4 ways to improve your nutrient absorption today

Steaming your green leafies increases mineral absorption

consciouslifenews.com

Dark green vegies like spinach, chard and beet leaves contain anti nutritional factors like oxalates. These oxalates are called anti nutritional factors because they reduce the absorption of other nutrients. In the case of oxalates, they reduce calcium absorption. While you can’t eliminate oxalates from your greens all together, you can reduce them by up to 15% by lightly cooking the greens. Note that I said lightly, overcooking them just lowers their nutritional value across the board. Lightly cooking your greens will reduce your total intake of oxalates and assist in improving your mineral absorption.

Increase lycopene absorption by processing your tomatoes

feedthefamily.com.au

This is one of those times where you’ll hear me recommend something seemingly contradictory. Ill often suggest you don’t eat processed food, however in the case of tomatoes, the more processed the better. Lycopene is a carotenoid (similar to beta-carotene) found in tomatoes. It has been shown to be beneficial for heart and cardiovascular health, as a potent antioxidant and for sperm and prostate heath. Research has shown that lycopene is much better absorbed and utilised by the body after tomatoes have been processed and cooked. The presence of fat in the meal also aids in the absorption. So, what is one of the best sauces of lycopene? Tomato paste! It’s highly concentrated, processed, and is traditionally included in foods that contain some fat such as spaghetti bolognaise or pizza.

Reduce gas from beans by soaking them and using spices

Who avoids beans because of the er, digestive disturbance they cause? Beans contain some complex sugars and fibre that most of us struggle to digest. While some people will always struggle to digest beans without gas, many of us will find that we can reduce this lovely effect if we soak them for 6-8 hours before cooking them. You can also follow a multicultural approach. The Japanese will often add a piece of seaweed, such as kombu or wakame to their beans to reduce the gas effect, while in India they use spices such as ginger and asafoetida to make them more digestible.

Increase iron absorption from your vegies with vitamin C rich foods

We all know we get iron from meat, but it is possible to get a decent amount of iron from non-meat sources also. Iron from meat is called heme iron (because its part of haemoglobin in blood) and vegetarian sources are called non-heme iron (because they’re not bound in blood). Heme iron is more easily absorbed than non-heme iron, however you can increase the absorption of your vegetarian iron by making sure you have a vitamin C rich food present. How do you do this? Why include some capsicum (high in vitamin C) in your salad or bean dish?