The reason why you are not getting the best out of the egg you are eating might be because you are having it with tea. Tea naturally contains tannins which are anti nutritional factors. Tannins does not allow the iron in the egg to be absorbed in the body.

Or are you having your egg raw? Whipping it up and gulping down your throat thinking you are fulfilling your post workout requirements? Think again. Egg has a protein called avidin which makes the biotin of the egg unavailable to the body. Naturally, egg iron is bound to conalbumin and therefore its absorption is poor. Hence once you cook the egg, the heat denatures the avidin, making the biotin readily available to the body.

So, you had half the recommended amount of a nutrient only to realise that half of it did not get absorbed? How to make the most out of it?

Every nutrient has an antagonist and an analogue. Meaning, there are dietary factors that enhance the nutrient’s absorption and certain factors that inhibit its absorption.

For example,

Iron absorption can be increased by increasing ascorbic acid and meat. While phytate and phenolic compounds are factors that inhibit iron absorption.

Similarly, if your diet has high amounts of inhibitors such as fibre and phytate it will inhibit zinc absorption.

When the calcium in the blood becomes too low, the parathyroid gland that is near neck starts producing PTH (parathyroid hormone). This converts the calcium from your bones and introduces the serum calcium into the blood, raising it to adequate levels. At the same time, the kidney is signalled to increase the amount of 1,25(OH)₂D, a chemical the body makes from Vitamin D. This element helps the guts absorb the calcium till the level is balanced. This interaction between calcium and Vitamin D is happening constantly in body.

This is why it is important to have sufficient levels of Vitamin D in body because only then will the body be able to metabolise and regulate calcium in the body. The best way to get Vitamin D is exposure to the sun. As people get older this whole process slows down and the absorption of Vitamin D from exposure to the sun lessens. Elderly people will have to supplement their Vitamin D intake. Calcium and vitamin D work together to protect bones—calcium helps build and maintain bones, while vitamin D helps body effectively absorb calcium.

Iron pills taken with high doses of calcium may inhibit the absorption of iron, so it's often advised that you take the supplements separately.

The researchers noted that the addition of 150 milligrams of calcium to a hamburger meal reduced iron absorption by 50 percent. It is suggested to increase iron intake or avoid taking calcium and iron-rich foods at the same time as a practical solution for the competition of calcium with iron.

Individuals consuming a high-calcium diet containing marginal amounts of iron could develop iron deficiency anemia and may explain why infants who are fed cow's milk have a greater incidence of iron deficiency anemia than those fed human milk.

Magnesium prevents calcium exit during calcium-deficient conditions and “in the presence of magnesium, less calcium is required for optimum movement”. A low concentration of Calcium and a high concentration of Magnesium (thus, a low Calcium: Magnesium) in the lumen activates mucosal transport of Magnesium. A high Calcium intake reduces absorption rates for both Magnesium and Calcium in humans.

Taking calcium and magnesium together can lead to constipation and other stomach problems, and it might make both supplements less effective

Magnesium assists in the activation of vitamin D, which helps regulate calcium and phosphate homeostasis to influence the growth and maintenance of bones. All of the enzymes that metabolize vitamin D seem to require magnesium, which acts as a cofactor in the enzymatic reactions in the liver and kidneys.

The adequate balance of magnesium and vitamin D is essential for maintaining the physiologic functions of various organs. Vitamin D helps regulate calcium and phosphate balance to maintain healthy bone functions. Skeletal muscles, heart, teeth, bones, and many other organs require magnesium to sustain their physiologic functions. Furthermore, magnesium is needed to activate vitamin D.

Optimal health benefits vitamin D might not be achieved without the adequate presence of magnesium, as the bioactivity of vitamin D is depending on magnesium. Magnesium is an essential cofactor for vitamin D synthesis, and activated vitamin D, in turn, can increase intestinal absorption of magnesium and, therefore, can form a feed-forward loop to maintain its homeostasis.

Another beneficial nutrient-nutrient combination is vitamin A and zinc. Zinc is important for the transport of vitamin A with low zinc levels being associated with lower levels of circulating and hepatic vitamin A. As with vitamin E, the combination of zinc with vitamin A was shown to be more effective than vitamin A alone in deficient states.

The combination of magnesium and vitamin B6 is more effective together than taken alone. Magnesium is required for the conversion of thiamine to its biologically active form.

It has been seen in few cases where large dosages (100-400 mg) of zinc for long periods (more than two years) have resulted in copper deficiency. Although zinc interferes with copper absorption, copper supplementation does not appear to interfere with zinc absorption, except in infants recovering from diarrhoea. Moderately high zinc in the diet significantly reduces the apparent copper digestibility. Moderately high copper in the diet increases copper retention, but it does not reduce zinc absorption, and moderately high zinc in the diet reduced plasma copper concentrations and ceruloplasmin activity.

Potassium is known to decrease the excretion of calcium. As a result, increasing the amount of potassium-containing foods in diet may be helpful in maintaining the density and strength.

If body is deficient in selenium, the conversion of T4 to T3 is slowed, and less iodine is available for the thyroid to use in making new hormones.

Animal studies have shown that arsenic interferes with the uptake of iodine by the thyroid, leading to goitre. In addition, dietary deficiency of vitamin A, vitamin E, zinc and/or iron can exaggerate the effects of iodine deficiency.

Remembering what supplement to take with what might be daunting at times but a having a wholesome meal never fails to work. Some examples are Rice and dal.