CINCINNATI (WKRC) - A new report might have you adding a few things to your menu. The power of pairings now has a new trendy term: nutrient synergy. If you are a person that makes a meal or snack from one food or drink, it might have you adding a second one to add to the nutrients that you not just eat, but that you actually absorb and use in the body. Here's how:
Nutrient synergy, according to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, is when the combination of two or more nutrients create a possible health benefit.
So take, for example, something such as juice and fruit. If you can pair a citrus fruit or juice with green, leafy vegetable, such as spinach, the vitamin C in the orange juice helps you better absorb the iron in the spinach. This is good for energy levels.
Vitamin D, found in something such as milk, is better absorbed with a little bit of fat, such as from nuts or nut butter. This may also help absorb the calcium from milk -- a good reason to add a glass with a peanut butter sandwich. Calcium and vitamin D are good for bones.
And speaking of calcium from foods, such as yogurt, getting it with potassium and magnesium may help with absorption, which is why you may want to add fruit such as a banana to it when you eat it. This combination could be good for blood pressure.
Finally, foods with folate are absorbed well with B vitamins. You might want to add a leafy, green salad to your whole grain pasta. This combination may help fight heart disease and stroke.
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