HAPPY HEALTHY BONE WEEK

We’ve long known that calcium is an important mineral for strong bones, but that’s not the end of the story.
Boron, silica and magnesium are some of the more important minerals for healthy bones. Silica found in oats promotes healthy teeth, bone, hair and nails. Magnesium is abundant in dark green veggies.
On the other hand, sugar, meat, alcohol, dairy, grains and processed foods are acidic, and cause de-mineralisation of bone. Caffeine and carbonated drinks (esp. diet drinks) appear to leach calcium from bones, so best to limit to 2 cups daily. Over time, this results in kidney damage, muscle pain and weak brittle bones.
Acidic foods stimulate bone cells (osteoclasts) to remove more bone than is replaced by removing carbonates and phosphates from bone in order to neutralise acids from the diet. Daily red meat consumption is a sure-fire way to add to your acidic load . In the long-term, acidosis exacerbates insulin resistance, kidney damage, diabetes, high blood pressure and muscle loss.
For decades, increased dairy intake has been known to correlate with more bone breaks and fractures, so where is your go-to for calcium? Green leafy veggies, almonds, cashews, Brazil nuts, walnuts, chick peas, dates, oranges all supply calcium, protein, and fatty acids, together with other beneficial minerals.
Consuming more alkalising fruit & vegetables is an easy way to protect your kidneys, bones and muscles against our acidic Western diet . And since stress stimulates calcium release into the blood (not so good), add in some stress-relieving weight-bearing exercise to help build stronger bone and muscle cells.
Happy Health Bone Week!