Got tummy problems? Get bananas. The yellow fruit is a good source of inulin, a type of fibre that helps balance “good” bacteria levels in your digestive system. Even more, it enhances calcium absorption, benefiting your bones. Pair your ‘nana with good sources of calcium, such as milk, yoghurt, cheese, broccoli and kale, to promote bone health. A good breakfast combo: add sliced bananas to cereal with skim milk.
Vitamin E promotes healthy eyes and may help prevent macular degeneration (a cause of blindness). Vitamin C boosts the power of vitamin E, putting it into a form that helps your body use it best. Pair sources of vitamin C such as strawberries, citrus fruits and tomatoes, with a good source of vitamin E, such as peanuts/peanut butter, almonds/almond butter and sunflower seeds.
Broccoli is a good source of sulforaphane, a cancer-fighting compound. Unfortunately, cooking the greens destroys myrosinase, an enzyme that makes sulforaphane available to your body. To replace the myrosinase, combine broccoli with mustard or another raw cruciferous vegetable, such as rocket. The extra myrosinase helps your body absorb more sulforaphane, according to a study published in the British Journal of Nutrition.
Take your coffee with sugar? Don’t stop. When you drink coffee with sugar, it makes you more productive, according to a small study published in the journal Human Psychopharmacology: Clinical and Experimental. When participants consumed coffee and sugar together, areas of the brain associated with attention functioned more efficiently than when they drank java solo. Tea drinkers: try adding a drizzle of honey.
The perfect afternoon snack: a cup of tea and sliced fruit. For a particular health boost, make it green tea and apples. Research has found that the phytochemicals quercetin (found mostly in apples, berries and onions) and catechin (found in green tea and purple grapes) work together to prevent blood platelets from clumping together. When platelets clump, it can contribute to blood clotting and lead to a heart attack.
The next time you grab a morning wholegrain bagel, ask for a few slices of onion on the cream cheese. Onions and garlic have sulphur compounds that increase absorption of zinc, a nutrient important for immunity and wound healing found in wholegrain foods and legumes. Another good (and easy!) pairing: garlic hommus.
You already know that beta-carotene is good for you (hello, youthful skin and healthy eyes), but you might not have known your body needs fat to absorb it. Eat sources of beta-carotene, such as carrots, rockmelon, kale and spinach, with fat, such as avocado, walnuts, olive oil and almonds. A simple snack might be carrots dipped in guacamole or hommus (made with olive oil).
This article originally appeared on Reader’s Digest.