Good food is good mood, right?
But you need the right food combinations to make food healthier.
Do you know of any food combinations that can ruin health?
Fiber is good, but eating fiber without water is a cardinal sin that would do more harm than good?
Eating iron is excellent for your health but without vitamin C, it might not deliver its full benefits.
Do you feel you are eating healthy but still not getting a health boost? If so, you are choosing the wrong food combinations. Please share in the comments if this is your experience. We would love to learn more.
This video takes you through 4 combinations that can save life, add more nutrition to your platter, and make you healthier and of course, happier.
After all, a healthy you is a happy you, hai na?
So are you ready? Let's begin.
Here, I start with my favorite combination -
#1. iron and vitamin C
Adding more iron to your diet will do you no good unless you combine it with vitamin C.
WHY?
Well, unless you take vitamin C, your body cannot absorb iron.
Research finds that vitamin C stores non-heme iron for easier absorption by your body. To best absorb non-heme iron, which is sourced from plants, you need to pair it with vitamin C to break it down into a form that your body can absorb easily. Research by the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition finds that the absorption of iron will be better if you pair the nutrients in a single meal.
For example, a banana is rich in non-heme iron.
Do you experience gas, flatulence, acidity when you eat a banana or two?
If so, that means your body is unable to absorb the iron from a banana. Combining it with vitamin C-rich foods, such as orange, lemon, berries, raisins, might help your problem.
You may try making a banana smoothie with oats and berries and enjoy the drink, which is rich in iron from banana, calcium (from oats), and vitamin C from berries.
What more do you want? Here's the oats smoothie recipe to aid digestion.
Do try out and share your experience.
Add it would not hurt squeezing a dash of lemon or orange juice on your favorite spinach salad.
#2. Curcumin and Piperine
I know I know you may or may not have heard about these two compounds. But let's unravel the mystery behind them.
Your very own golden spice - turmeric (haldi)- contains curcumin, which gives it the gorgeous saffron hue.
The spicy black gold or black pepper contains piperine - which increases the bioavailability of curcumin in your body by almost 2000 percent.
What do you mean by bioavailability, you might ask.
Well, it means, how easily a specific nutrient is absorbed and utilized in the body. In simple words, it is the proportion of a nutrient that is digested, absorbed, and metabolized in your body.
Can I drink turmeric at night?
Yes, drinking turmeric milk at night might help induce sleep by reducing stress.
Can I drink turmeric water before bed?
Drinking turmeric water is a digestive aid.
Does turmeric make you smell?
No, it does not.
Does turmeric cleanse the body?
It is known to possess detoxification properties that helps cleanse your system .
Is Turmeric bad for fatty liver?
Rather, it is good for liver.
What does turmeric do to the body?
Turmeric is an antiseptic, antibiotic, antihistamine, antiallergic, antioxidant, and antiacid. You can drink turmeric daily to boost immunity and protect yourself from disease.
#3. Vitamin D and Calcium
You have been told to drink a glass of milk since childhood for stronger bones, right? I still remember my mom and dad giving us a glass full of milk the first thing in the morning.
But unless that glass of milk has fortified vitamin D along with calcium, it is delivering you no benefits.
Surprised, are you?
Well, calcium needs vitamin D for absorption, which is actively absorbed in the presence of vitamin D. That means even if you are taking calcium supplements, it won;t do you any good if you are deficient in vitamin D.
So, my dear friends, it;s time to get the sunshine vitamin and bask in the glory of the Sun God for a few minutes every day.
Sunlight helps with the synthesis and production of vitamin D in the cells, which is stored in the fatty tissues of the body. By the way, do you know vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin?
That means you need to include some form of fat in your diet for the synthesis and production of this essential vitamin.
That is the reason it is recommended to take your vitamin D supplements immediately after a meal. Did you get my point?
The lack of vitamin D exposes you to a range of health scares, from weak bones to cancer.
GET YOURSelf tested for VITAMIN D today!
It is crucial for a healthy body. Sadly, a majority of people in urban cities are deficient in the sunshine vitamin.
This means even if your diet is packed with calcium, it is doing you no good because your body lacks vitamin D and it cannot absorb calcium. That also raises the risk of calcification in the body. Calcium accumulation is not a good sign, my dear friends. It could also be linked to cancer, especially breast cancer.
Should I be tested for vitamin D deficiency?
Absolutely! I go for annual blood tests to check for any vitamin and mineral deficiencies. This includes vitamin D, iron, calcium, calcium ion, and B12.
What else can I do to keep my bones strong?
Exercise daily, stay active, eat calcium-rich food in combination with Vitamin D.
If you are vitamin D insufficient, you are likely to be calcium deficient. So, it's time to kick-start your absorption of calcium by adding more vitamin D to your diet.
#4. Fiber and Water
Did you know that your body cannot digest fiber? Perhaps fiber passes through your body - slipping from the stomach to small intestine and colon , and out it goes.
So when fiber is not even digestible, why do you need it?
Why do you hear people suggesting you to include fiber in your diet?
Well, since fiber bulks up in the body and is slowly absorbed, it creates a feeling of fullness.
When you experience a feeling of satiety, you stop eating right there.
Luckily, this satiety comes from fiber that exits your body without contributing to the caloric and fat reserves. This is the reason many weight loss diets suggest loading up on fiber.
However, if you increase your intake of fibrous foods, such as whole grains, vegetables, and fruits, without drinking an adequate amount of water, it is not absorbed into the body.
What next?
That means it keeps sitting for longer durations, making you feel gassy and constipated.
So in order for the body to absorb fiber, it needs water.
Unless you drink water, adding fiber to your diet will only add to your digestion problems.
Excess fiber can result in either diarrhea or constipation. Fiber attracts water in the gastrointestinal tract. Unless you have enough fluid in your body, dehydration of the GI tract can cause hardening of the stool, resulting in constipation and other digestive disorders.
Do you eat a lot of oats, apples, beans, and berries? Do you feel constipated and gassy and wonder what is the problem?
Well, fiber is the culprit and your GI tract's dehydration is contributing to the trouble.
So now remember friends, the balance between fiber and water in the GI tract is critical to a healthy digestive system.
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