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Helping you help yourself! My goal: To work in partnership with you to bring you to your optimal health. My focus: Ongoing health, not just temporary relief. This is active health.

Better Your Bones

When my mom fell, a witness said that she flew through the air before she crashed down on her hip. Though badly hurt, she didn’t break a bone. My fellow step class member just mis-stepped and triple fractured her ankle! Why when two women of approximately the same age fall, does one break her bones when then other does not? Of course different bones have different strengths, but there’s more to it than that. Keeping your bones strong and supple reduces your risk of fractures.

Feed Your Bones

When we think about foods for bone health, we normally think about milk and other dairy products. But for many of us, milk is not a friend. In fact, approximately 75% of adults worldwide have some level of lactose intolerance. This means that they are not fully able to metabolize the milk sugar lactose. Northern Europeans are most likely to be able to digest milk sugars, while Asians and Africans are least likely.

Certainly you could choose lactose-free milk and milk products, but there are so many other foods that it’s not necessary.

Your top bone foods include:
1.    Sardines: TCM believes that in order to strengthen a part of your body, you can eat the animal part. While this does not necessarily hold true for all organs, it does in this case. The little sardine bones are rich in calcium, just as your bones are stores of calcium. Eating 3 ounces of sardines gives you a bit more calcium than a glass of milk.

2.     Salmon: Sardines aren’t the only fish your bones like. Salmon and other fatty fish are good sources of a variety of bone-boosting nutrients, including calcium, vitamin D, and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3s from fish oil supplements may also prevent osteoporosis as they have been shown to reduce bone loss in older women.

3.    Soy: Soy often gets a bad rap, but every villain has a good side and every hero has a bad side. Tofu is rich in calcium with about 258 mg in half a cup. In addition, soy is rich in isoflavones, phytoestrogens which help protect against bone loss, particularly in postmenopausal women. 

4.    Nuts and seeds: Various nuts and seeds are high in calcium, magnesium,  potassium, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids, all of which are important for healthy bones.

5.    Dark green vegetables: Rich in calcium, magnesium, and an array of other minerals, some vegetables are even better for your bones than milk. Half a cup of Chinese cabbage supplies the same amount of calcium as an 8-ounce glass of milk. One cup of turnip greens provides 200 mg of calcium. 

6.    Legumes: Navy beans and white beans provide 119 and 93 mg, respectively, of calcium per ¾ cup. They are also good sources of magnesium.

7.    Oats: Just one pouch of instant plain oatmeal provides 165 mg of calcium.

8.    Fortified foods: Many foods are fortified with extra calcium and vitamin D, including orange juice, breakfast cereals, and soy or rice milk.

Supplements for Supple and Strong Bones

Note that for this category, I didn’t simply label it “Calcium”. Many nutrients are key to good bone health.
 
a)    Calcium: Calcium carbonate is commonly used, but it is generally poorly absorbed. Calcium carbonate is what antacids use to decrease stomach acid. The problem with that as a calcium source is that we need stomach acid in order to absorb calcium and our stomach acid tends to decline as we age (even if you have acid reflux, it does not mean you have too much acid, just likely not enough mucus to protect from the acid). Better options include calcium citrate, calcium chelate, and my preferred, calcium microcrystalline hydroxyapatite complex (MCHC). The last one can not only slow the rate of bone loss, but also reverse bone loss attributed to osteoporosis.

b)    Magnesium: More than 60% of the body’s store of magnesium is in the bones. Sufficient magnesium is required for vitamin D and calcium absorption. In addition, magnesium on its own has been shown to slow the rate of bone loss. Magnesium oxide is a poorly absorbed form, so what you are best consuming in supplement form is magnesium citrate, magnesium chelate, or magnesium glycinate.

c)    Vitamin D: Vitamin D is essential for optimal calcium absorption. While your body can make this nutrient from exposure to sunlight, many of us do not get enough sun throughout the year to support our needs.

d)    Others: Manganese, copper, zinc, strontium, boron, and phosphorous are other key bone nutrients.

What Else?

1.    Exercise: Weight-bearing exercises, i.e. any activity that uses outside weight or the weight of your body to challenge the muscles and bones, cause your bones to become denser and stronger.

2.    Limit salt and caffeine: Both can leech your body of calcium.

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