In the know The power of pairings

Fact checker

What is bioavailability and why is it important?

When certain foods are eaten together, they enable our bodies to absorb more nutrients. We look at what these are and how they work.

Meet our expert

Juliette Kellow is a registered dietitian and member of the British Dietetic Association. She works as a consultant and is co-author of Eat Better, Live Longer.

‘A food might be packed with nutrients but that doesn’t mean we get it all when we eat it. The amount of a nutrient our body can absorb is called its bioavailability – the higher the bioavailability, the more of that nutrient the body can access. Enjoying certain foods together, while avoiding others, can help maximise the nutrients we absorb. For example, vitamin C in fruit and veg helps us absorb iron from plants such as beans and lentils, while tannins in tea hinder the absorption of iron. Our age, how well we chew food, how it’s cooked and how much processing it’s had also affect the bioavailability of nutrients.’

THE PROBLEM

Beans, seeds, nuts and spinach contain calcium – potentially great news if you don’t eat dairy. But they also contain naturally occurring oxalates and/or phytates that bind to calcium, reducing the amount absorbed. THE SOLUTION

Vitamin D helps us absorb calcium, so take a daily 10mcg supplement from October to March, when we can’t make it from sunlight* .

?Did you know…?

A s w e g e t o l d e r , o u r b o d i e s b e c o m e l e s s e f f i c i e n t a t a b s o r b i n g v i t a m i n s a n d m i n e r a l s f r o m f o o d – m a k i n g i t e v e n m o r e i m p o r t a n t t o e a t a n u t r i t i o u s a n d b a l a n c e d d i e t i n o u r s e n i o r y e a r s .

3P E R F E C T PA R T N E R S

+O R A N G E S B R A N F L A K E S Vitamin C in oranges helps the body absorb iron from fortified breakfast cereals Fat in avocado helps the body absorb beta-carotene (the plant form of vitamin A) from carrots Vitamin D in eggs helps the body absorb calcium from cheese

+G U A C A M O L E C A R RO T S T I C KS

+O M E L E T T E

C H E E S E

Processing power

The way a food is processed can affect the amount of calories we get from it. Studies show we absorb 25% fewer calories from whole unroasted almonds than almond butter** . Processing the nuts breaks down the cell walls, so the calories are more accessible.

Fiction v fact

F i c t i o n C o o k e d v e g i s l e s s n u t r i t i o u s t h a n r a w v e g . F a c t C o o k i n g c a n h e l p u s a b s o r b m o r e n u t r i e n t s f r o m s o m e v e g s u c h a s c a r r o t s b e c a u s e i t s o f t e n s t h e t o u g h c e l l u l a r w a l l s , a l l o w i n g b e t t e r a c c e s s t o t h e n u t r i e n t s .

Iron & vitamin C

Vitamin C helps the body absorb non-haem iron, which is the type of iron found in plant foods like nuts, seeds and vegetables.

S P I C E D L E N T I L & S P I N A C H S A L A D

Serves 4 Takes 20 mins Cost per serve £1.09

1½ tsp cumin seeds 2 large oranges 2½ tbsp extra-virgin olive oil 1 tbsp red wine vinegar pinch of crushed chillies (optional) 2 x 400g tins green lentils, drained 10g fresh fat-leaf parsley, chopped 125g baby spinach 30g walnut halves, roughly chopped 100g soft dried apricots, sliced 75g reduced-fat salad cheese, crumbled 1 Dry-fry the cumin seeds in a small frying pan over a medium heat for 1-2 mins, shaking the pan, until fragrant and a shade darker. Roughly crush with a pestle or the base of a sturdy jar. 2 Slice the skin and white pith from the oranges, then slice the fruit into 1cm-thick rounds, reserving about 3 tbsp juice from the chopping board in a bowl. Whisk the oil and vinegar into the juice along with the crushed cumin seeds and chillies, if using. Season to taste. 3 Mix the lentils and parsley with the baby spinach, walnut halves, orange slices and the sliced apricot. Toss with the dressing, transfer to a serving dish and scatter with the salad cheese.

Each serving contains

Energy Fat Saturates

Sugars Salt 1536kJ 367kcal 18g 4g 17g 0.5g 18% 26% 19% 19% 9%

of the reference intake. See page 105. Carbohydrate 35g Protein 14g Fibre 3g 2 of your 5-a-day; source of protein, which supports the maintenance of normal bones