Healthy Pairs: Dynamic Food Duos

Oct. 5, 2007 — -- There is no denying the great effects that some foods have on our bodies. But it turns out that those benefits can be magnified by combining certain foods — call them dynamic duos — that are actually good for you.

Matt Bean, the editor of Men's Health magazine, visited "Good Morning America" with the skinny on a few of those combinations.

Salsa and Avocado

Healthy fats are actually great for your body — they actually help the body absorb some of the most important nutrients in vegetables. Brightly colored vegetables like those used in salads are rich carotenoids, which reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease and cataracts.

But just because you take something into your body does not necessarily mean you absorb it. That's where the fat in avocado comes in — it helps your stomach absorb those carotenoids. So if you are eating colorful vegetables, either raw or cooked, you also want to eat a sensible amount of fat, like an ounce of cheese, a pat or two of butter, or full-fat ranch dressing.

It's important to stay within your daily caloric intake. But fats that aren't saturated are a nutrient and amplify the benefits of colorful vegetables.

Nuts and Beer

Sitting at the bar while eating nuts and drinking beer is not a path to heart disease, but may in fact be a healthy pastime. In fact, nuts boost good cholesterol, HDL, and lower bad cholesterol, LDL. And alcohol acts as a blood thinner and helps prevent blood clots. In both cases, though, moderation is key.

Swedish researchers have also found that the fat and fiber in nuts slow down the absorption of alcohol, smoothing out the effects of moderate alcohol consumption.

For best results, try to eat about 15 minutes before taking that first drink.

Are Some Nuts Better Than Others?

Yes, the tops in terms of health benefits are almonds and walnuts. Don't be scared to be a nut snob. If there are mixed nuts, dig around and find the almonds and walnuts.

Garlic and Fennel

They are a great tag team. According to research from the University of Texas, both garlic and fennel contain active compounds that target cancer and these compounds complement each other.

Another perk: Fennel contains anethol, which produces saliva, helps inhibit microbial growth and clears the bad-breath-causing sulfur compounds that garlic releases. So the fennel helps neutralize garlic breath.

Fennel seeds are the most potent. They are widely available all over the country and are used in lots of recipes. For instance, they make a great meat rub: take a tablespoon of fennel seeds and smash them with a heavy pot, add them to a couple cloves of finely minced garlic, salt and pepper, and rub it all over meat before grilling or roasting.

Exercise and Caffeine

Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey fed caffeinated water to sunburned rats and put them on running wheels and their risk of skin cancer plummeted.

The drop was steepest when both the exercise and caffeine were used, proving the combination gives more benefit than either one alone. In fact, the mice that got both had one-third as many damaged skin cells as mice that did only one or the other.

To realize the same effect on yourself, especially if you get lots of sun exposure, try one or two cups of coffee after your exercise sessions.