When you are focused on eating healthy, nourishing foods, it’s important to consider the bioavailability of the nutrients you consume. Bioavailability is the measured rate at which the nutrient enters the bloodstream and cells. In other words, this metric examines how effectively the human body absorbs and utilizes any substances.
Measured from 0-100%, bioavailability varies considerably depending on the food source, preparation method, and health of the individual consuming it.
It’s fascinating that two people can eat the exact same meal and absorb meaningfully different amounts of the nutrients. One of the reasons for this is gut health. If one person has a compromised gut lining, low stomach acid, or an imbalanced microbiome, their body may have trouble absorbing certain nutrients. That means that their diet could look great on paper, but they are still failing to get the nutrition they need.
Age, stress levels, and certain medications also affect nutrient bioavailability in individuals.
Food preparation can have an impact, too. For example, cooking tomatoes increases the availability of lycopene. If you soak and sprout legumes and grains, this can reduce compounds that otherwise bind to minerals and limit their absorption. Pairing iron-rich plant foods with vitamin C improves your iron absorption. Fat-soluble vitamins require dietary fat to be absorbed at all–this includes vitamins A, D, E, and K.
If you take nutritional supplements, it’s important to consider which form will promote the most absorption. Magnesium glycinate, for example, absorbs more readily than magnesium oxide. Similarly, Vitamin D3 absorbs more effectively than D2, and taking it alongside dietary fat improves uptake even further. Curcumin, the active compound in turmeric, has poor bioavailability on its own. Pairing it with black pepper, which contains piperine, increases absorption significantly.
The concept of bioavailability reframes the conversation around nutrition. Getting enough of a nutrient on paper doesn’t mean much if the body cannot access it.