Do you know why I love nutrition so much?
⠀
To me it’s modern day magic.
⠀
You can find all sorts of nutrients which are naturally densely packed in whole foods.
⠀
What’s even more magical is that each whole food has a blend of different nutrients which synergistically compliment one another.
⠀
To add another layer of magic, consider the fact that we rarely eat a single ingredient in isolation. We make meals out of a variety of different ingredients.
⠀
If we look at a lot of traditional/cultural meals, you’ll find that whoever came up with the recipes did a great job of combining ingredients which all work synergistically together.
⠀
I’ll give you an example from my own culture.
⠀
Egyptian and a lot of Middle Eastern cuisines revolve around kebabs, kofta, lamb cutlets, lamb shank,chicken etc.
⠀
These foods are naturally high in iron and zinc. They’re also high in vitamin A and D. Of course there are other nutrients too, I’m specifically focusing in on these nutrients for now.
⠀
Now, because these are animal based products, they are also a source of fat – which isn’t a bad thing, because you actually need this fat for your body to be able to absorb the vitamins A (Retinoid) and D (D3).
⠀
Why?
⠀
Unlike other vitamins, Retinoid/vitamin A and vitamin D3 are fat soluble only.
⠀
So what about the zinc & iron?
⠀
Go to any self respecting Egyptian eatery which serves kebabs/grilled meat, they will 1000% serve their meat alongside:
⠀
-parsley
-coriander
-onion/spring onion
-lemon slices
-rocket
-pickled vegetables
⠀
Why?
Well, I don’t exactly know why THEY do it, but from a nutritional perspective, all of these foods do the following:
⠀
-help your body breakdown and assimilate the fat from the meat. This also helps your digestion of the meal.
⠀
-provide vitamin C, which is needed in order to absorb iron and zinc into the blood stream and then be delivered into the cells.
⠀
Pretty clever, right?
⠀
This is how we should be thinking about combining ingredients in our meals.
⠀
Food is the most basic, safest, accessible pharmacy you can provide yourself with at home.
⠀
Enjoying your meal increases the amount of nutrients absorbed too 😉
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀
⠀

foodasmedicine #kitchenpharmacy #eatwellfeelwell #nutrition #nutrients #thepoweroffood #phytonutrients #vitaminsandminerals #foodismagic #foodwisdom #pairingfood