Fix the Nutrient Limiting Factor
Although we eat enough, does that mean we absorb the adequate amount of nutrients?
Falling short of much-needed vitamins and minerals inflicts a greater impact on the body’s function than most may understand or notice. Shows up in varying forms and fashions. Foggy thoughts here. Brittle nails. Eye twitching. Even prolonged muscle soreness and weakness. After all, no surprise that 40% of vegans and vegetarians suffer from B12 deficiency, causing anemia and fatigue, a common ailment in this group. One of the most powerful methods of improving vitamin and mineral absorption becomes obvious when you understand food pairing and synergy.
When thinking of a typical example, we look to iron from green leafy vegetables and fat-soluble vitamins. Without vitamin C, the iron locked to greens only allows the body to absorb 2-20% uptake for usage, but when paired with citrus, this number jumps to 67%. For fat-soluble vitamins (ADKE) a similar issue. Although eating mushrooms, sweet potatoes, collared greens and broccoli tastes great, adding around 10 g of olive oil increases vitamin absorption 2-3 fold. Even antioxidants, A 2017 study at Iowa State University showed that oils unlocked 50% more beta-carotene and other carotenoids from salads.
As with most minerals, the beneficial interactions within the body rely on co-operating chemical reactions. Zinc, magnesium, and vitamin D team up in your gut and then do their jobs in your body. However, beans, specifically phytate, reduce zinc absorption by 50-80%, but eating animal proteins or fermented products counters the negative interaction, doubling zinc absorption. Although zinc does not get too much clout, we need for healing and immune function. Even vitamin D, crucial for calcium absorption, becomes a growing problem since 40-45% of Americans are vitamin D deficiency. Brittle bones break with every fall.
Crunchy raw carrots. Kids love them. Fun fact though, cooking them in oil breaks down the cell wall, increasing absorption 50%. This list goes on. Pairing curcumin with black pepper increases absorption by 2000%. Without black pepper, curcumin passes through the GI tract like a fish through a hole in a net. We miss out on the antioxidant benefits.
Eat complete protein. Seem simple enough. One common problem: beans. Not a complete protein. Need that rice to fill the gaps.
It’s not trivial. Iron deficiency accounts for 25% of anemia globally contributing to fatigue and even brain fog. Lack of fat soluble vitamins causes a weak immune system and bone fragility, leading to an increase of 20-30% for fracture risk. We lose out on healing factor boosts from poor zinc absorption and the potent anti-inflammatory prowess of curcumin. You combine this with the lack of complete protein intake, and it adds up, also missing out on the many downstream cascading genetic, hormonal and metabolic benefits for defining improved longevity and vitality.
The takeaway
Before eating anything and everything we put in our mouths, we should give some consideration to the way we eat. We don’t want to fall into the common trap of low-level body nutrients. Because of mass farming, soil depletion means foods have fewer minerals and vitamins. More problems like phytates, reduced stomach acid levels, low-fat meals and declining microbiome biodiversity show the depth of the body’s absorption problem. When we have access to the best foods, absorption becomes a bottleneck.
This is Liebig’s Law of Limiting Factors applied to nutrition:
Your health only rises to the level of the nutrient you absorb the least. One deficiency stalls the entire system.
The solution isn’t eating more. It’s pairing smarter:
- Vitamin C + iron → 3–6× more uptake
- 5–10 g of fat → better A/D/E/K absorption
- Avocado oil + carrots → ~50% more carotenoids
- Black pepper + turmeric → major curcumin boost
- Soaked/fermented beans → 30–50% fewer blockers
Tiny tweaks. Outsized effects. This is what “eating with purpose” really is:
Remove the friction. Fix the limiting factor. Let every meal work harder for you.