There are plenty of classic food pairings: Cheese and fruit. Peanut butter and jelly. But what if eating certain foods together not only improved taste, but also your health? Scientists say pairing specific nutrients together can increase health benefits. One area this comes into play is with phytochemicals, a plant compound shown to reduce our oxidative stress and prevent chronic illness.
"A big issue is how much is actually bioavailable," says Jean-Marc Zingg, an associate professor at the University of Miami. "A lot of these phytochemicals are not really efficiently taken up [in the body]." Research shows that certain foods, when eaten together, can boost nutritional value. Teamwork makes the dream work — even when it comes to your diet.
Vegetables and healthy fats
Many colorful fruits and veggies are rich in carotenoids. Beta-carotene is found in vegetables like carrots and leafy greens. Meanwhile lycopene, present in foods like tomatoes and watermelon, can lower risk for stroke and diabetes.
Beta-carotene and lycopene are fat-soluble carotenoids, meaning our bodies absorb them better when they're paired with fat. "So think of it almost like the carotenoids have a lock on it, and the fat is the key," explains Kate Donelan, a registered dietician at Stanford Health Care. To help with nutrient absorption, consider combining your veggies with healthy fats like avocado, olive, or coconut oil.
Multiple studies also find cooking these vegetables can increase carotenoid bioavailability. A 2006 study concluded that stir-fried carrots had 75 percent of beta-carotene bioavailability compared to just 11 percent in raw carrots. Another 2024 study found that cooked tomatoes could have as much as triple the lycopene than raw tomatoes.
Lemon juice and vegetables
Iron is essential to overall health and directly tied to energy levels. There are two types of dietary iron: heme iron, which comes from animals, and non-heme iron, which comes from plants. Heme iron enters our bloodstream more easily than non-heme iron. Research finds our bodies absorb about 25 percent of heme iron compared to 17 percent of non-heme iron.
Fortunately, research shows vitamin C enables non-heme iron to dissolve easier. To get the most bang for your buck, squeeze some lemon juice over sautéed Brussels sprouts, or fix a spinach salad with strawberries, oranges, or bell peppers.
Curcumin and piperine
Turmeric contains one polyphenol whose benefits know no bounds: Its main active ingredient is curcumin, which is anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuroprotective. But curcumin doesn't hang around long in the body when we eat it. "When the body takes up curcumin, it gets metabolized very fast," Zingg explains.
Thankfully, there are other ingredients that can help prevent this, like black pepper. The spice's active ingredient, piperine, allows the body to metabolize curcumin slower, in turn helping us absorb more. One study suggests we absorb 2000 percent more curcumin when we combine it with piperine. "People always forget about herbs and spices, but you can get a lot of phytochemicals in," says Donelan. Try whipping up an Indian-inspired curry or a golden milk latte to get a dose of polyphenols in.