Eating Smart

pocket guide to pain relievers
PAIR Tomatoes Beef Mushrooms Spinach
WITH Avocados Broccoli Cauliflower Orange Slices
IN Salsa Stir-Fry Side Dish Salad
WHY

You’ll absorb four times more cancer-fighting lycopene from tomato salsa when you stir in a few tablespoons of avocado, according to a study at Iowa State University. Avocado’s advantage: It’s loaded with monounsaturated fat.

Women who don’t get at least 8 mg of zinc daily may be ultrasensitive to bitter tastes like those in broccoli and brussels sprouts, British researchers report. Three ounces of lean beef supply about 40% of your daily zinc needs.

 When you combine selenium-rich foods (like mushrooms, fish, or chicken) with ones that are high in the plant chemical sulforaphane (think cauliflower, broccoli, and cabbage), the nutrients are up to 13 times more effective at fighting cancer than either one on its own, according to a study at the Institute for Food Research in Britain. Your body isn’t very good at absorbing the iron in veggies. But having a vitamin C–rich food at the meal triggers a chemical reaction that makes it easier for you to get at the iron.