sulfide" to remove the garlic smell in the mouth. By the same token, after eating garlic, you can also chew some peanuts, walnuts and other foods.
5. Tofu with kelp
Tofu is rich in nutrition and contains saponins, which can inhibit fat absorption, promote fat decomposition, and prevent the production of peroxidized substances that cause arteriosclerosis.
However, saponins can cause iodine deficiency in the body, while kelp is rich in the iodine the body needs (every 100 grams of kelp contains 24 grams of iodine). Because kelp is rich in iodine, it can also induce goiter. When eaten together, the saponins in tofu are excreted more, which can balance the iodine level in the body.
Tofu soup
The chicken soup knife