Dried plums — or prunes — are among the highest antioxidant foods shown to help improve bone strength. However, in early studies, the level of prune intake originally found to bone-enhancing was fairly high at 100 grams, or 9-10 prunes a day.
While researchers were happy with this first prune-positive finding, they did hear more than a few complaints about the number of prunes the women had to consume. So they decided to investigate if half that prune intake would still provide potent benefits.
At the recent International Symposium on Nutrition and Osteoporosis I had the opportunity to meet two researchers studying the prune-bone link, including Dr. Shirin Hooshmand from San Diego State University. Even though their clinical trial has been going only for six months, preliminary results are very positive. Watch below as Dr. Hooshmand discusses more details about the study.
I stew up 42 prunes for a week’s supply and eat 2-3 a meal. I love them as a “sweet” ending to my meal or mixed into my hot cereal. I also eat them warmed up a bit and even drink the juice.
To stew prunes:
There’s a wide range of nutrients that affect bone. And now I’m happy to say there’s a wide range of research as well that tells us how important these nutrients are for bone strength.
Here are some highlights from the findings from the 9th International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis which I attended:
For three decades, we’ve championed adequate intake of all key bone building nutrients. So you can imagine our delight to see medical researchers are studying how intake of key bone nutrients beyond just calcium and vitamin D benefit skeletal health.
References:
Chen, Y. M., W. Q. Shi, J. Liu, Y. Cao, Y. Y. Zhu, and K. Guan. 2015. Association of dietary and serum vitamin E with bone mineral density in middle-aged and elderly Chinese: A cross-sectional study. Presentation at 9th International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis. 17-20 June 2015, Montreal, Canada.
Finnes, T. E., C. M. Lofthus, A. J. Søgaard, G. S. Tell, E. M. Apalset, C. Gjesdal, G. Grimnes, B. Schei, R. Blomhoff, S. O. Samuelsen, K. Holvik, and H. E.
Meyer.2015. Increased risk of hip fracture in older Norwegians low in both circulating vitamin K1 and 25-hydroxyvitamin D: A NOREPOS study. Presentation at 9th International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis. 17-20 June 2015, Montreal, Canada.
Peters, B. S. E., M. B. R. Camargo, M. Lazaretti-Castro, N. A. G. de França, and L. A. Martini. 2015. Relationship between magnesium intake and bone mass density in Brazilian postmenopausal women. Presentation at 9th International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis. 17-20 June 2015, Montreal, Canada.
Põlluste, K., M. Kull, R. Müller, A. Aart, R. Kallikorm, and M. Lember. 2015. Nutritional deficiencies and bone mineral density in a cohort of patients referred to osteoporosis clinic. Presentation at 9th International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis. 17-20 June 2015, Montreal, Canada.
Zhang, C. X., G. D. Chen, Y. Cao, Y. Y. Zhu, and Y. M. Chen. 2015. Association of dietary consumption and serum levels of vitamin A and β-carotene with bone mineral density in Chinese adults. Presentation at 9th International Symposium on Nutritional Aspects of Osteoporosis. 17-20 June 2015, Montreal, Canada.
Do you know that as you lose unwanted weight you also lose wanted muscle and bone?
Remember, the human body is one y interwoven, indivisible unit and any change made in that unit is felt everywhere. With smart changes, you can lose weight along with have a better body and better bones. Good luck!
We’ve all seen those ads in magazines where celebrities (often athletes) with painted-on milk moustaches promote milk’s value for bone health — a terrific marketing tactic, but sadly lacking when explaining how proper nutrition and proper bone health go hand in hand. What those ads don’t say — and what many people just don’t realize — is that healthy bones are an impossible dream without a balanced intake of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fatty acids, and other important nutrients. Obtaining that intake requires a great deal more than just milk! Particularly since, despite America’s wealth as a nation, most of us do not consume food that contains adequate amounts of many essential nutrients.
Hard to believe? In a 1981 USDA survey that studied the three-day food intake of 21,500 people, not a single person surveyed consumed 100% of the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of all 10 essential nutrients studied. Substantial numbers of people consumed less than 70% of the RDA for several nutrients — and that was before fast food restaurants became ubiquitous!
The average American diet is not only nutritionally inadequate, it is also imbalanced. On any given day, 50% of us eat no fruit, and 25% of us eat no vegetables. At the same time, Americans consume approximately 20% of their calories from refined sugars and sweeteners, 30% from refined grains, and often, 40% as fat. Additionally, many people consume 10% of calories from alcohol. What this all boils down to is frightening. Our bodies are depending on a small percentage of our caloric intake to provide us with all the essential nutrients we need to build and maintain strong and healthy bones. Our country’s standard diet of fast food, fatty food, and food that is very acidifying is literally robbing our bones of the nutrients they need to remain strong and healthy.
