The Healthiest Food Duos Ever

Solo, these foods are great for you. Combined, they take healthy to a new level. Here’s what to eat to lift your energy, sizzle fat, build bone and fight cancer.

Strawberries + whole-wheat bread = energy lifter

Whole-wheat bread packs fatigue-battling iron; skimp on this mineral and your blood can’t properly carry energizing oxygen, making you want to nap constantly. And the vitamin C in strawberries converts iron from insoluble to soluble, a form blood cells take in more easily, say self nutrition experts Stephanie Clarke, R.D., and Willow Jarosh, R.D.

Green tea + lemon = fat sizzler

Green tea delivers catechins, antioxidants that put fat burning on the fast track. You’ll drink in even more slim-down benefits when you add a squeeze of lemon juice to the brew. The vitamin C in citrus enhances the body’s absorption of catechins by up to 300 percent, according to research from Purdue University.

Mushrooms + spinach = bone builder

Mushrooms are one of the few food sources of vitamin D, and spinach brings calcium to the table. The body needs vitamin D to create the hormone calcitriol, which helps calcium seep into bones to fortify your frame, says Jackie Newgent, R.D., of Brooklyn, New York. Your skeleton can start weakening as early as age 25, so bone up now.

Broccoli + mustard = cancer fighter

Dipping broccoli in a spicy condiment, like mustard or wasabi, can double the veggie’s anticancer powers, research from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign notes. An enzyme called myrosinase in some spicy foods helps broccoli release sulforaphane, a proven cancer curber. Go ahead: Put some fire on that there veg!

Curious about other amazing superfoods that will help you slim down? Dig into “20 Superfoods for Weight Loss”.

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