Powerful nutrition isn’t all about unpronounceable superfoods and ancient herbs. These things can be fantastic, but you can live a totally healthy, nourishing life with a simple diet. Less is more. It’s even more when you know the secret to combining foods to maximize all the goodness your cells receive.

The best part is – it’s super easy and intuitive! No strict rules or science you need to memorize. Health is not a boring scientific textbook or a regime of forcing down bland foods. You probably already combine a lot of the right foods without knowing it, because it tastes right. And it feels right to our bodies. And that’s when the magic happens…

Here’s a few powerful combinations that will make sure you’re getting the most out of every thing you put into your body:

1. Banana + Coconut

Always, always, ALWAYS add a little healthy fat when eating high sugar fruit! Add some coconut oil to your banana smoothie, or sprinkle some coconut flakes on top of the fresh tropical fruits like pineapple. It’s crucial to balance your blood sugar and avoid ‘sugar highs’ and spikes in blood glucose that can cause weight gain, cravings and make you feel unwell.

Tip: Wait till the bananas are going brown! Bananas with dark spots have 8x more TMF (tumor necrosis factor) than ripe bananas – making them extra immunity enhancing and anti-cancer.

2. Tomato + Olive Oil

You know how good it tastes! But did you know the antioxidant lycopene in tomatoes is fat-soluble? So eating tomatoes with healthy fats like olive oil helps to boost your body’s absorption of this anti-cancer and cardiovascular-disease-risk-reducing nutrient. Take it from the Greeks and Italians – they eat more of these ingredients than anyone else and studies show they live longer than the average American.

3. Pepper + Artichoke

Iron deficiency and anemia are way too common today. Especially if you’re a vegetarian, adding Vitamin-C rich foods with plant-based iron sources have been shown to boost the body’s ability to absorb iron a lot more than it normally would. High Vitamin-C vegetables like peppers go amazingly with iron-rich artichokes.

4. Apples + Red Wine

The anti-inflammatory flavonoid, quercetin, in apples and the flavonoid catechin in red wine work together to avoid blood clots and improve cardiovascular function. Get creative with a fruity, summery Sangria – cheers to your health!

5. Green tea + Lemon + Fish

Adding lemon to your green tea has been shown to make your body absorb over 13 times more of the many antioxidants found in the famous metabolism boosting, free-radical fighting tea.

And one more tip, from the Japanese – drinking green tea with fish, especially when raw (sushi), can half the amount of harmful mercury your body absorbs from predatory fish like tuna.

It really is that easy and intuitive to food combine. You’ll be getting the most nutrients out of each ingredient, without having to overload in quantity. Simple, creative, and delicious nutrition. Just the way it should be!

Written by Isabella Gucci-Ruffalo xoxo