This constant imbalance of nutrient deficiency and excess can present significant problems for maintaining bone health. The chemistry of the human body operates best in an alkaline state, with a pH of about 7.4. The body’s pH level is so critical, it has many checks and balances to make sure it stays in line. If a diet is too high in acid-forming foods, the body reacts by drawing alkalinizing mineral compounds from bones to buffer this acidity and alkalize the body. While our bones do not suffer from an occasional withdrawal of their alkalizing mineral reserves, excessive and prolonged acidity can drain bone of alkali mineral reserves and lead to bone thinning.
When it comes to bone health, there’s a single goal: to maximize the intake of nutrient-dense, bone-building whole foods and minimize the intake of substances that make the body more acid. Sound simple? Maybe, but in today’s fast-paced society, following this “simple” recipe is difficult at best, and it was likely much easier for our ancestors than it is for us. Living off the land and sea provided our ancestors with a variety of nutrient-rich, whole foods that could be harvested directly and dried, steamed, or preserved in other ways for use in winter. Even more recent generations of our ancestors — our grandparents — could not have located, much less purchased and consumed, much of the unwholesome foods that line today’s supermarket shelves. Of the 25,000 products typically available in an American supermarket, only a fraction of them are actually nutritious, whole foods. Many of the offerings are not only highly processed, but also largely synthetic. So for us, the challenge is to dodge all the clever marketing strategies designed to attract us to packages and find the good foods hidden among the junk.
If bone health is your goal, here’s a simple way to start: change what you put on your plate at mealtimes. First, eat meals composed largely of fresh fruits and vegetables, organically grown whenever possible, that have undergone very little processing before they come to your plate. It’s okay if you include some processed foods, but try to make your diet mostly fresh, whole foods. Second, make sure you are choosing foods that promote your body’s acid/alkaline balance — which is easy if you follow the first suggestion, as most of the alkalizing foods you can obtain are fresh fruits and vegetables! Third, when you shop in a grocery store, stick to the outer aisles — the produce section and the areas where fresh meats and fish are sold. The highly processed foods you want to avoid are in the center aisles, so skip those. And finally, take a high-quality multivitamin that provides all of the nutrients you need as “insurance,” especially if you find yourself unable to always eat healthy foods.
You can find many more suggestions for improving your bone health using nutrition and diet in the articles listed below:
The calcium myth
20 essential bone-building nutrients — an overview
Ten steps to better digestion
That’s because while many key nutrients either reduce bone breakdown or stimulate new bone formation, silicon does both according to new research. Here’s how:
While most silicon exists in a form that is not absorbable by the body, water, plant foods, and some beverages do contain silica in a form that is absorbable. US daily intake ranges from 13 mg/day to 62 with intakes above 30 mg/day being associated with greater bone density.
You can get silicon in your diet with:
All this talk of vegetables, fruits and whole grains seem familiar? Sounds like the Alkaline for Life® eating program we so highly recommend in the Better Bones Program.
Happy whole foods eating!
Reference:
Mladenović, Ž. et al. 2014. Soluble silica inhibits osteoclast formation and bone resorption in vitro. Acta Biomaterialia 10:406–418.
I know how scary a diagnosis of osteoporosis or osteopenia can be — especially when you’re told your only option is to take a bone drug – possibly for the rest of your life. I work with women every day who are facing this fear and frustration.
Most women aren’t aware they have other choices — because their doctors don’t know what those options are, and the big drug companies certainly aren’t going to tell them!
The first thing you should consider before filling that prescription is that you have a right to know all of your options — as well as the whole story about that drug you’re being asked to take. As someone who has studied the effectiveness of a natural approach to bone health for more than 20 years, here are five crucial reasons why bone drugs should be your last resort for osteoporosis, osteopenia or fear of bone loss.
Bone drugs have troubling side effects that can significantly affect your bone health, especially when used over time. One troubling side effect is seen with bisphosphonate drugs. While they may halt bone breakdown in the short term, after about a year, these bone drugs also halt bone building — leading to brittle bones that may bemore susceptible to fracture, not less. How’s that for irony?
Serious consequences like stomach irritation, heighten risk of esophageal cancer, blood clots, leg cramps, vision changes, nausea, vomiting, constipation… for a complete look at thedangerous side effects of using bone drugs long-term, I’ve developed this chart. These side effects are critically important to consider, especially if you’re being asked by your doctor to take bone drugs for may be likely normal bone loss or even as prevention.
Popular bisphosphonate bone drugs “work” by temporarily creating bone mass from drug molecules, but they don’t offer lasting results. Based on my experience, I’ve learned that just because bones may look denser on a bone scan it doesn’t necessarily mean they are measurably stronger. What’s more, the recommended limit for taking bone drugs safely is just five years, at which time any “benefits” of bisphosphonates disappear.
