Maximizing nutrient uptake -
A: The key is less about what level of nutrients exist and more about making the nutrients more bioavailable to your plant for absorption. The uptake is self-regulating as long as there are no limiting factors that might interfere with biochemical reactions and the symbiotic transportation between the bacteria and plant.
Plant growth promoting bacteria PGPB are critical in stimulating bioactivity that leads to the breakdown of various large molecule nutrients into simpler elemental forms. Therefore it is obviously necessary for the nutrients to be available in the hydroponic or soil mediums, but just as important is the bioactivity necessary to solubilize these nutrients.
You can learn more about PGPB and how they work in our earlier write up on the topic. Q: How can I make sure that my nutrient composition is in balance and sustainable?
A: Depending on the medium, you will have different levels of existing nutrients. In most cases, you are analyzing the composition, so you are aware of any gross deficiencies.
Adding or compensating for these is usually a fairly straightforward process. The choices tend to be based on whether your inputs are to be organic or chemical compounds. Without commenting on that decision, the nutrient availability in both cases will still rely on bioactivity.
There are issues of interaction between various nutrient inputs and plant responses. In general, whether you have obtained your nutrients from an organic tea or compost or commercial sources, the availability is still dependent on bacteria.
This symbiotic relationship has evolved between plants and bacteria over millions of years. Rhizome bacteria fill a niche where they are drawn to the root zone to share sugars and proteins provided by the plant, whereas the plant requires the bacteria to make the nutrients available.
Q: How can bacteria help to combat nutrient deficiency? There are different strategies available to help maximize absorption of vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and even protein. I have expanded on this discussion in my Guide to Iron for Vegans.
Ultimately, combining foods high in vitamin C with iron-rich foods can help maximize iron absorption. Aim for foods with 50 mg or more of vitamin C. There are many examples of the benefits of combining fats with foods containing fat soluble vitamins and antioxidants.
One that is particularly impressive is combining tomatoes with a fat think cooking down tomatoes in a pan with olive oil for a sauce or adding cherry tomatoes and avocado to a salsa.
This combo helps to enhance the absorption of the antioxidant lycopene found in tomatoes by 4-fold. And you can get this benefit by combining other carotenoid rich foods think yellow and orange colored fruits and veggies with various different fats oils, avocados, nuts, etc.
You might be more familiar with their common names, turmeric and black pepper. Vitamin D helps to better absorb calcium in the diet , which supports our bone health, among other processes in the body.
You can get calcium from a variety of fortified foods like calcium set tofu, fortified milks, beverages and cereals as well as low oxalate vegetables like broccoli, bok choy, kale, napa cabbage, watercress, mustard greens and turnip greens. To absorb that calcium, make sure you are keeping your vitamin D levels up through a mix of supplementation, fortified foods or adequate sunlight.
The best part, you might already be doing this without realizing it. If you are making a stir fry using grains and sauteing them with onion and garlic or cooking a pot of beans with onions and garlic, you are not only getting more flavor in your food but also benefiting from absorbing more iron and zinc.
This is such a complex aspect of nutrient absorption. Cooking absolutely has an impact on what we absorb. In some instances, depending on how something is prepared, you can lose a significant amount of nutrients.
However, with the right amount of heat and time, you can enhance nutrients significantly and even reduce inhibitors like phytates and oxalates. Big take away, cooking is a means to break down some of the fiber and cell walls in plant-based foods, which makes absorbing nutrients a lot easier.
Example, cooking carrots helps to make absorbing carotenoids in carrots so much easier compared to when eaten raw. The fibers and cell walls in plants are often what decreases the amount of nutrients we absorb from foods. The tougher those cell walls are, the more we struggle to get those nutrients.
We already mentioned cooking as a way to reduce this issue, but other things that can help improve absorption are grinding and blending. For example, grinding flaxseeds helps make omega 3s in the seeds more absorbable. Similarly, in the process of juicing we are able to remove fiber, which can make some nutrients like beta-carotene more available for absorption.
Soaking and sprouting help reduce common nutrient inhibitors and may significantly enhance nutrient absorption for protein, iron, zinc and calcium. This is a great strategy to use for things like legumes, grains, nuts and seeds, which tend to have lower digestibility on their own.
Soaking beans for a few hours in water and then discarding the liquid and rinsing the beans well can help significantly reduce a number of anti-nutrients.
Nutrient absorption occurs uptqke Maximizing nutrient uptake your nutrientt intestine Exotic Berry Varieties digested food passes nutrrient and the intestinal walls uptake nutrients. Factors, like compromised gut health, medications, and chronic stress can hamper the efficiency of this process. Maximizing nutrient uptake absorption is impaired, you don't reap the full benefits of dietary nutrients, which, over time, can lead to deficiencies and health issues. The good news is you can take strategic steps to maximize absorption. Optimizing nutrient absorption safeguards you from deficiencies that can negatively impact immunity, energy levels, hormones, and important body processes. Here are 7 effective methods to improve digestion and help your body thrive by getting the most from your diet:. 
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