Creative Combinations

OK, we'll get the easy ones out of the way first. Bacon and eggs, macaroni and cheese, bread and butter, fish and chips, green eggs and ham. Did you know that certain foods bring out the taste of other foods and sometimes boost their nutrition? Try to keep an open mind, because some of these pairings may sound strange at first.

Separated at Birth
Carrots and sugar, coffee and salt, strawberries and pepper, apples and vanilla, potatoes and nutmeg. All of these combinations add richness to the first food, yet the second food is undetectable. Pairing these will add a whole new level of flavor.

Peas and Carrots
You know when we talk about a "balanced diet," we're talking about getting the minimum requirements of all of the food groups, right? But it's also about correctly combining foods that are good for your digestion, cholesterol, and metabolism.

Healthy duets:

• Avocados and tomatoes—avocados help the body absorb seven times more of the lycopene in tomatoes. And canned tomatoes, such as Hunt's®, are higher in lycopene than regular tomatoes.
• Spinach and oranges—the vitamin C in an orange helps your body absorb the iron in spinach.

Don't mix:

• Coffee and breakfast cereal—coffee can block the body's ability to absorb the iron-rich cereal you're enjoying.
• Diet soda and alcohol—the active ingredient in diet soda causes the body to absorb alcohol into the bloodstream much more rapidly, which can be really dangerous, especially on an empty stomach.

Tasty twosomes:

• Banana slices and honey on toast
• Popcorn in a glass of milk, eaten with a spoon like cereal
• Apple slices and cheddar cheese

Really Acquired Tastes
Pickles and mayonnaise? Does that sound gross or intriguing? It depends on how daring you are, but if you've ever been pregnant, you might be able to relate to unusual cravings. Here are a few pairings some people swear by:

• French fries and applesauce
• Cottage cheese with brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, and walnuts
• Microwave popcorn with dashes of Tabasco® or with cinnamon and sugar

Peanut Butter Goes with Everything
Take some Peter Pan® peanut butter and spread it on pancakes, a baked potato, pizza, celery, or an apple-or do like The King did and make a grilled peanut butter and banana sandwich. Thankyouverymuch. But remember, these are treats, not necessarily healthy new diet alternatives.