3 Nutritional Power Pairs (Foods You Should Be Eating Together)

Some foods are at their nutritional best when matched with other foods. (Via NPR.)

Here are some classic food friends.

Top raw vegetables with cooked eggs. Research suggests that the fat in egg yolks helps absorb phytonutrients from the veggies. Specifically carotenoids, the color-giving component in red, green, and orange vegetables, including tomatoes, spinach, kale, and carrots.

It's a classic combo, black beans cooked with red peppers. And a good thing, too, because the vitamin C in peppers helps draw iron from the beans. Ditto, vitamin C-rich mangos, pineapples, and sweet potatoes.

Combine these two ingredients to get the most from turmeric's anti-inflammation and anti-cancer compounds. An alkaloid in black pepper helps draw out the curcumin in turmeric. Grind a little fresh black pepper over these recipes for the full effect.

Related: What Gives Turmeric Its Health Properties? Science Has An Idea.