Fortunately, the choice of healthy and fit foods today is enormous. It is even better to combine some foods because they work much better as a duo. Food synergy is the name of a nutrition trend that is easy to implement and has been proven to help improve fitness.
How food synergy works
Several foods are incredibly healthy for us. Some can help us recover faster after a strenuous fitness program. Others support muscle building or boost the immune system. But we can get much more out of some foods if we combine them with other foods. This nutritional concept is called food synergy. Here are the best food combinations:
Spinach with a dash of lemon juice
The low-calorie vegetable is full of iron, and lemon juice has a high content of vitamin C. Food-Synergy: The body can better absorb and utilize the iron from the spinach due to the vitamin C from the lemon. The organism can thus form a plus of red blood cells. This has a positive effect on your endurance performance because the oxygen transport capacity is improved.
Potatoes with cottage cheese
Another excellent food synergy combination. Potatoes are the optimal carbohydrate donor. They are also full of vitamin C, B vitamins, sodium, potassium, and protein. Low-fat cottage cheese also has a high protein content. Food-Synergy: Potatoes and curd in combination increase the biological value of protein. We can form even more endogenous proteins from them.
Avocado and tomato
Probably the most essential ingredient of the tomato is the carotenoid lycopene. As an antioxidant, it can scavenge free radicals. In cooperation with other vitamins and minerals, tomatoes are ideally suited to support the immune system at work. Avocados are a great source of healthy unsaturated fatty acids, B vitamins, vitamin K, potassium, copper, vitamin E, and vitamin C. Food Synergy: The ingredients in avocados help the body absorb the lycopene from tomatoes more easily. This gives the immune system another push. Extra tip: The same works very well with the food duos of carrots and walnuts, and peppers and olives.
Fish and garlic
Well prepared, this duo is not only delicious but also an honest fitter. Fish is very rich in protein, is full of vitamin D, vitamin B1, B5, B12, iodine, omega-3 fatty acids, and selenium. Garlic contains the sulfur compound allicin, which has a strong effect on blood circulation. Food-Synergy: The healthy fatty acids found mainly in sea fish and garlic’s allicin are a real boon for the heart and the ideal food duo for endurance athletes.
Oatmeal and grapefruit
Oatmeal contains many vitamins essential for athletes. These include all the vitamins of the B group. In addition, there is fiber, folic acid, antioxidants, and great minerals such as magnesium and zinc. They also have a high protein content and a very low-fat content. Grapefruit contains many vitamins and flavonoids. And these are demonstrably very good for the heart and blood vessels. Food synergy: The bitter substances in grapefruit and the so-called beta-glucans in oatmeal make our blood flow better. Every athlete benefits from this. The food combination also lowers harmful LDL cholesterol.
