Quick Take
Of course, it’s always important to consult your healthcare provider about the best medications and practices to keep your osteoporosis systems in check. It’s also important to do your best to heal naturally! Help your body out as much as you can by incorporating bone strengthening foods into your daily diet to both prevent osteoporosis, and to strengthen your bones if you already have it.
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On this Page
What is osteoporosis?
Let's talk about dairy and calcium absorption
What can I do to increase my calcium absorption?
What foods should I avoid?
What bone strengthening foods should I eat?
Bone strengthening WFPB breakfast recipe
What else can I do to build strong bones?
Key takeaways
What is osteoporosis?
Our bones are living, dynamic organs that are continuously broken down by cells called osteoclasts and built up by cells called osteoblasts. When there is an imbalance between the amount of bone you lose versus the amount of bone you gain, your bones become weak and you develop osteoporosis. Unfortunately for women, this is often related to hormonal changes from menopause, putting them at a higher risk for osteoporosis, and therefore, bone fractures.
A common reason that people end up in nursing facilities at an old age is hip fractures caused by osteoporosis. So, of course, it’s something that you’d want to avoid, prevent, and reverse as much as you are able to.
Let's talk about dairy and calcium absorption
You've probably heard that if you want strong bones you need to eat more calcium – and this is true! But you've probably also heard that in order to get said calcium, you need to eat more dairy. Maybe even your doctor gave you this advice.
But here's the thing: unfortunately, there's a big gap in nutrition training for many M.D.’s (though of course, not all!). Eating calcium-rich foods is important (for sure!), but so is calcium absorption. And it turns out, dairy doesn't live up to its "bone healthy" reputation on this front.
The foods you eat can reinforce or deplete calcium from your bones. Foods that produce high acid levels, like meat and dairy (what?!?!) can actually increase your chances of osteoporosis and osteopenia.
High calcium, alkaline plant foods like kale, sesame seeds and beans, on the other hand, help your body to absorb calcium at a higher rate of animal protein foods. Dark leafy greens help your body to absorb calcium at 200% the rate of animal-based calcium.
“So.. you’re telling me that drinking milk DOESN’T build strong bones?”
I know, I was in shock, too!
Since childhood we've all been told by everyone from our pediatricians to our favorite athletes and movies stars that milk DOES build strong bones. Yes, milk does have a lot of calcium – and contains all the nutrients necessary...for baby cow. But, due to the acidic nature of animal protein, not much of that calcium is actually absorbed by our human bodies.
And when you consistently consume a diet rich in animal proteins, you can actually end up losing more calcium than you retain. Not to mention, dairy can have some pretty detrimental effects on your health.
What can I do to increase my calcium absorption?
Before we get more into the bone strengthening food piece of this article, I want to let you know that the #1 thing you can do to activate calcium absorption...is get outside and play!
That’s right; the sunshine gives you a vitamin D burst that helps your body to absorb calcium more efficiently.
What foods should I avoid?
OK, back to food.
First, for strong bones, cut down on your meat and dairy consumption. Then, add more bone strengthening foods like fruits and veggies into your diet to help balance the alkaline and acid in your system. The less acidic your system, the more building you will do as opposed to depleting.
What bone strengthening foods should I eat?
A whole food plant-based diet is going to provide you with an abundance of bone-strengthening foods. Specifically...
- 1 cup of edamame contains over 27% of your recommended daily calcium intake
- 1 cup of white beans or navy beans contain over 13% of your daily RDI
- ¼ a cup fo almonds contain 10% of your RDI
- Just 2 TBS of tahini contains 13% of your RDI
But that’s not all! Many leafy greens, whole grains, seaweeds, seeds, fruits and veggies contain high levels of calcium without being fortified so definitely add those into your WFPB life, too.
Bone strengthening WFPB breakfast recipe
If you’re looking to increase your daily calcium intake, start with breakfast! This calcium rich WFPB shake's got 60 percent of your calcium RDI. And it tastes like dessert. Win-win!
What else can I do to build strong bones?
Eating bone strengthening foods is definitely key, but there's more to bone health than what's on your plate.
Many orthopedic surgeons recommend light exercise like yoga, tai chi, brisk walking, light weight lifting (5 pounds or less), and lightly bouncing on a small trampoline to build bone strength and the supporting muscles around your bones.
Use YouTUbe and you'll find a ton of free instructional videos for yoga and tai chi for bone strengthening.
It’s always important to check in with your doctor, but it’s also key to do what you can to prevent and reverse bone depletion on your own! You have some power here – and that's pretty darn awesome. And by working with your healthcare team AND doing what you can to stay healthy, you could reduce your risk of fracture, and continue to live your best life without worry.
Key Takeaways
- Osteoporosis is common, especially among older women, and occurs when your bones are breaking down faster than they are building up.
- For healthy bones, avoid foods that promote an acidic system like meat and dairy.
- Strengthen your bones by eating more calcium-rich plant-based foods, like edamame, white beans. almonds, and tahini.
- Enjoy light exercise (yoga, walking, light weight lifting), and work with your healthcare team on a bone strengthening plan that works for your lifestyle.
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