Tips for ‘balanced nutrition’ from an expert

Acıbadem Kayseri Hospital Specialist Dietitian Burcu Akbeyaz provided information about the vitamins found in foods for balanced nutrition, stating, “Balanced nutrition is one of the ways to protect our health and prevent disease.”

Stating that balanced nutrition is a way to protect against diseases, Burcu Akbeyaz said, “Balanced nutrition is one of the best ways to protect our health and shield against diseases. When we use certain foods together while eating balanced meals, it will actually provide many benefits. We can think of these as shortcuts to nutrition. Iron is one of the food groups that we need to produce red blood cells, which transport oxygen and improve our immunity. When we consume this food group along with vitamin C, we significantly increase the absorption of iron. Examples of iron-rich foods include meat and legumes. For vitamin C, we can use citrus fruits, salads with plenty of lemon, red and green peppers. Another group is the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, and K. Among these vitamins, vitamin A is found in red and orange vegetables. Vitamin D is found in fatty fish. Vitamin K is found in green vegetables. When we consume these together with fatty seeds like olive oil, avocado, walnuts, and almonds, we will also increase their absorption in our bodies,” she said.

Akbeyaz mentioned that vitamin D can be obtained from food sources in addition to the sun, saying, “We can actually obtain vitamin D, which is primarily from the sun, from food. Fatty fish, meat, and egg yolk are also in this group. When we consume them together with calcium-rich foods, such as milk and dairy products, dill, parsley, and arugula, we will actually increase the absorption of vitamin D. We will see a lot of its activity in our bodies. Vitamin A is known to be important for our eye health. When we use this vitamin together with zinc, that is, when we consume it with dry legumes and animal foods, we obtain a much richer vitamin for eye health, which will provide many benefits for our body. We know that green tea is very rich in antioxidants, and when we consume it with lemon, we significantly increase the antioxidant content, providing benefits for our body in the same way. The turmeric that we all know actually contains a compound called curcumin, which has antioxidant properties. By combining it with piperine found in black pepper, we will actually increase its bioavailability. With a little heat and olive oil, we will increase the bioavailability of curcumin, which is a compound with high antioxidant content. Another combination is tomatoes and olive oil. The lycopene found in tomatoes is a very powerful antioxidant and is fat-soluble. Therefore, when we use tomatoes with olive oil, we increase the absorption of lycopene. This provides us with an incredible antioxidant for our body,” she stated.

Akbeyaz noted that consuming blackberries with tofu cheese would help in better absorption of calcium found in the cheese, saying, “With the arrival of summer, we see blackberries in the markets, and we know they are very delicious on their own. Consuming blackberries with tofu, a type of cheese rich in protein and vitamin D, will help in better absorption of calcium contained in this cheese. Thus, it will actually be a wonderful duo, especially for children in the puberty stage who will transition into adulthood, supporting bone development. We know that one of the most important foods for eye health is carrots. If someone doesn’t like carrots, the best combination would be using avocado and spinach together. By adding these to the diet, we can contribute to eye health and thus utilize one of the most important food sources for eye health. Another combination is using walnuts with spinach. We know that spinach is very rich in vitamin K, and when we use it with walnuts, which are high in Omega-3, it will contribute to cell growth and help increase bone strength,” she added.