When it comes to treating patients with osteoporosis and osteopenia, guidelines from the Surgeon General of the United States state that improvements to dietary and exercise habits are the first steps your physician should recommend, followed by investigation of potential underlying causes of bone loss. The report goes to say the final step — the last resort — is to use bone drugs – and only in cases of osteoporosis. I couldn’t agree more!
Unfortunately, I don’t see many conventional physicians following the Surgeon General’s guidelines. They try to “fix” the problem immediately, and as a result, too many women are automatically prescribed bone drugs rather than being offered natural and effective options. You have a right, and even the obligation, to decide what is best for you and your body!
I’ve found that for many women, the underlying cause of their bone loss can be effectively addressed by working with Nature and the body’s own healing capabilities. Here are a few of the most common causes for you to consider:
Cause of osteoporosis and bone loss | How the natural approach works |
| Inadequate nutrients can cause your body to steal the minerals you need from your bones’ reserves. | Even a perfect diet may not provide your bones with enough nutrients, so considersupplementation for optimal bone health.For example, getting adequate vitamin D can reduce fractures as much as – or even more than – drug therapies. |
| An acid-forming diet causes your body to release buffering mineral compounds from your bones that should instead be safeguarded for your future bone health. | An alkaline-forming diet with fresh vegetables, nuts, fruits and adequate protein helps keep buffering minerals in your bones where they belong. |
| Chronic stress increases your production of the stress hormone cortisol, which is extremely damaging to your bones. | Minimize your stressors — both physical and emotional — through self-care activities such as exercise, meditation or relaxation, to support your health and to feel calmer. |
| Lack of weight-bearing exercise leads to muscle and bone loss. | Exercise halts bone loss because bones strengthen in response to the strain put upon them. Doing something as simple as walking 20 minutes per day can reduce your fracture risk. |
There’s a lot of fear and anxiety around an osteoporosis or osteopenia diagnosis. To help you understand more about your true risk for bone loss and how a natural approach can help without the risks and side effects of drugs, take our exclusiveFracture Risk Assessment. Remember, you have a right to explore all your options, and to do what is right for you.
As a certified nutritionist, I piece together clues our body gives us to help my clients uncover nutrition deficiencies that lead to a wide range of health issues. Here’s the most common evidence I find in my work as a nutrition detective:
When we notice dry skin, most of us immediately think about hydration. But healthy skin also requires a considerable amount of essential high quality fats. Dry skin or a flaky scalp sound the alarm that you should eat more nuts, seeds, and high-quality olive, sesame or fish oils. And while you’re at it, check if you have bumpy “chicken like” skin on the back of your upper arms. It’s another sign the body needs more essential fats, particularly omega-3 s.
Strange as it may seem, a varicose vein is what you might consider to be a “constipated vein.” In other words, there’s blood stagnation in that vein. While medical treatments can remove stagnation, increasing your fiber intake to 30 or more grams a day will help you avoid varicose veins.
Leg cramps that develop during the night or early morning most often signal mineral inadequacy — and calcium is the mineral I think of first. I always suggest that adults consume a total of 1,200 mg calcium from diet and supplements combined. If your calcium intake is lower, try raising your intake to this level setting aside 200-300 mg of calcium supplements to be taken at bedtime.
If getting enough calcium doesn’t do the trick, try adding 200-300 mgs of additional magnesium. If the problem still persists, consider taking 200-300 mgs supplemental potassium at bedtime. Once again hydration is important, but I’ve known many athletes who develop serious nocturnal leg cramping even when well hydrated. They were able to resolve their tendency to cramp with calcium and/or magnesium supplementation.
Vitamin C inadequacy can result in common symptoms such as bleeding gums when you brush or floss and the tendency to bruise easily (as when you a develop a black and blue spot and don’t recall hitting or injuring the tissue.)
If you’re curious about my complete Nutrition Detective Questionnaire, visit my Consultations page, go to Intake Forms and click on the Nutrition Detective Questionnaire link. You may be surprised at the mysteries you solve!
Potassium is a mineral of great importance to the body. The adult RDA for potassium at 4,700 mg (the equivalent of 13 half-cup servings of fruits and vegetables a day) is nearly four times that of calcium (at 1,200 mg). While it is widely known that potassium serves along with sodium to maintain critical fluid balance within the body, its role in bone health is less well appreciated. The role of potassium in bone health relates to the ability of selected potassium salts to neutralize bone-depleting metabolic acids. If these mineral salts are not consumed in the diet in adequate amounts, alkalizing mineral compounds are drawn from the bone to help reduce the acid state.
