Most of us season food almost automatically: A little black pepper, a tablespoon of olive oil on a salad, maybe a light dressing. But it turns out that these small habits not only improve flavor – they may also affect how much of the nutritional values actually reach our bloodstream.
Food and nutrition scientists have discovered in recent years that proper seasoning and combining certain fats with vegetables and vitamin-rich foods can “upgrade” the nutritional value of a meal. Not through supplements or expensive formulas – but through basic principles of physiology and digestion.
Not everything on the plate is absorbed by the body
Vegetables, fruits, and whole grains are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. But the fact that they exist in food does not guarantee that the body will actually be able to utilize them.
A classic example is corn: The kernels are rich in fiber, protein, and minerals, but their outer shell is very resistant to digestion. Without sufficient chewing, some of the nutritional values simply “pass through us.”
For vitamins and minerals to be absorbed, they need to:
• be released from the food structure
• dissolve in the fluids of the digestive system
• pass through the intestinal wall into the bloodstream
At each of these stages, barriers can appear.
Fat-soluble vitamins – and without fat they are lost
Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble. That is, they do not dissolve in water. If we consume them without any fat at all – some of them simply will not be absorbed.
When fat enters the picture, it breaks down into tiny fat droplets that form microscopic structures in the intestine called micelles. The micelles “trap” the vitamins inside them and carry them through the fluids to the intestinal cells, where they can be absorbed into the blood.
This is one of the reasons a “dry” vegetable salad is nutritionally less effective than a salad with oil.
Olive oil: Not all fats do the same job
Not all oils are equal when it comes to nutrient absorption. Studies have shown that olive oil creates micelles of a size particularly suited to carrying carotenoids – plant compounds that are precursors to vitamin A and important antioxidants.
In experiments examining the absorption of carotenoids from kale, tomatoes, and carrots, it was found that combining them with an olive-oil-based dressing significantly improved blood carotenoid levels – while coconut oil, for example, had almost no effect.
One hypothesis is that the fat droplets formed from olive oil are larger and more flexible – a “suitable vehicle” for large molecules like carotene.
And the black pepper? This is where chemistry comes in
Black pepper contains an active compound called piperine. Beyond its spiciness, piperine has an interesting biological property: It inhibits mechanisms in intestinal cells that pump substances back into the digestive system.
In simple terms, the body sometimes “kicks out” nutrients that have entered intestinal cells. Piperine blocks some of these pumps – thus allowing more vitamins and antioxidants to remain on the absorption pathway and reach the bloodstream.
In experiments combining vegetables, oil, and black pepper, an additional increase in carotenoid absorption was measured compared to oil alone.
Ancient wisdom before science
For nutrition researchers, these findings are not always surprising. In fact, traditional cultures implemented them hundreds and even thousands of years before they knew about micelles or nanoparticles.
The Indian “golden milk” drink – turmeric with milk and black pepper – is a clear example. Curcumin in turmeric is poorly absorbed on its own, but when combined with fat and piperine, its bioavailability increases significantly.
In other words: traditional cuisine knew what it was doing.
And what about dietary supplements?
For most healthy people, a varied diet is sufficient and there is no need for supplements. But people with inflammatory bowel diseases, celiac disease, pancreatic or liver damage – sometimes have difficulty absorbing fat-soluble vitamins, and then supplements may be necessary.
Here too, experts recommend taking vitamin supplements with a meal containing fat, preferably one that contains small fat particles such as yogurt, milk, or olive oil.
Plants also have “anti-nutrients”
Plants sometimes contain substances that inhibit mineral absorption: for example, oxalates in leafy greens bind to calcium, and glucosinolates in broccoli and Brussels sprouts may affect iodine absorption.
However, consuming a varied diet balances these effects, and the health benefits far outweigh the drawbacks.
So what do you do in practice?
There is no need for a nutritional revolution. A few simple principles:
• Add olive oil to vegetables and salads
• Don’t give up black pepper in seasoning
• Combine colorful vegetables with a fat source
• Don’t take vitamins “on an empty stomach”
Sometimes, seasoning is not just a matter of taste – but of biology.