Are you familiar with the word synergy?
I think it’s a tad bizarre that both my husband and I remember the time in our lives where we started using the word “synergy”?
My husband used the word “synergy” a lot at his old job at Disney corporate. As a college student pledging a business fraternity, the word my group chose to define our pledge class was “synergy”.
Synergy can be applied towards people, actions, and yes, even food.
This is one of those words with electricity and energy behind it! It simply means that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Interaction between multiple ingredients is going to produce a greater effect than an ingredient on its own. Certain foods can be combined for an even greater nutritional punch!
I used the phrase food combining in the title of this blog post, but I don’t mean it in the way similar to 1990s bullsh*t Suzanne Somers “don’t eat carbs in the same meal as protein and fat” kind of way. I’m talking about combining certain types of foods that basically love each other by giving the other a little boost to ENHANCE the nutrition of the dish as a whole. We’re talking about powerful food pairings to keep you HEALTHY!
Every time you add olive oil to your tomato salad, red bell peppers to your spinach and marinate that grilled steak with an herb marinade, you are taking simple steps to improve your health!
Whether the nutrient combinations increase nutrient absorption rates, help to keep you more satisfied, or decrease the risk of carcinogens, whole foods are a powerful tool to prevent illness and disease. Follow these formulas to help you on your way to optimal health!
Food synergy in action
Plant-based sources of iron + vitamin C
Popeye might have been even stronger than he was if he had added a vitamin C source to his spinach! Plant-based sources of iron aren’t as well absorbed by the body as animal sources. You can improve the absorption rate by pairing iron-containing plant-based foods, such as spinach, beans, tofu, nuts & seeds, and whole grains, with vitamin C sources like citrus, red bell peppers, strawberries, and even brussel sprouts.
Grilled meats + herbs
With grilling and BBQ season here, many pounds of meat will be cooked over an open flame. Doing so can increase your consumption of carcinogens, which may be cancer causing. Reduce these carcinogens by marinating meat with potent herbs like rosemary or oregano. Also, try not to char your meat.
Fiber + protein + healthy fats
This is the trifecta of nutrients to satisfy hunger and keep you fuller longer. Instead of eating just an apple, add some nut butter and whole grain crackers to the mix. If you’re eating a fiber-rich salad, add some chicken and pumpkin seeds for added protein and fat.
Turmeric + black pepper
Turmeric is a fantastic anti-inflammatory compound due to the active ingredient curcumin; however, it’s even more fantastic when paired with black pepper, which contains piperine. When cooking anything with turmeric, such as a curry or stir fry, be sure to add a dose of FRESHLY GROUND black pepper as well.
Carotenoids + healthy fat
Fat makes carotenoids, a type of phytonutrient, more bioavailable in the body. Probably the most well-known carotenoid is lycopene, known for its role in the prevention of prostate cancer. Lycopene is found in tomatoes and other red colored fruits and veggies. When you cook with tomatoes, pair them with a healthy fat such as olive oil or avocadoes. This makes a great case to add tomatoes to your guacamole! Lutein is another important carotenoid and is essential for eye health. Be sure to saute lutein-rich foods, such as leafy greens in a fat such as olive oil, or even give steamed greens a drizzle with a flavorful nut oil.
Vitamin D + Calcium
Vitamin D and calcium don’t work alone! Calcium needs Vitamin D for optimal absorption. Next time you eat salmon, tuna, or whole eggs, pair with calcium-containing foods such as yogurt, leafy greens, almonds, white beans, edamame, oranges, or even seaweed.
Food is synergistic. Period.
Tuna, Kale, Edamame, and Strawberry Salad
Not only is this salad very low in sodium, but it also utilizes multiple food synergy principles: vitamin D + calcium, carotenoids + healthy fat, fiber + protein +healthy fat, and plant based iron + vitamin c.
It’s also low in sodium if you use low sodium tuna!
- Yield: 2 entree salads 1x
Ingredients
2 cups packaged kale slaw (I love slaws that also include cabbage, broccoli stems and radicchio)
1–4.5oz oz can low sodium tuna packed in water, drained (I used Starkist Very Low Sodium Tuna with 35mg sodium per 2 oz serving)
1/2 cup frozen edamame, thawed
1 persian cucumber, quartered lengthwise and chopped, about 1/2 cup
3/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/4 cup walnut pieces
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (optional)
Dressing
2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 Tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 Tablespoon mango chutney (I used the Trader Joe’s Mango Ginger Chutney)
freshly ground pepper to taste
Instructions
Place all salad ingredients in a big salad bowl.
Place all dressing ingredients in a small mixing bowl and whisk until combined.
Toss dressing with salad.
Notes
If taking salad to-go and you don’t want to mix the dressing with the salad ahead of time, place the dressing at the bottom of the bowl with the other ingredients on top. Shake the contents together in you’re to-go container when you’re ready to eat.
