Written By: Bhavyajyoti Chilukoti | Published : November 27, 2017 6:20 PM IST
Did you know that micronutrients like minerals and vitamins are responsible for the absorption of macronutrients like carbohydrates, proteins and fats? Unlike macronutrients, micronutrients are always given the second preference when it comes to diet. And his is the reason, why Indians are at a high risk of nutritional deficiencies. However, you can lower the risk by ensuring that the food you eat is loaded with nutrients and the body absorbs maximum amounts of these healthy nutrients. Ms Rina Baliga, Dietician, Mumbai suggests few simple diet tips on how to boost bioavailability of nutrients. Also read about Meat + potatoes, palak + paneer and other food combinations that are absolutely harmful to your health.
How to ensure optimal bioavailability? Here are few expert tips to follow.
1. Focus on balance, variety and whole foods: Choose foods from each food group such as cereals, pulses, Meat, milk and milk products etc. to ensure balance among all nutrients and making most of every food available to us.
2. Avoid crash diets or fad diets: By elimination one or more food groups from your diet and/or drastically reducing calories you are only risking nutritional deficiencies since you will be consuming a nutritionally imbalanced diet. Such diets even prevent you from benefiting from the positive interactions between nutrients while amplifying the negative ones! Here are signs you are suffering from vitamin and mineral deficiencies.
3. Take supplements if needed: Since the requirement for minerals isn t much, it can be fulfilled by food alone if charted out in a balanced way. However in cases where the requirement is more owing to deficiencies, increased physical activity, medical condition etc. supplementation can not only help bridge the gap but also ensure optimal utilization of macronutrients while providing the benefits each mineral has to offer.
4. Pair your food with enhancers: These are the nutrients that help increase the bioavailability of minerals. A very commonly applied example is that of iron and Vitamin C wherein Vitamin C helps in increasing the absorption of iron from non-heme sources. Adding a dash of lime to spinach soup can help the uptake of iron from spinach readily! Another example is that of Vitamin D where it helps in optimal absorption of calcium and phosphorus. Here are few healthy food pairings to increase iron absorption.
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