Q: My aunt suffers from terrible osteoporosis and having seen her suffering I don’t want to head down the same road. Please could you tell me what essential nutrients I need to be eating to keep my bones healthy and strong?

A: Our bodies need a wide range of different nutrients, vitamins and minerals to maintain healthy bones, so as well as eating a healthy diet I do recommend taking a quality multi vitamin and mineral every day to ensure against deficiencies.

The most important nutrients for your bones are without doubt calcium, magnesium and vitamin D so be sure that you eat foods rich in these nutrients.  Trace minerals such as boron and manganese also play a role in calcium metabolism. Vitamin B6 is also used to provide tensile strength and structure of proteins in bone tissue.

Calcium is the key component of bone, and essential for bone health throughout our lives, regardless or our age, sex and lifestyle. Calcium is found in dairy products but don’t forget that you can also get plenty of calcium from dark green leafy vegetables, like broccoli, fish with bones, tofu, nuts, seeds and oranges.

Vitamin D is necessary for healthy bones and teeth because it helps maintain blood levels of calcium, which it does by increasing calcium absorption and uptake from food, as well as controlling how much calcium we lose in our urine. When more calcium is needed than is available to us in our diet, Vitamin D transfers calcium from our bones to our bloodstream. Much of our vitamin D is synthesised in our skin on exposure to sunlight – however we may also need additional supplies in our diet. Dietary traces of Vitamin D include: avocado, egg yolks, butter and fish oil.

Like vitamin D, magnesium is essential for calcium to be absorbed properly in our bodies and bone density to be maintained. About 60% of the magnesium in our body can be found in our bones. Good dietary sources are artichokes, nuts, beans and shellfish.   (I use OsteoPlus in the clinic which contains calcium, magnesium, boron, zinc, vitamin D and digestive enzyme to maximise absorption.)

 

Finally, as well as eating a healthy, bone building diet a regular exercise programme is crucial for warding off osteoporosis. This is because the more physically active we are, the more bone we will build. Aim for a minimum of 30 minutes exercise five times a week.

Because vegetarians avoid meat products there is a common misconception that a vegetarian diet doesn’t provide enough bone building protein and calcium to keep osteoporosis at bay. But adequate protein and calcium can easily be obtained from vegetarian diets. In fact, studies have shown that since animal products force calcium out of the body, eating meat can actually promote bone loss. In nations with mainly vegetable diets osteoporosis is less common.

In a well-balanced vegetarian diet, the best sources of proteins come from foods like beans and peas, seed and nuts. Tofu is a well known soya bean meat substitute that is high in protein. Other legumes like chickpeas, lentils etc are also good sources of proteins essential for cellular growth and virtually all biological processes. Calcium, essential for bone health, is available in broccoli, some green leafy vegetables, sesame seeds and almonds. Quinoa which cooks like a grain but is actually a first class protein is every useful.  Some vegetarians are happy to eat eggs and these are excellent first class protein. 

 

Choosing a multivitamin and mineral that provides calcium, magnesium, vitamin D (as D3) and boron is a good way to ensure adequate levels of essential nutrients if you’re a vegetarian.  (The one I use in the clinic is called MenoPlus see the Resources Page).

Osteoporosis is a decrease in the amount of bone density to the point where fractures easily occur. It is far more common in women than men, occurring in 1 in 2 postmenopausal women in the UK. Osteoporosis is responsible for around 200,000 fractures each year in the UK, and approximately 40 deaths per day. Osteoporosis is considered a ‘silent’ disease – one that is associated with few if any warning signs in the early stages. Therefore, by the time a bone fracture occurs, the disease is often quite advanced and the fracture is often the diagnosis.  Preventing osteoporosis is preferable to treating it. So, what can you do to prevent osteoporosis?

First of all you need to be aware of the factors that contribute to the development of osteoporosis. These include:

• Heredity
• Premature menopause
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Lack of exercise
• Smoking
• Irregular menstrual cycles
• Being underweight
• Digestive problems.

Eating a healthy diet, rich in bone building calcium and magnesium, and getting plenty of exercise are essential for keeping osteoporosis at bay as is avoiding smoking and passive smoking. But making sure your digestion in is peak condition is just as vital. This is because if your digestion is poor your bones won’t be getting crucial bone building nutrients, like calcium and magnesium.

 

How well your digestive system works is crucial for osteoporosis prevention. If you do not digest your food properly you will be fighting a losing battle, no matter how well you eat or what supplements you take. Unfortunately, as we get older we produce less stomach acid (hydrochloric acid) and this can interfere with the proper absorption of calcium and other nutrients essential for maintaining strong bones. If you have any of the risk factors for osteoporosis listed above and have symptoms of digestive problems such as bloating, bouts of constipation and diarrhoea, flatulence or food allergies then taking steps to improve your digestive function is extremely important.

 

The following good digestion tips will ensure that essential bone building nutrients are going to be digested and assimilated properly by your body and end up where they belong – in your bones.

 

Chew your food well and eat at a moderate pace: Ideally we should chew each mouthful some 30 times, breaking the food into small particles and allowing the salivary enzymes to begin their work digesting the food. Carbohydrate digestion begins in the mouth – chewing grains thoroughly allows amylase, the digestive enzyme present in saliva, to digest the grains. Putting your fork down between each mouthful and swallowing one bite before taking another is also suggested.  It’s also important to eat in a peaceful and relaxed environment as feeling stressed or tense inhibits digestion. (See Mindful Eating feature on page…for more tips.)

 

Eat raw fruit between meals: those with weak digestion might find eating fruits with their meals causes intestinal gas and bloating. Cooked fruit is a fine dessert, but keep the raw fruit for between meal snacks only.

 

Probiotics: not all bacteria are bad. There are over 400 different kinds of bacteria and yeasts in the digestive system. Of these, the bacteria Lactobacillus acidophillus and Bifidobacterium bifidum are considered good probiotic bacteria because they can help to maintain intestinal health. Although good bacteria can be found in some live yogurt, there is a wide variation in the quantity and quality. Look for good quality organic yogurt that adds the active cultures after pasteurization, because this heat process destroys both good and bad bacteria. (or add a supplement like Bio Kult see the Resources Page).

 

Prebiotics: prebiotics that feed the beneficial or probiotic bacteria in your gut mostly come from carbohydrate fibre called oligosaccharides. You don’t digest them, so the oligosaccharides remain in the digestive tract and stimulate the growth of beneficial bacteria. Sources of oligosaccharides include fruits, legumes, and whole grains

 

Drink hot water and hot herbal teas: hot water is an excellent way to detoxify the body and build digestive strength. Simmering a few slices of ginger root in boiling water makes a ginger root tea that stimulates digestion. Ginger in food has the same effect. Lemon juice is also a brilliant digestive aid. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into a glass of warm water and drink first thing in the morning to give your digestion an early morning kick start.

 

Eat freshly cooked meals: freshly cooked foods are most nourishing and easily digested as well as being free of moulds or any stale qualities. Better to eat a freshly cooked simple meal than a complicated one made of leftovers or a nutrient depleted ready meal..

 

Avoid overeating: excessive intake of food greatly burdens the entire digestive system. Practice moving away from the table while you are still a bit hungry.

 

Sit still after eating: digestion is an amazing process; it turns a handful of mouth watering strawberries into blood and cells. Resting a few minutes after eating gets this very complicated and marvellous process off to a good start.