{"id":492460,"date":"2026-06-10T12:52:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-10T12:52:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/492460\/"},"modified":"2026-06-10T12:52:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-10T12:52:08","slug":"7-food-combinations-that-can-improve-nutrient-absorption","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/492460\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Food Combinations That Can Improve Nutrient Absorption"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you\u2019ve ever been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency<\/a>, you\u2019ve probably heard of nutrient synergy. It\u2019s a concept \u201cwhere two or more nutrients work together to have a greater physiological impact on the body compared to when each nutrient is consumed individually,\u201d Stanford Lifestyle Medicine<\/a> reports. In other words, some foods provide greater nutritional value when eaten together rather than when eaten alone.<\/p>\n

Of course, the best way to ensure you\u2019re maximizing your nutrient intake is to have a\u00a0balanced, well-rounded diet<\/a>. \u201cNutritional science agrees that no single food, no single combination of foods, and no supplement<\/a> can compensate for an overall unbalanced diet,\u201d Silja Sch\u00e4fer<\/a>, a nutritionist and family doctor, explains. Still, if you\u2019re looking for some synergistic food pairings, read on.<\/p>\n

Asparagus with olive oil<\/p>\n

There are four fat-soluble vitamins<\/a>: A, D, E, and K. This means that it\u2019s best to eat foods rich in these nutrients with sources of healthy fats<\/a>, such as olive oil<\/a>. \u201cEven small amounts of fat, of around five to 10 grams per meal, improve absorption,\u201d Sch\u00e4fer says. Next time you decide to cook some asparagus<\/a>\u2014which is a good source of vitamin E<\/a>\u2014top things off with a drizzle of olive oil. (Or, if asparagus isn\u2019t your thing, you could do the same with other foods rich in fat-soluble vitamins, including spinach<\/a>, carrots<\/a>, Brussels sprouts, broccoli<\/a>, and sweet potatoe<\/a>s.)<\/p>\n

Sch\u00e4fer adds that if you\u2019re getting these vitamins from supplements rather than your diet, you should still take them with a high-fat meal to improve absorption.<\/p>\n

Vegetables with nuts and seeds<\/p>\n

Similarly, nuts<\/a> and seeds also provide valuable fats that can improve the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, Sch\u00e4fer notes. They provide additional fiber<\/a> and minerals, too, so feel free to add some almonds<\/a>, walnuts, flaxseeds<\/a>, or sunflower seeds<\/a> to your next vegetable-heavy dish.<\/p>\n

Tomatoes with healthy fats, like avocado<\/p>\n

Tomatoes contain lycopene, a potent antioxidant<\/a> that is known to help reduce inflammation<\/a> and the risk of cardiovascular disease. However, raw tomatoes contain a form of lycopene that isn\u2019t easily bioavailable, a 2021 critical review<\/a> notes. Studies have shown that dietary fat helps the body absorb lycopene. For example, a 2004 study<\/a> compared lycopene absorption from salads containing spinach, romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, and carrots, with dressings containing either none, 6 g, or 28 g of canola oil<\/a>, and found that absorption was higher with more oil. Other sources of healthy fats, such as avocados<\/a> and nuts, also pair well with lycopene.<\/p>\n

Protein and vitamin C for collagen production<\/p>\n

The Cleveland Clinic<\/a> reports that collagen<\/a> makes up about 30% of the protein in your body, and is foundational for skin, muscles, and more. But the body needs more than just protein to support collagen production<\/a>. Vitamin C<\/a>, for example, is one nutrient that\u2019s vital to this process, Sch\u00e4fer says. Dishes like Greek yogurt with berries<\/a>, fish with lemon juice, and legumes with peppers are just a few food combinations that can help improve this process.<\/p>\n

Legumes with tomatoes or peppers<\/p>\n

The iron<\/a> found in plant-based foods (known as non-heme iron) is better absorbed when paired with vitamin C<\/a>. It \u201creduces iron into a more absorbable form,\u201d Sch\u00e4fer explains. Lentils and beans<\/a> are good sources of iron, and their absorption improves when paired with vitamin C-rich foods<\/a>, such as tomatoes and peppers. This pairing can be especially beneficial for those following a vegetarian<\/a> or primarily plant-based diet<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you\u2019ve ever been diagnosed with a vitamin deficiency, you\u2019ve probably heard of nutrient synergy. It\u2019s a concept…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":492461,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[103,61,60,446,1184],"class_list":["post-492460","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-health","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-nutrition","tag-wellness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492460","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=492460"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/492460\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/492461"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=492460"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=492460"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=492460"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}