How to get the most nutritional value from your clean diet!

The journey to a healthier lifestyle comes with a price. You will be required to cut out some of the foods you enjoy and replace them with more suitable options. As you do this, you should ensure that you are getting all the necessary nutrients such as fats, carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins to avoid any deficiencies. Here are a few tips on how to get nutritional value from your clean diet. 

Think about bioavailability

Bioavailability simply refers to the fraction of a nutrient which is absorbed from your diet and used for bodily functions. Dieting is not about what you eat, but what you absorb. To increase nutrient absorption, try the following:

Pair food strategically

Iron from plant sources isn’t absorbed as well as iron from meat, so to improve your iron absorption, pair it with Vitamin C. Spinach, kale, lentils and soybean work well with chilli peppers, oranges, lemon juice and strawberries. For better absorption of vitamins A, D, E, and K, pair them with dietary fats. This means sweet potatoes, eggs, mushrooms, carrots, kale, spinach and asparagus go well with olive oil, coconut oil, mixed nuts and avocado. 

Learn how to prepare your food

Foods with heat-sensitive or water-soluble nutrients are better eaten raw. Vitamins C, B1, B5 and folate are easily broken down by heat, which means that when you cook foods rich in these vitamins, you lose all the nutrients. Boiling foods rich in B-vitamins and vitamin C also causes you to lose all the nutrients. 

On the other hand, boiling tomatoes can increase lycopene bioavailability, and cooking eggs will make denature protein more digestible. 

Get tested for malabsorption

Health conditions such as malabsorption can hinder the absorption of nutrients in the body. If you suffer from cystic fibrosis, celiac disease, chronic pancreatitis, or are lactose intolerant, you are more susceptible to malabsorption. Common symptoms of malabsorption include chronic diarrhoea, food aversions, bloating and gas. 

If you’re looking to get on a nutritionally-dense diet, explore our meal options. Explore our website and book online or book a consultation to speak to one of our experts to help guide you on the best meal plan option for you.