Keywords: salad, tuna, strawberries, low sodium, no added salt, gluten free, dairy free, seafood
This looks delicious! Great idea to make this a grab and go meal too! I love salads for lunch at work!
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I love taking salads to work as well! Hearty enough, but light enough at the same time so I don’t feel so tired after lunch
Wow this is the perfect summer salad, I love all the ingredients 🙂
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Thank you so much!
Definitely fantastic for summer!
I was aware of Food Synergy, but this article is super helpful! And this salad looks so good!
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thanks Shanika! Hope you learned a little something new!
I love how quick and easy this is. Definitely going to be trying soon.
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I’m all about quick and easy! thanks!
Such an interesting post – I loved learning more about food synergy – I must admit, I wasn’t overly familiar before!
This is also a delicious combination of flavours, and makes the ideal lunch!
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Thank you! Individual ingredients definitely work together much better than alone!
Love this! I went veggie last year so I really need to add more seaweed into my diet! That salad sounds delicious I love the sound of that dressing too.
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thanks Michelle!
Salads are my favorite meal to make when I don’t have a lot of time to cook. You can add so many healthy ingredients to them and they are filling too! I love the combination of ingredients you have in this salad
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Big salads are definitely underrated! Thanks Anne!
I really liked learning about food synergy, what a great concept. The salad recipe along with it I will have to try soon.
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I really like celebrating food and all of the great things it can do for our bodies!
This would make a perfect lunch. Lots of vitamins and protein to boost your energy and not weigh you down. Pinning!
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Thanks so much Michelle! I try to make recipes that are tasty and healthy! 🙂
This is a great article. I love how you described synergy and then give applicable examples for people to follow. All too often people think of a single food as healthy or not healthy, but it’s more complex than that. Oh, and the salad looks amazing too, by the way. Pinning it for future use!
You are so right! I wish as a society, we would think of how things work together more often, rather than have reductionist perspectives.
Yum! Love the combination of this healthylicious salad! It’s really a must try! Can’t wait to go to my kitchen.
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thank you!
What a combo! I definitely don’t eat enough salads in the summer. This looks so good!!
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Salads in the summer are a must for me, but they have to be big salads with lots of stuff besides lettuce! I love taking them to work.
This looks so fresh and so healthy! Would make a perfect lunch for work or light dinner! I love salads especially at this time of the year!
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I definitely agree with you! Great for a hot day!
I love how all of these ingredients come together – I know I feel like a million bucks after eating a meal like this! And I also love that it’s another use for tuna – I’m definitely trying to incorporate more fish protein into my diet!
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That’s great to hear! Fish is such a healthy addition to one’s diet!
I love a good strawberry salad! This looks so fresh and simple to put together! Thanks for sharing the recipe!
Strawberries add soooo much flavor to salads and in my opinion, creates less of a need for salt
Wow – love what you wrote here about synergy! Love how you broke down the different vitamins and minerals with the different food types! And what a perfect tuna recipe to combine the perfect ingredients!
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thanks Amanda! Why not get the most out of nutrients! 🙂
This nutritional salad is perfect for lunch, a very informative article which I loved reading.
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Thank you Jagruti!
This salad looks fantastic. Plus it’s so healthy and nutritious. I definitely must give this recipe a try. Love all the ingredients!
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thanks! I love the flavor and all of the textures in the salad 🙂
What a helpful, informative post!!
thanks Amy!
An important topic! The good news is most of those synergistic combos TASTE good together!!
Exactly! No point unless food tastes good!!
Now this is a type of food combining I can get behind! 😉 And the salad looks SO good!
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Thanks Lindsey! Funny thing is that I just heard that the BS kind of food combining is coming back into fashion. ugh!!
Great topic. It is important to have good tasting food.
Thanks Jeanette! People won’t eat it if it doesn’t taste good!
Love this topic and can’t wait to try this!
Thanks Kara!
Looks amazing! Food synergy rocks. I shared on Twitter as well:) Heidi
Thanks so much Heidi! I really appreciate it!
I am really loving this discussion on synergy! Makes a great point that not ONE thing can do it all alone.
Exactly!! Everything in life works together! Thanks Alanna!
Thank you for pointing out the obvious flaws with “food combining” :-D!
Thanks Sarah! Right after I wrote that post, I heard that “food combining” is back in style!! *insert eye roll here
Hi,
is it your own experimental recipe or something that is indeed based on food synergy sicience? If so, can you provide some reference (sorry if I missed it)
I don’t quite understand what you’re asking. Yes, I created this recipe which displays principles of food synergy that based in nutrition research ( i.e. vitamin C enhances non-heme iron absorption – https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15743017 ). If you do a PubMed search, you should be able to find many other research studies backing up the other principles.
I’m not 100% sure exactly what you’re asking here Peter. Yes, I created the recipe. Principles of food synergy are based in nutrition research( i.e. vitamin C enhances absorption of non-heme iron. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15743017 ) If you do a PubMed search, you’ll be able to find research on all of the other principles mentioned.