How To Best Pair Up Food For Health

When you get ready to prepare dinner, you might consider the nutritional impact your food has, but maybe you haven't thought about the nutritional impact the ingredients have on each other. Certain food combinations actually maximize your nutrient intake when paired together — and they taste great, too. For example, eating a boiled egg in your salad can help your body better absorb the beta-carotene and lycopene in popular toppings such as tomatoes and carrots.

Spinach + Lemon = Iron Boost

Pairing a salad made with dark, leafy greens, such as spinach, kale or arugula, with the bright citrus flavor of lemon increases the amount of iron your body is able to absorb from those greens. That's because the vitamin C in the lemon helps convert that plant-based iron into a form that's easier for your body to use.

Tomatoes + Olive Oil = Cancer Protection

Lycopene, an antioxidant found in tomatoes, helps your body fight free radicals that can cause cancerous cell growth. Your body gets more lycopene out of those tomatoes, though, when they're cooked with a healthy fat such as olive oil, so serve up bruschetta or caprese salad.

Apples + Grapes = Heart Health

Fruit salad ingredients are chock-full of flavonoids, including quercetin in apples and catechin in grapes, which can help your body fight off cancer. When these antioxidants come together, your heart health also gets a nice boost — and your risk of developing blood clots lowers.

Oatmeal + Berries = Extra Fiber

If you like eating oatmeal for breakfast, you'll like it even more when you add delicious fresh berries — and so will your body. The water in berries helps your body process high-fiber whole grains, and those grains in turn help keep your system regular and your blood pressure low.

Just as there are food combinations that are good for your health, there are also pairs better not eaten together. When paired, some of these combinations could leave you feeling unwell.

• Proteins & Acids — Acidic fruits, such as lemons, oranges and even tomatoes, may react negatively with proteins, as the acid interferes with the digestion process.
• Salt & Salad — Sodium takes the water out of the salad, and some of those nutrients you thought you were getting from your spinach, kale or carrots come out with it.
• Starches & Proteins — Meat and potatoes might be a tradition, but it's one that could wreak havoc on your digestive system. Those potatoes hang out in your stomach until that pot roast is digested, which could leave you feeling uncomfortably full.

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