If you want to boost your mood, pair your daily apple with some leafy greens, while mixing grapes with onions can lower your blood pressure, according to diet experts. Rob Hobson, a registered dietitian nutritionist with a special interest in nutritional science, has revealed the food combinations that can greatly improve your health and are healthy in their own right.
A fish curry, which combines both turmeric and oily fish, can be a powerful anti-inflammatory – while eating a banana with yoghurt can improve your bone health and help with gut bacteria. Olive oil helps the body absorb the vitamin A found in tomatoes and chili peppers, which is necessary for healthy skin and eyes.
While black grapes, rich in the polyphenol antioxidant catechin, help prevent heart disease, cancer and neurological disorders, and together with onion can inhibit blood clots and improve cardiovascular health. Other health-promoting food combinations include garlic and honey, which can help with upper respiratory infections, and almonds and berries, which can help prevent heart disease.
But a survey of 2,000 adults found that 21 per cent have little or no understanding of vitamins and minerals and their role in their bodies. Rob Hobson, speaking on behalf of supplement brand Healthspan, which commissioned the research, said: “We thrive on synergies and many of us create them in our lives without even realising it.
“From a biological perspective, the body needs synergies to function properly. Food synergy is defined by the way certain foods and the nutrients they contain work together to provide health benefits that are greater than either food alone.
“So sometimes simply combining two items can greatly increase the impact on your health. While the foods may have their own individual health benefits, combining them together can be even greater, as they can help the other do its job better.
“Our diet is hugely important to our health and paying more attention to what we eat and how we combine foods can be really helpful. These can then be used to target specific conditions, such as reducing inflammation, managing diabetes and heart disease or managing menopausal symptoms.”
10 SUPERMEALS TO IMPROVE YOUR HEALTH WITH FOOD SYNERGY, ACCORDING TO ROB HOBSON
1. Salmon, shrimp and almond curry
Helps with: Reducing inflammation in the body, which is the root cause of all chronic diseases
Food synergy: Fatty fish (salmon, trout, herring, sardines, mackerel) – omega 3 + turmeric (curcumin)
This fish curry is packed with omega-3 fatty acids from salmon and curcumin, the active compound in turmeric. Together, this synergy of nutrients can only enhance the anti-inflammatory effects of the individual nutrients. Reducing inflammation in the body can help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases, including heart disease.
2. Overnight oats with almonds and berries
Helps with: Heart disease
Food Synergy: Almonds (flavonoids) with foods rich in vitamin C (berries)
Almond skin contains flavonoids that act as powerful antioxidants in the body. When combined with vitamin C, which is found in foods like berries, this combination has been shown to help reduce the oxidation of LDL cholesterol. The oxidation of LDL cholesterol is now considered a major factor in the development of heart disease.
3. Tomato, avocado and basil salad with olive oil
Helps with: Heart health, prostate health
Food Synergy: Foods High in Lycopene (Tomatoes) + Olive Oil
Lycopene is an antioxidant that has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease. This plant compound has also been linked to improving prostate health. Tomatoes are the richest source of lycopene, which is aided in its absorption when combined with fats like olive oil. Olive oil has many health benefits that support good heart health, including reducing inflammation and increasing HDL cholesterol.
4. Breakfast smoothie made with probiotic yogurt and banana
Helps with: Healthy microbiota, healthy bones
Food Synergy: Probiotic Yogurt + Banana (Prebiotics)
Probiotic yogurt provides beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus to the gut. Maintaining a balance between food and bad bacteria is essential for a healthy microbiota. This is important because the gut is where food is broken down and nutrients are absorbed and distributed throughout the body. Gut health is also closely linked to immunity. The addition of bananas adds prebiotics (inulin) to the mix. These indigestible fibers are fermented by bacteria in the gut – essentially helping to feed the bacteria in your gut and help them thrive.
5. Blue Cheese and Grape Salad (including Red Onions)
Helps with: Heart health, blood pressure (circulation)
Food Synergy: Black Grapes (Catechin) + Onions
Black grapes are rich in the polyphenol antioxidant catechin, which helps prevent heart disease, cancer, and neurological disorders, and aids in weight management. Together, onions and grapes inhibit blood clots and boost cardiovascular health. Studies have shown that this combination helps improve cardiovascular protection by improving blood flow.
6. Apple, walnut and spinach salad
Helps with: Cognitive function and mood
Food Synergy: Apples (flavonoids) + green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale, arugula) – dietary nitrate
Apples and leafy greens – Apples are rich in flavonoids and leafy greens are rich in dietary nitrate. Studies show that the combination of flavonoids and nitrate can increase nitric oxide production. The increase in nitric oxide after consuming flavonoids and dietary nitrate can improve cognitive function and mood. Beets are also high in dietary nitrate.
7. Chicken with paprika and turmeric (spice mix contains black pepper)
Helps with: Joint health
Food Synergy: Black Pepper (Piperine) + Turmeric (Curcumin)
The active ingredient in turmeric is called curcumin and it has been extensively studied for its anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin is difficult to absorb in the body, but when combined with black pepper, absorption is increased. The active ingredient in pepper is called piperine, which is responsible for this absorption effect.
8. Black bean chili (including red peppers)
Helps with: iron deficiency anemia
Food Synergy: Black Beans (Iron) + Red Peppers (Vitamin C)
Iron deficiency is the most common nutritional deficiency in the world. Non-heme iron from plant foods is less easily absorbed by the body. It is well known that non-heme iron is more easily absorbed in the presence of vitamin C. Plant sources of iron include beans, legumes, lentils, dark green leafy vegetables, nuts and dried fruits. Red peppers are the richest dietary source of vitamin C, but other sources include berries, broccoli, citrus fruits and potatoes.
9. Ginger-Turmeric Salad Dressing (Includes Honey and Garlic)
Helps with: upper respiratory tract infections
Food Synergy: Garlic (Phenols) + Honey
Garlic and honey are often touted as having singular antibacterial properties. However, research has shown that when combined, they have a greater ability to reduce the growth of pathogenic bacteria, due to the synergistic action of phenols and fatty acids found in the foods. It has also been suggested that these two foods in combination may be a useful alternative treatment for upper respiratory infections or can be used alongside pharmaceutically prescribed antibiotics.
10. Tomato, avocado and chickpea salad with olive oil
Helps with: Heart health, prostate health
Food Synergy: Foods High in Lycopene (Tomatoes) + Olive Oil.
Lycopene is an antioxidant that has been linked to reducing the risk of heart disease. This plant compound has also been linked to improving prostate health. Tomatoes are the richest source of lycopene, which is aided in its absorption when combined with a fat like olive oil. Olive oil itself has many health benefits to support good heart health, including reducing inflammation and increasing HDL cholesterol.