The Art & Science Of Food Pairing

What Is Food Pairing?

Food pairing is just matching some foods together for optimum nutritional benefits. It is what most Nutritionists will advise. Variety in your plate is what will give you the best nutritional advantage.

Food pairing is both an art and a science. The science aspect is to understand how taste and flavour are perceived by the brain, and this is used in bringing in a perfect pairing. Art is setting these foods in the table in a variety of colours in such a way that makes them desirable to the eyes. Literarily, desirability whets the appetite.

''The Eyes Eat First Before The Mouth'' African Proverb

This means, what the eyes perceive as good, the mouth is ready to taste, that is, whets the appetite, and vice versa. What doesn't look good to the eyes, the mouth is reluctant to eat.

Food pairing is also bringing in foods and drinks that complement each other for the perfect enjoyment, as well as for nutritional value. The science of food pairing is also called food synergy.

Taste And Flavour Is Different, But Complex

Taste and flavour involve all our five senses, but only three namely, sights, smell and taste are prevalent. The importance of food pairing is to bring in the synergy, making use of the three main senses for nutritional benefits.

Flavour is highly enhanced by culture and taste in traditional foods

A good example of the beneficial food pairing is, we know that Vitamin C, which is prevalent in citrus fruits and dark leafy vegetables aid the absorption of iron. Iron, an important mineral for blood formation is plenty in meat, fish and beans. We can pair this two in our plate for this perfect synergy, knowing the iron will easily be absorbed by the presence of Vitamin C in our meal.

We know some food components work together, but there are still some that we still don't know because of the complex nature of chemical compounds in foods vis a vis our taste and flavour.

What we do know is that eating foods as natural as possible in different variety is what gives us good health and helps us in preventing illnesses.

The science of food pairing also can occur in a single food. This is where a food item contains more than one nutrients. In the early nineteen century, soldiers suffered from beriberi because the rice supplied to them lack the outer layer of the grain, called the bran which actually contains essential vitamin (Vitamin B1) s, which unfortunately were removed during polishing. It was later discovered that this vitamin B1 acts coenzymes in the metabolism of carbohydrates.

Also with an apple, it is important not to peel an apple before eating. The skin contains essential vitamin K, A & C, calcium and potassium. Peels are packed with nutritions that work well with the inner crunch. All these essential minerals and vitamins work together to increase the anti-oxidants levels in blood ready to fight off free radicals.

Obvious Health Effects Of Some Foods And Drinks Pairing

Tomatoes & Broccoli - have shown synergy in reducing prostate cancer cells in laboratory rats. Tomatoes contain lycopene which can help fights prostate cancer, but with added broccoli, the effect is much more reduction in these rats cancer cells.

DASH (Dietary Approach To Stop Hypertension) Diet -- conveys diet rich in fruits and vegetables, combined with fat-reduced meals, and low sodium, all give synergy to lower blood pressure.

The phytonutrients in vegetables are easily absorbed by eating a little fat with your vegetables, like fatty fish like salmon and mackerel. I do this all the time, tossing my kale in salmon in pepper sauces. It is this synergy that I enjoy most in food pairing.

Oats, in itself, is good for the heart. Chemical composition of the nutrients in oats boost of magnesium, beta-glucan, folic acid, and other compounds. It is all these compounds that work collectively to protect the heart.

Research by the food scientists discovered that adding garlic and onions to wild whole grain rice, makes the zinc and iron in the grain become more bioavailable (easily absorbed).

Have you ever wondered why turmeric is always sold with added black pepper? Research indicated that the main ingredients in the black pepper, called piperine helps in more absorption of the curcumin in the turmeric.

Green Tea & Lemon - has been one of the most enjoyable and healthy drinks available. These two together packed up antioxidants. Put a slice of lemon or lime into your green tea, and enjoy the reduced breakdown of catechins (in our digestive systems) making them more readily bioavailable.

Cate chins, which is abundant in tea leaves prevents arteriosclerosis,(hardening of the artery walls) due to inflammation and other debilities. Green tea and lemon is my favourite evening drink.

Wine & Fish Meal - have you ever wondered why a glass of wine settles down very well with a fish meal? This is because wine helps you absorb more of omega-3 fatty acids present in fish. A study by the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry believes it is the polyphenols in wine makes the increased absorption possible.

What Is Important In Food Pairing?

The science of food pairing is related to how quickly you get full-up, your blood sugar spike, and therefore your weight. It is therefore important to pair up foods and drinks in such a way that gives you the most beneficial health. There are some foods with a high glycemic index (foods that spike up your blood sugar when eaten). These foods eaten on its own will unsettle your blood sugar level, hence you need to pair them up appropriately.

Satiating effect - gives you no room for snacking. These foods are filling, healthy and nutrition-dense. They prevent hunger for a long time. Food pairing makes it possible to add at least, one satiating food to carbs for synergy. Think of fish and wedges (skin-on chips), boiled potatoes and eggs, etc. The result is a stable weight in the long run.

Three Worst Foods Pairing Mistakes

When we have the right idea why we are pairing our foods in the first instance, then we come off the foods that do not result in synergy. There are few of those explained below:

Pasta Bake - is usually cooked white pasta laced with creamy cheese, and baked in the oven. These are two low nutrition density, high carb foods, with no beneficial effect. I know most people enjoy them, especially children for being tasteful, but they are nevertheless not healthy. If you choose whole grain pasta and use rich tomato sauce will be a lot healthier. Use herbs as seasonings to enhance the taste as well. This might not be as delicious as the white pasta with creamy cheese, but it will sure do your body a lot of good.

Beans With Meat - is another bad food pairing mistake that people make. Beef is rich in iron, and beans do contain phytates that prevent iron absorption in the gut. This might be disastrous for people with low iron in their blood. The iron absorption can be improved by adding plenty of red peppers to your beans plate. Red peppers are rich in Vitamin C, and this enhances iron absorption.

Battered Fish With Chips - This meal is very popular in the UK, where I live. Indeed, fish and chips are known as typical British favourites. Fish in itself is healthy, but the batter and oil will not give any synergy to the pairing. And also the chips are also deep-fried with the potato skin off. The resultant pairing is NOT good for health.

The Take-Aways In Food Pairing

The essence of food pairing is to explore the synergy, science and art of combining some foods together to give the best health benefits.

This synergy works on taste, smell and sight, and the science of how these three senses have an effect on our palate in the brain is what is explored as well as combined health benefits of the foods paired.

Foods are paired to give us the most benefits nutritionally and ward off diseases.

The science of food pairing is also more concerned about how we digest foods and its effect on our blood sugar level, and absorption of vital nutrients.

I will conclude this with two quotes:

''Let food be thy medicine, and medicine thy food.'' Hippocrates

If the food is right, there will be no medicine''. Ayurveba Proverb