Cookies and milk. Burgers and fries. Peanut butter and chocolate.
Some foods were just meant to go together.
While some food combinations are delicious together, the right combinations ratchet up the health-boosting powers of the foods.
The idea is known as “food synergyâ€. You already know that eating nutrient dense foods is vital to staying healthy, but food synergy takes that to a whole new level by eating foods that interact to affect your health in even greater ways.
Keep enjoying your favorite super foods, but these five combos are real culinary superheroes.
Tomatoes + Olive Oil
You’ve heard that olive oil helps improves your cholesterol by both lowering artery-clogging bad cholesterol and raising the heart healthy good cholesterol.
You also know that lycopene in tomatoes is a powerful antioxidant.
When you put these two foods together, though, real magic happens.
In a 2000 study published in Free Radical Biology and Medicine, participants were given tomato products with either extra-virgin olive oil or sunflower oil.
The study found that those who received the olive oil demonstrated a significant increase in antioxidant activity over those who received the sunflower oil.
The possibilities for combining tomatoes and olive oil are nearly endless. Try tossing tomatoes, garlic, herbs in a hot pan with a little olive oil and sautéing lightly, or enjoy some roasted red pepper pesto or bruschetta.
Hint: Add a serving of lean protein with a little whole grain pasta for a delicious and filling meal.
Whole Grains + Onions or Garlic
Grains could be a great source of iron and zinc, except they are mostly metabolized and excreted before you can absorb and use them.
New research has found that foods containing sulfur can help you absorb more of the iron and zinc in grains.
A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry in 2010 found that adding garlic and onion to grains, whether raw or cooked, enhances the availability of iron and zinc.
If you bake bread, try adding onions or garlic to the recipe, or add a healthy serving of onions to your next sandwich or burger.
Green Tea + Black Pepper
Honey is delicious in any kind of tea, but if you’re enjoying a cup of the green variety, black pepper may be better for you.
Green tea contains an antioxidant compound known as EGCG, which may boost metabolism and lower your cancer risk.
Black pepper contains a compound known as piperine, which has been shown to boost the power of EGCG.
In a 2004 study published in The Journal of Nutrition, mice were injected with EGCG either alone or with piperine. The mice that were given the EGCG with piperine absorbed the EGCG more rapidly than those that received the EGCG alone.
If you’re thinking that tea isn’t supposed to be spicy, try making a marinade with green tea, black pepper, garlic, and ginger for your meat or seafood.
Kale + Almonds
Kale is a great source of vitamin K and vitamin E, which has been shown to be a powerful immune booster that can also lower the risks of cancer and heart problem.
New research shows that kale is also great for your skin.
However, these vitamins are both fat soluble, which means that they should be consumed with a source of healthy fat to increase absorption.
Almonds are packed with monounsaturated fat, as well as upping the vitamin E content, which makes them a great addition to the fat-soluble nutrients in kale.
Adding almonds to kale is as simple as sprinkling a handful of slivered almonds over a kale salad.
Dark Chocolate + Apples
This nutritious pair not only helps you bust sugar cravings but may also help improve your cardiovascular health.
Apple skins, especially red delicious, are high in the anti-inflammatory flavonoid quercetin.
Dark chocolate is high in antioxidant catechins, which can protect your arteries. The higher the cocoa content, the higher the catechin content, so be sure to choose dark chocolate over milk chocolate, which contains very little.
Research suggests that eating dark chocolate with apples can help bust blood clots.
Try melting a little dark chocolate in a double boiler or fondue pot and dipping your (unpeeled) apple slices.
