Food Synergy: Better Together for Healthy Eating

Your food has chemical compounds, like vitamins and minerals, that work naturally together to your benefit. It’s called food synergy, and it happens when you eat a healthy balanced diet. It’s not complicated and just takes a dose of mindfulness of the variety of food you eat, and how you put them together. Chances are good that you’ll end up with a tastier and more nutritious meal.

Vitamin C and Iron are a great example. There are two kinds of iron, heme, and non-heme. Heme is the part of your blood that holds the iron your body needs to carry oxygen. Your body readily gets about one-third of its heme from meats, fish, shellfish, and poultry, but it can also get heme from non-heme plant sources. You can find non-heme iron sources in foods like spinach, beans, lentils, and tofu, but the catch is your body only absorbs about 10 percent of it. There’s no doubt plant-based eating is a healthy choice, but how do you get all the iron you need? Food synergy. 

There is synergy between Vitamin C and Iron. Vitamin C helps your body absorb iron, no matter what type. It’s abundant in fruit like strawberries, oranges, grapefruit, lemons and limes, and vegetables like broccoli, brussels sprouts, kale, cauliflower, red peppers, and tomatoes. Pair these foods high in vitamin C with iron-rich foods to get the most iron available. For example, make a stir-fry using tofu and broccoli, build a burrito bowl with red peppers, beef, and beans, or make a strawberry smoothie and throw a handful of spinach in it. Food synergy is nutritious cooperation at its best.  

Vitamin D and Magnesium are another great example of food synergy. Vitamin D and the electrolyte magnesium are codependent—the enzymes that make vitamin D need magnesium, and you need magnesium for bone health, controlling blood pressure, and muscle and nerve function.  

Your body needs vitamin D for building and supporting healthy bones. It also regulates many other functions in your body. It is an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory, and supports immune health, muscle function and brain cell activity. Vitamin D isn't naturally found in many foods, but you can get it from fortified milk, fortified cereal, and fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, and sardines. Your body also gets vitamin D when direct sunlight converts a chemical in your skin into an active form of the vitamin. 

You may see magnesium and vitamin D supplements trending on social media, touting their health benefits, but always talk to your healthcare provider before taking supplements. If you are already taking vitamin D, it’s not always necessary to add magnesium. You can find magnesium naturally in nuts, seeds, whole grains, legumes, and leafy green vegetables. These foods are nutrient-dense and a great addition to your diet, whether you need to increase your vitamin D or magnesium. 

Vitamins and Fat. Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble, meaning they dissolve in fat, not water. They are more easily absorbed if there is a dietary source of fat along with it – dietary fat and fat-soluble vitamins have synergy and are abundant in high-fat foods. Here are some examples:  

• Vitamin A helps with vision, the immune system, and reproductive health. Sources include beef liver, dairy products, sweet potatoes, carrots, cantaloupe, kale and other leafy green vegetables. 
• Vitamin D helps with bone health and immunity. Sources include fatty fish like salmon and sardines, eggs, and mushrooms. 
• Vitamin E helps with immunity and acts like an antioxidant. Sources of vitamin E include spinach, broccoli, kiwis, mangos, and nuts and seeds like almonds, hazelnuts, peanuts, and sunflower seeds. 
• Vitamin K helps with blood clotting, which prevents excessive bleeding. Some sources of vitamin K include leafy green vegetables like kale and spinach, and high fat animal-based products like egg yolks, butter, and liver. 

Interesting Fat Fact. There are great sources of these necessary vitamins that are not high in fat, like vegetables. Help your body absorb the vitamins by adding healthy fat.  Sauté vegetables in olive oil, add diced avocado to salads, or pair fruit with nuts to get the most nutrients out of your meals and snacks. 

The Take-Away. Synergistic food relationships are natural when you eat a variety of nutritious foods together. If you think you are lacking in a certain nutrient, speak with your healthcare provider for the most exact and reliable assessment, as well as seeing if supplementing is the best choice for you. 

Mimi Thompson 

Health Education Preceptee, ViaroHealth 

For questions or comments, contact wellness@viarohealth.com