How To Increase Nutrient Absorption: 5 Simple Strategies

Simply eating nutritious foods is not enough if your body is not effectively absorbing the nutrients. Even if you include a variety of healthy options in your diet, you may not be reaping their full benefits if your digestive system is not able to process and utilize them fully. Understanding how to increase nutrient absorption is crucial for achieving optimal physical and mental health and ensuring that you gain the full advantage of the vitamins, minerals, and other nutrients you consume.

Take Sarah, for instance. She has started a dairy-free vegetarian diet that she considers to be very healthy. She carefully curates her diet, loading her plate with vibrant fat-free salads, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

But while discussing her health with a friend who’s a dietitian, she learned that simply eating nutrient-dense foods isn’t always enough; her body may not be absorbing some of those essential vitamins and minerals effectively.

Intrigued, Sarah decided to dig deeper into the science behind nutrient absorption. She discovered a few simple changes, like adding healthy fats to her salads and concentrating on plant-based protein, to help her body utilize the nutrients she was consuming.

A drawing of a variety of foods being absorbed into the blood to show how to increase nutrient absorption

Why Is Absorption Important?

Absorption is important because you might eat a wide array of nutrient-rich foods but fail to reap their full benefits. If you don’t absorb the nutrients, they pass right through you. If they exit your body without being absorbed, it’s like you didn’t eat them in the first place.

Essential nutrients are compounds that your body can’t make on its own, so they must be obtained through your diet. These nutrients are vital for various bodily functions, including growth, repair, and maintenance of tissues as well as supporting metabolic processes.

Not absorbing enough of all the essential nutrients can lead to a deficiency. According to a recent study, 31% of the U.S. population was at risk of at least one vitamin deficiency or anemia.

What Is Nutrient Bioavailability?

The word "bioavailability" in white on a blue background

In simple terms, nutrient bioavailability is how much of a nutrient you eat actually makes it into your bloodstream and is ready to be used by your body.

Factors that affect nutrient bioavailability include:

How the food is prepared
What other foods and nutrients are eaten with the nutrient
Individual differences in our digestive systems

By understanding the concept of nutrient bioavailability, you can make smarter food choices based on how to help your body absorb nutrients.

Where Does Most Nutrient Absorption Occur?

The most nutrient absorption occurs in your small intestine. The remaining “food” travels through your large intestine where probiotics (good bacteria) break down and/or ferment some of the toughest nutrients that have made it that far. The large intestine absorbs some remaining nutrients and water.

Whatever is left leaves your body as waste. Ideally your poop should have very few nutrients left in it. You want most of the nutrients to be absorbed for your body to use.

Certain interactions between nutrients can hinder or help your body’s ability to absorb them. By strategically pairing or separating specific nutrients or using certain cooking methods, you can increase the nutrient bioavailability.

Diagram of the digestive system showing that the most nutrient absorption happens in the small intestine

How to Increase Nutrient Absorption

Here are some 5 simple strategies for how to absorb nutrients better:

1. Absorb more iron

Iron is the most common mineral deficiency in the U.S. You can absorb more iron by following these tips and the best food combinations for nutrient absorption.

Be aware of the 2 sources of iron

There are two types of dietary iron—heme and non-heme. Heme iron, found in animal products such as red meat, poultry, and fish, is more easily absorbed than non-heme iron, which is found in plant-based sources like beans, lentils, and spinach. To maximize iron intake, consider incorporating more heme iron sources into your diet if possible.

Pair iron-rich foods with vitamin C-rich foods

Eating foods rich in vitamin C alongside iron-rich foods (heme or non-heme) can significantly enhance the iron absorption. So enjoy some broccoli, bell peppers, oranges, strawberries, or kiwi with your iron-rich foods for the best absorption.

Avoid certain foods around iron-rich foods

Certain compounds, such as calcium (found in dairy), tannins (found in tea and coffee), and phytates (found in whole grains and legumes), can decrease iron absorption. Try to eat or drink these foods at different times than your iron-rich meal.

A picture of iron-rich foods, such as green leafy vegetables, meat, and beans

2. Absorb more vitamins A, D, E, and K

Vitamins A, D, E, and K are fat-soluble vitamins. This means they dissolve in fat and can be stored in your body’s fatty tissues for later use.

Vitamin A is found in liver, seafood, eggs, and fortified dairy.
Vitamin D is only found in a few foods: fatty fish, cod liver oil, eggs, some mushrooms, and vitamin D-fortified milk and cereals. Your skin also makes vitamin D when exposed to sunlight.
Vitamin E foods include whole grains, nuts and seeds, and some oils.
Vitamin K is in dark green leafy vegetables, broccoli, soy, and some oils.

Since these vitamins rely on dietary fats for absorption, it’s essential to eat these foods along with healthy fats to enhance their bioavailability. So cook the veggies above with a small amount of olive oil or enjoy them with a dip or dressing.

In the example of Sarah above, she should make sure to top her salad with olive oil, a vinaigrette dressing, sliced avocado, or other fat-containing foods that increase nutrient absorption to make sure she absorbs the fat-soluble vitamins.

A woman's hands pouring oil over a salad to help absorb the fat-soluble vitamins

3. Absorb more calcium

To absorb the most calcium from your food, eat vitamin D regularly. You don’t have to eat vitamin D at the same time as calcium-rich foods, but you need to make sure you are getting enough vitamin D each day.

4. Absorb more vitamin C

One of the most common vitamin deficiencies in the U.S. is vitamin C. Citrus fruits, berries, bell peppers, kiwi, broccoli, leafy greens, and tomatoes are all high in vitamin C.

Vitamin C is destroyed by heat, so it’s best to enjoy vitamin C-rich foods raw or slightly cooked to preserve the most vitamin C for your body’s use.

5. Absorb more lycopene

Lycopene is not considered an essential nutrient, but it is a strong antioxidant that may help reduce your risk of heart disease and some cancers, such as prostate cancer. Lycopene is found in red and dark green fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, pink grapefruit, and watermelon.

Unlike vitamin C, lycopene’s bioavailability is increased with cooking. Cooked tomato products, such as spaghetti or marinara sauce, tomato paste, tomato juice, tomato soup, and ketchup, are great sources of lycopene.

Cooked tomato soup next to roasted tomatoes to show that cooking increases lycopene absorption

Bottom Line

Healthy eating is more than consuming nutritious foods. It’s also about optimizing the absorption of those nutrients so your body can use them. I hope this article has given you a few tips for how to increase nutrient absorption from your meals and snacks.

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