When you make a dish, do you actually put some thought into it or just combine ingredients together? Well, there are actually some foods that you can combine together to make powerful food combinations! Too good to be true?
In this article we have put together 8 different “power pairs” of foods you must eat together to reap the best benefits! Check them out below.
15 powerful food combinations:
1. Tomatoes and Avocado
Combining tomatoes with avocado is a powerful food combination because tomatoes contain an antioxidant called lycopene, which is best absorbed in the intestinal tract when combined with healthy fats like avocado. It could also prevent macular degeneration, keep your heart healthy, and reduce the risk of developing colon cancer. Make an avocado and tomato sandwich or a guacamole for a tasty and nutritious snack.
2. Eggs and Cheese
Cheese is milk-based and is rich in calcium, while eggs are rich in vitamin D. Both these substances are very essential for the body and they can synergize when combined and work together to improve body health and can also promote healthier bones. You can scramble and egg and drop in some cheese or can simply have an egg with a side of cheese and reap the benefits instantly.
3. Oats and Orange Juice
Drinking vitamin C-rich orange juice while eating a bowl of real oatmeal cleans your arteries, lowers cholesterol levels, and can also make one feel full for a longer time, thus reducing appetite and reducing the intake of extra calories. The organic compounds in both foods, called phenols, stabilize your LDL cholesterol (low-density lipoprotein, or so-called “bad” cholesterol) when consumed together.
4. Boiled Eggs and Green Salad
Some of us are real big salad lovers and of course, there are plenty of different salad topping options available out there. But have you ever tried chopping up a hardboiled egg and tossing it into your salad? The fat in the egg yolk can help your body perfectly absorb the carotenoids and all the antioxidants that are found in the green leafy vegetables and boost body health.
5. Almonds and Yogurt
Almonds are a great source of vitamin D and it is an important vitamin because it has multiple benefits for health. It can help boost your immune system functioning, elevate your mood and can also boost bone health. If you combine almonds with yogurt, which contains probiotics, it can boost body health like never before.
6. Leafy Vegetables and Tomatoes
Very often we see tomatoes in salads and well, there is a reason for this! When tomatoes are mixed with green leafy vegetables like spinach, collards, kale etc., it can boost the absorption of the iron from these green leafy vegetables into the body, with the help of vitamin C, that is present in the tomatoes.
7. Rice and Beans
There are many of us who love rice as our staple food and consume it almost every day. Well, rice is a good source of carbohydrates and is also rich in protein. But unless you eat meats, along with your rice, it is hard for the carbohydrates and protein to get absorbed into the body and thus, pairing it with beans, in any form can help the absorption better.
8. Olive Oil and Cauliflower
Cauliflower is a very good vegetable for those who like to maintain a healthy diet. It is highly diet-friendly. In addition to this, cauliflower is low in its glycemic index (GI), which is a measure of how much any food can raise your blood sugar levels. Thus, when you drizzle some olive oil on your cauliflower, it can help reap the health benefits of the cauliflower to its maximum effects with full absorption.
9. Lemon and Green tea
Adding lemon juice to green tea enhances beneficial antioxidant content. Vitamin C in lemons allows the body to absorb catechins (antioxidants) in green tea, increasing the benefits of green tea. Next time you drink green tea, Just add a splash of lemon to it.
10. Black pepper and turmeric
Turmeric has been known for its anticancer properties, anti-inflammatory effects, and tumor-fighting activities. The active agent in the spice is a plant chemical, or polyphenol, called curcumin. Adding black pepper to turmeric or turmeric-spiced food enhances curcumin’s bioavailability by 1,000 times due to black pepper’s hot property called piperine. when making tumeric milk or turmeric tea, add in a pinch of black pepper to it.
11. Apple and Dark chocolate
Apples with dark chocolate not only make a healthy treat but also have amazing benefits. An anti-inflammatory crucial to heart health is found in apples and powerful antioxidants found in dark chocolate fight blood clots, improve circulation and keep your skin healthy.
To enjoy the food combination, melt the dark chocolate with coconut oil, coat it on the apple slices, or enjoy it as a dip.
12. Peanuts and Whole wheat
Opt for a natural peanut butter ( or homemade peanut butter) on whole wheat bread instead of a protein shake after a workout. Combining peanuts with whole wheat provides an entire chain of amino acids (protein), which is the best way to build and maintain muscle. READ MORE – STOP BUYING PEANUT BUTTER, MAKE IT AT HOME
13. Fish and garlic
Use garlic in your fish marinade to help boost the therapeutic properties of fish and garlic & to drop the LDL & triglyceride levels. This combination of foods does the job more more efficiently together than when eaten separately.
14. Steak and Rosemary
Planning to barbecue red meat? Using rosemary to spice your steak or hamburger. The robust flavour of Rosemary blends very well with the meat steak. Rosemary helps to neutralize the carcinogenic compounds such as Heterocyclic Amine (HCA) that are formed when you cook the meat at a high temperature. This is due to the high antioxidant content such as Carnosic acid & Carnosol in the Rosemary.
15. Yogurt and almonds
Our bodies absorb essential vitamins better when eaten with fat. A.D and E are considered fat-soluble vitamins. Yogurt is rich in vita min D, so toss in some almonds for healthy fat. The protein and healthy fats in nuts can complement the probiotics and calcium in yogurt, creating a nutritious and satiating snack.