Healthy Bones
It’s estimated that over 25 million Americans suffer from osteoporosis - thinning of the bones. The biggest risk this disease poses is fractured bones in the elderly. The focus on osteoporosis prevention has traditionally been in assuring adequate calcium intake – but there’s a little more to the picture. Here, simply, is what we can do.
Our bones are composed of calcium phosphate salts (65%) for hardness, and a collagen matrix (35%), for flexibility. If you removed the calcium, a bone subjected to stress will bend, not break. Conversely, if the collagen is removed and all that remains are the calcium salts, a bone subjected to stress will shatter[2]. Hmm. As you can see, bone health is about more than just adequate calcium. Not only do we need many other synergistic nutrients (magnesium, phosphorus, boron, copper, manganese, zinc, plus the vitamins C, D, K, B6, and folic acid), we need sufficient amounts of protein for the collagen matrix, and healthful fats for Vitamin D absorption and protection against bone-destroying free radicals[1]. Finally, in addition to these dietary needs, physical exercise and exposure to natural sunlight are essential for healthy bones.
More importantly, the primary dietary cause of osteoporosis is the consumption of highly acidic foods and food ingredients, such as refined white sugar, refined white flour, high-fructose corn syrup, soft drinks, cookies, candies, sweets, desserts, and anything containing sweeteners[3]. When you consume highly acidic foods, your body must buffer the acidity of those foods with alkaline minerals, and it does that by pulling these alkaline minerals such as calcium and magnesium from your skeletal system, and releasing them into your bloodstream to buffer the acidity. In other words, highly refined and sweetened foods leech essential minerals and nutrients from our body’s stores. The foods in our culture are increasingly high in refined and sweetened foods – it is no wonder that osteoporosis is an increasing epidemic.
Here’s what you can do for bone health:
1. Eat dark leafy greens
Stress on the dark; the darker the better! Leafies have many “accessory nutrients” that aid the absorption of calcium. Leafy greens are also alkalizing. Eat fresh, organic, varied veggies such as kale, collard greens, bok choy, broccoli rabe, mesclun.
2. Cook with stocks made from bones or seaweed
Stock, or foods made with stock are full of minerals – just what our bones need! Stocks can be made with vegetables and a stick of kombu seaweed, or with fish, chicken or beef bones – add a tablespoon of vinegar to liberate the minerals.
3. Get regular sunshine
Sunshine is the best source of vitamin D, and getting a little every day will do a lot for our general health. Calcium and vitamin D work hand in hand – vitamin D aids in calcium absorption. Get your sun in the morning or late afternoon, outside of the strong sun hours, and avoid using sunscreen, which is not only a chemical on your skin, but can block vitamin D absorption. This is not a recommendation forover-exposure – as with everything, use moderation and your smarts about strong sun exposure. You still get lots of rays just by sitting in the shade!
4. Weight-bearing Exercise
If you can average at least 30 minutes every other day of some form of weight-bearing exercise (such as nautilis, free weight, resistance, or strength training), you’ll go along way toward increasing bone density. Walking often also helps keep those bones healthy.
5. Eat Sea Vegetables (Seaweed)
Seaweed is naturally alkaline, and, more than almost anything else, full of essential minerals. Get that seaweed salad with your sushi, or, try cooking beans or grains with a piece of kombu in the water, which also makes these foods more digestible. Many seaweeds are simple to prepare and mix into meals – often the packaging will suggest preparation methods. Be a food explorer, visit your local health food store and give it a try.
6. Eat fish
Fish are chock full of essential fatty acids, and some, like shellfish and sardines (with bones) are great sources of calcium. Eat fish often, but don’t eat big fish (salmon, tuna, etc) more than once a week to avoid mercury toxicity.
7. Eat beans and naturally raised animal foods
Protein helps us produce the collagen our bones need – but excess protein creates an acidic state in our bodies. Again, moderation is the key.
8. High-quality cod liver oil
If it’s winter, or you can’t get outside, and you’re not eating fish regularly – or you just want to supplement your Vitamin D intake, the next best thing to sunlight is a high-quality cod liver oil. Carlson’s and Nordic Naturals are good brands to look for.
9. Calcium supplement with magnesium
All the options above are far more effective ways to care for your bone health. If you’d like to take a calcium supplement, make sure it’s got magnesium in it (essential for calcium absorption), and take it at night, when your body absorbs minerals best.
10. Avoid processed, refined, sweetened foods
This is the number one most important thing you can do for bone health – or health in general: as we learned, processed, refined, sweetened foods leech your body of the nutrients necessary for a healthful balance. Easy ways to avoid these: don’t eat anything that comes in a wrapper, go for whole grains over white, and read labels carefully, looking for too many chemicals and sugars.
References:
1. Nutrition Action Health Letter, “Vitamin D deficiency: the silent epidemic.” Center for Science in the Public Interest, Volume 24, number 8, October 1997.
2. Annemarie Colbin, C.H.E.S. Food and Our Bones, 2001. http://www.foodandhealing.com/article-foodbones.htm
3. Mike Adams, “Osteoporosis remains undiagnosed in millions of Americans; here's how to beat the disease with nutrition, exercise and sunlight” July 31, 2004
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