5 Smart Food Combinations Help Maximize Nutrition

March 5, 2025

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Some things just go together — Bella and Edward, Harry and Sally, Romeo and Juliet.

The same is true for food. Some nutritious food combinations work better together. Though you already make sure to eat your vegetables and incorporate plenty of protein and healthy fats, how you combine certain nutrients can affect how much you get from them.

“Perfect pairs do exist, especially in nutrition,” says Eliza Savage, a registered dietician at Middleberg Nutrition in New York City. “Combining certain foods may increase nutrient absorption and improve the bioavailability of key nutrients. These complementary foods do double duty — they help you maximize your nutrition and pump up the flavor of your food.”

Want to learn about these nutritious food combinations? Then check out these top five pairings.

1. Vitamin C + Plant-Based Iron

Salad with Lemon Unsplash — Credit: Unsplash

If you’re getting iron from plant-based sources like grains and legumes, pairing it with vitamin C helps your body absorb it more efficiently. Vitamin C breaks down iron into a form that’s easier to take in, making sure you get the most out of your meals.

Try it: Add a squeeze of lemon or orange juice to a spinach salad, or apples in a lentil dish.

2. Vitamins A, E, D, and K + Healthy Fat

Cooking Vegetables, Vegetables and Oil Unsplash — Credit: Unsplash

These four essential vitamins are fat-soluble, which means they need fat to be properly absorbed. Without it, your body won’t be able to fully reap their benefits.

Try it: Cook vegetables in a healthy fat, such as avocado oil or grass-fed butter. Prefer them raw? Toss them with an olive oil-based dressing.

3. Vitamin D + Calcium

Salmon Salad Unsplash — Credit: Unsplash

You know calcium is important for bone health (and may have other benefits as well), but it needs a helping hand from vitamin D to be fully utilized by your body. Without vitamin D, calcium absorption is significantly reduced.

Try it: Have calcium-rich dark leafy greens like spinach or kale with foods containing vitamin D, such as wild-caught salmon or sardines.

4. Collagen + Vitamin C

Berry Smoothie, Collegan and Berries Unsplash — Credit: Unsplash

Collagen is more than just a wellness trend—it supports skin, hair, nails, joints, and gut health. But to maximize its benefits, your body needs vitamin C to help convert it into a usable protein.

Try it: Add vitamin C-rich berries and collagen powder to your smoothies.

5. Turmeric + Black Pepper

Nutritious Food Combinations Turmeric and Pepper Unsplash — Credit: Unsplash

Another ingredient enjoying a lot of love at the moment is turmeric, thanks to its anti-inflammatory superpowers. Turns out a compound in black pepper, piperine, makes curcumin, the active component in turmeric, far more bioavailable.

Try it: Grind a bit of black pepper into your golden milk.