Some foods are good for you on their own – but so much better if paired with other, complementary foods. Have you tried Avocado with your Eggs?Whole Grain Bread with Peanut Butter?
Avocado Baked Eggs: Even better in a three-way with tomatoes ‘any way’…
Yes… Some pairings are more obvious than others. Pairing Whole Grain Bread with Peanut Butter (+ Strawberries! – see photo, top of page) is pretty obvious. It delivers a full slate of amino acids to make all the proteins the human body needs every day. Plus a whole menu of other vitamins and veggies to complement those essential proteins.
A simple dynamic
But what’s the deal with Eggs plus Avocados? Quite simply, eggs are cholesterol-heavy and Avocados are fibre-rich. Dietary fibre such as that found abundantly in Avocados naturally makes cholesterol easier to digest. Thus rendering dietary cholesterol less unhealthy than it might otherwise be.
It’s a simple by synergistic dynamic – an class expression of the principle that some food pairings can constitute a whole that’s greater than simple sum of the parts.
It works with tons of other pairings – some more obvious (and appetising) than others…
Bet you didn’t think of…
Eggs + Berries
À propos of that last example… All ‘true berries’ contain scads of dietary fibre. Consider accompan-ying your breakfast eggs with a side of fruits such as apples, pears, grapes or tomatoes – or anything that has ‘berries’ in its name.
Eggs + Raw Veggies
“One study found that eating 3 whole eggs with a salad increased the absorption of carotenoids — a type of phytonutrient with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects — up to eight-fold more than eating the salad on its own.”
Salad Greens + Olive Oil
Okay. An obvious pairing – think vinaigrette dressing on a medley of dark green, leafy salad fixings. But did you know that fats – especially Olive Oil – help your body to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. Which are generally abundant in those leafy greens. You can also find lots of vitamin A in tomatoes and red bell peppers, D in mushrooms, E in nuts and seeds and K in leafy greens, broccoli and Brus-sels sprouts…
Carrots + Olive Oil
Cooked together, this combo makes the abundant beta-carotene in carrots more available – because beta-carotene is fat-soluble. Research shows That’s because beta-carotene That means your body absorbs it better when eaten with healthy fats. And your body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which is crucial for your vision, immune function, cell growth and more.
Dark Chocolate + Raspberries
“According to recent research, combining cocoa with raspberries can significantly enhance the antiox-idant effects of both.” Yes! Two of my all-time favourite indulgences that happen to go together beau-tifully on the taste buds. Also a powerhouse nutritional pair!
My take
There are so many other synergistic pairings out there just waiting to be discovered. Have some fun while you’re looking them up. And use your imagination to create real-life recipes that combine them in viable, complementary ways!
~ Maggie J.