Women are programed to believe that the only way to maintain bone health is with pharmaceuticals.
LET ME BE CLEAR, I AM IN NO WAY DISPUTING WHAT YOUR DOCTOR MIGHT BE TELLING YOU. YOU NEED TO FOLLOW YOUR DOCTOR’S ADVICE.
In other words, I am suggesting that you look to nutrition to help you keep your bones strong. Nutrition can be used to help reverse bone loss.
Osteopenia and Osteoporosis
What is osteopenia? Osteopenia is a condition that causes bone loss and low bone mineral density (BMD). Low BMD can weaken your bones and increase your risk for fractures. Osteopenia does not have signs or symptoms. Therefore, osteopenia is easily reversed when you take action early on.
Osteoporosis is a condition when bone strength weakens and is susceptible to fracture. It usually affects hip, wrist or spine. I bet you don’t know that osteoporosis can occur in childhood. Yes, indeed it can. In addition, it can start as young as 8 to 14 years of age. Having said this, children younger than eight are treated for osteoporosis during growth spurts.
Stages of Osteoporosis
- Around the age of 30 to 35 bone loss and new bone being built start to cancel each other out. In other words, breakdown of bone occurs at the same rate the body builds bone.
- This stage starts after 35 when the breakdown of bone happens at a faster pace than the body builds bone.
- After ages 45 to 55 is when the most prevelent amount of bone loss is noted.
Similarly, the condition is four times more likely in women than men. Women’s lighter, thinner bones and longer life spans are part of the reason why we have a higher risk. Aches and pains in the muscles and joints are early signs of low bone density. More than 50 percent of non-Hispanic Caucasian and Asian women age 50 years and older have low bone mass. This contributes to increasing their risk for osteoporosis.
I’m not going into the anatomy of bone loss any further. I want to focus on what can be done naturally.
Diet and Bone Health
There are many ads for supplements to support bone health. However, think about your food first.
There are foods that actually rob your bones of calcium! I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but chocolate, caffeine, colas, animal protein, and high-sodium foods are considered to contribute to bone loss. Colas actually contain ingredients that leach calcium from bones.
OMG! Not chocolate! “But, I have to have my caffeine in the morning to get going,” I hear you crying out. It’s easier to live without caffeine than you think. Chocolate, on the other hand, is a different matter.
Other foods to avoid include sugar and refined carbohydrates. Elevated blood sugar accelerates a process called glycation. Glycation results in glucose attaching to proteins like collagen and elastin. When glycation attaches to proteins it makes them rigid. These rigid proteins are known as advanced glycation end products (AGEs). This in return, triggers an inflammatory reaction. Your skin ages prematurely and it causes inflammation. We know that inflammation is damaging to your bones.
I’m not going to labor over the sugar issues. That’s an article in itself. Actually, I did write an article on sugar already. Sugar is hidden in may foods. Read the labels!
A must to avoid is charred and burnt flame grilled foods. This type of cooking also contributes to cancers. AGEs are present in grilling, baking, broiling, searing, and toasting.
Salt is another consideration. Excess salt intake may increase the loss of calcium through urine. As a child, I was told I would dry up my blood if I didn’t stop using so much salt.
And on it goes with the don’t eat list
Vegetable oils like soy, corn, sunflower, and canola are loaded with polyunsaturated omega 6 essential fatty acids. Omega 6s encourage inflammation, unlike its anti-inflammatory counterpart, omega 3 fatty acids.
Trans fats are the worse in raising harmful LDL cholesterol levels. They lower protective HDL cholesterol. Plus they are also pro-inflammatory.
Basically all processed foods contain trans fats. This includes chips, cookies, fries, and pastries. Avoid these foods at all costs!
Remember, shop the edges of the grocery store. This is where the fresh fruits and vegetables are displayed. I will always continue to tell you this.
Genetically altered seeds containing grains such as wheat, barley, rye, and spelt all contain gluten. These grains also contribute to inflammation.
“Cow’s milk is for cows,” was said often by the pediatrician I worked with many moons ago. He is right. Humans are not able to easily digest the lactose and other sugars in cow milk. The sugars in dairy products are a natural food for cancers to grow!
Excessive alcohol intake isn’t good for your bones either. No chocolate? No alcohol? Life’s not worth living then! Like everything else, in moderation. You can have your glass of red wine with your meal if you want.
You hear me say all the time, “eat as much organic as possible.” Pesticides have been linked to a range of harmful side effects, from bone loss to reduced fertility and even ADHD. Commercial farms growing in bulk use large amounts of pesticides. So, do I need to say more about eating organic as much as possible?
Enough with the foods not to eat! Now to the good stuff!
You’ve already taken away the good stuff! However, there are plenty of good foods to eat, like nuts, dried plumbs or otherwise known as prunes, red grapefruit, sardines, spinach (Popeye would be proud), non-dairy milk such as nut milks, and eggs help build strong bones.
Foods rich in calcium and vitamin D include orange juice and tuna. Add in dark leafy greens, broccoli and salmon.
Fruits high in calcium:
- Fortified Orange Juice
- Prickly Pears
- Tangerines
- Oranges
- Kiwifruit
- Mulberries
- Blackberries
- Guavas
- Papaya
- Passion-Fruit
Wrapping It Up
In conclusion, I encourage you to research the other foods to build bone health. In addition, you create some great recipes that are tasty. Therefore, I challenge you to be creative and see what you can come up with. For instance, what treats can you imagine? Above all, just have fun with your food.
