Feed Them Bones

Engineers and architects go to great lengths to design strong structures that are stable and withstand time. Your bones are the structure for your body and there are two key nutrients that support building strong bones, to slow disease and prevent fractures. They are calcium and Vitamin D.

Calcium is a mineral that besides keeping bones strong, is also needed by every cell to function. 99% of the calcium in our bodies is in our bones and teeth. Our body loses precious calcium every day that can only be replenished from foods that contain it. If we don’t get enough new calcium to make up for daily losses, then the body starts to leach it from the bones. That leads to brittle bones, breaks and bone loss.

The best way to prevent calcium loss is to avoid what depletes it:

  •     Drinking soda. Phosphoric acid and other chemicals.
  •     Caffeine causes excess urination and along with the water goes all those calcium minerals.
  •     Table salt leaches calcium from the bones.
  •     Too much protein.

Vitamin D needs to be present for the body to absorb Calcium.

Get the vitamin D your body needs from:

  1. The Sun – Exposing your bare skin to sunlight can help your body manufacture it’s own vitamin D – about five to 30 minutes of sunlight between 10 am and 3 pm twice a week to your face, arms, legs or back without sunscreen.
  2. Supplements and foods – The Vitamin D Council recommends taking a daily supplement if you can’t get enough sunlight. There are only a few foods that naturally contain Vitamin D, but some can be found in fish and seafood, egg yolks, mushrooms and fortified milk, orange juice and some cereals.