potassium rich foods
Food | Portion size | Potassium (mg) |
| Fresh vegetables | ||
| Asparagus | 1/2 cup | 165 |
| Avocado | 1/2 cup | 680 |
| Bamboo shoots, raw | 1 cup | 805 |
| Black-eyed peas, frozen, cooked | 1/2 cup | 414 |
| Broccoli | 1/2 cup | 205 |
| Carrot | 1 medium | 245 |
| Carrot juice | 1 cup | 490 |
| Celery | 1 stalk | 270 |
| Corn | 1/2 cup | 136 |
| Fava beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 215 |
| Great Northern beans, cooked | 1 cup | 374 |
| Iceberg lettuce, raw | 1/2 head | 425 |
| Kidney beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 314 |
| Kelp | 1 oz | 1500 |
| Lima beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 581 |
| Lima beans, canned | 1/2 cup | 189 |
| Lima beans, frozen | 1/2 cup | 355 |
| Navy beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 395 |
| Parsnips, cooked | 1/2 cup | 398 |
| Pinto beans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 574 |
| Potato | 1 medium | 782 |
| Potato, baked with skin | 1 medium | 844 |
| Seaweed, Spirulina, dried | 100 gr | 1363 |
| Soybeans, cooked | 1/2 cup | 486 |
| Spinach, cooked | 1/2 cup | 292 |
| Swiss Chard, cooked | 1 cup | 961 |
| Tomato, raw | 1 medium | 444 |
| Tomato paste, canned, no salt | 1/2 cup | 1221 |
| Winter squash | 1/2 cup | 470 |
| Fresh fruits | ||
| Apple | 1 medium | 182 |
| Apricots, dried | 1/4 cup | 318 |
| Apricots, canned | 1/2 cup | 294 |
| Apricots, raw | 1 small | 100 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 440 |
| Cantaloupe | 1/2 melon | 825 |
| Currants, dried | 1/4 cup | 290 |
| Orange | 1 medium | 263 |
| Orange juice | 1 cup | 469 |
| Peach | 1 medium | 308 |
| Plums | 5 small | 150 |
| Prunes | 4 large | 300 |
| Prunes, dehydrated, cooked | 1/2 cup | 348 |
| Prunes, juice | 1 cup | 600 |
| Raisins, seedless | 1/4 cup | 370 |
| Strawberries | 1/2 cup | 122 |
| Watermelon | 1 cup | 158 |
| Unprocessed meats | ||
| Chicken | 3 oz | 350 |
| Hamburger | 3 oz | 480 |
| Lamb, leg | 3 oz | 241 |
| Pork | 3 oz | 335 |
| Roast beef | 3 oz | 224 |
| Fish | ||
| Cod | 3 oz | 345 |
| Flounder | 3 oz | 498 |
| Haddock | 3 oz | 297 |
| Scallops | 3.5 oz | 475 |
| Salmon | 3 oz | 378 |
| Tuna, drained | 3 oz | 224 |
| Grains | ||
| Bran buds | 1 cup | 1080 |
| Bran flakes | 1 cup | 248 |
| Raisin bran | 1 cup | 242 |
| Wheat flakes | 1 cup | 96 |
| Milk and milk products | ||
| Skim milk | 1 cup | 400 |
| Whole milk | 1 cup | 370 |
| Yogurt | 1 cup | 531 |
| Other | ||
| Pork & Beans, canned | 3/4 cup | 342 |
| Chili w/beans | 1 cup | 1090 |
| Chili con carne, w/beans, canned | 1 cup | 536 |
| Potatoes au gratin | 1 cup | 970 |
| Salt substitutes | 1 tsp | 1300-2378 |
| Spaghetti sauce, canned | 1 cup | 957 |
I was amazed to read recently about a major cereal company struggling to develop new, more convenient (and profitable) breakfast products. That must mean sitting down with a box of cold cereal and milk in the morning has become too time-consuming for many Americans!
I’m all for rethinking breakfast choices, but to be honest, I don’t have high hopes that the big brands are going to come up with options that are full of bone-building, alkalizing nutrients and low in white sugar, refined grains or any of the multitudes of artificial flavors and colors.
So if you are time-crunched in the morning, try one of my own ideas for quick, healthy breakfast options:
• Replace coffee and sodas with alkalizing beverages such as lemon water, ginger tea, herbal coffee substitute, herbal tea, fresh vegetable juice or miso broth
• A hearty bean, vegetable or meat soup from the night before
• A grapefruit topped with a bit of honey, sprinkled with cinnamon with 6-8 walnuts
• Rice cakes or crackers with almond butter and a piece of fruit
• Fruit smoothies — a handful of bok choy added to a blueberry smoothie won’t change the color or taste, and will boost your intake of calcium-rich leafy greens
• Leftovers — my coworker often starts her day with spicy lentil stir fry
More delicious and convenient breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack options are included in the 30-day meal plan as part of my Better Bones Package. If the cereal companies are listening, they are welcome to use my ideas!