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Welcome to the BoomerBones Blog, where you can read about experiences with exercises, supplements, or treatments. Share what works or doesn't work for you, read success stories, and more.

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Bone-healthy tips for Thanksgiving weekend

11/23/2015

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For many people, Thanksgiving weekend is a four-day holiday, with the main activity gathering for a Thanksgiving feast with family and/or friends. For those of us who want to take a holistic approach to preventing or reversing osteoporosis without harsh medications, Thanksgiving weekend can be a great time to bank bone-building nutrition, rest, and exercise. 

Here are some tips for making the most of this fun, low-key holiday weekend and benefit your bones at the same time:
  • Try mashed rutabaga (with butter and a little milk, salt and pepper) as a side dish.  One cup of this cooked vegetable has 115 mg. of calcium. 
  • If you're going to drink alcohol, drink beer in moderation, especially India Pale Ale, which has a high silicon content which has been shown to help stimulate bone growth.
  • Aim for a dinner plate filled with 3/4 vegetables and 1/4 meat. Fruit and nuts are good for snacks and provide protein and nutrients good for building bones. 
  • Pumpkin pie is a good choice for dessert; pumpkin is high in potassium, which is linked to better bone density.
  • Get some extra sleep; adequate sleep helps prevent excessive cortisol production, which is associated with bone loss.
  • Sneak in some exercise during the weekend. Take a run outside, if weather permits,  play a racquet sport such as platform tennis, play a game of soccer with friends or family, steal time for a workout with weights, or take the family for a brisk after-Thanksgiving dinner walk.
  • If you are cooking a turkey, save the turkey bones and make some healthy bone broth.  You will have enough for the freezer for those cold winter nights ahead.
  • Enjoy the company of your family and friends and take time to laugh.   Even the Bible mentions this:  Proverbs 17:22 (NIV) A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.
  • Happy Thanksgiving!

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Beyond milk: how to get calcium if you are dairy-free

2/16/2014

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Guest blogger Katie Hansen shares  how to get calcium if you have dietary restrictions, such as dairy-free, gluten free, and meat-free.
Here are some foods that are rich in calcium that I include in my diet on a regular basis:   

1. Canned Salmon: When it has bones included, this easy to prepare food is full of calcium! I use it to make salmon loaf with rolled gluten free oats and veggies, or stick some in a gluten free tortilla for a quick and tasty lunch.   

2. Leafy greens: While a fiber restriction prevents me from munching these whole, I regularly include them in smoothies or make fresh fruit and veggie juice with oranges (also a source of calcium :)), carrots, and mixed greens. 

  3. Firm tofu: This is something that I can enjoy in small amounts, so I will use olive oil and cornstarch make "crispy tofu" and veggies in my cast iron pan for lunch about once a week.
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4. Almond butter: Another staple for my daily smoothies, almond butter is a delicious source of protein as well as calcium and goes with so many things.  

Other dairy, gluten free sources of calcium that do not work for me but would be great additions for those with fewer restrictions include beans, especially white beans and black eyed peas, blackstrap molasses, and dried figs. 

I also take a calcium citrate supplement, with a magnesium supplement, a multivitamin and a vitamin D supplement daily to make sure I am getting the remainder of my daily calcium requirement. 



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Katie Hansen, M.S.W., is a veterinary technician and lives in Seattle with her husband, Jim, and their two dogs.


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Calcium to the rescue...or not

2/13/2014

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One of the first things a doctor usually tells you when you are at risk for bone loss is to make sure you are getting enough calcium.  Calcium is important to building and maintaining bones, but simply increasing the calcium in your diet often is not enough to build stronger bones.
Most sources I've read agree that several other elements are needed to absorb and use calcium:

Vitamin D3
Magnesium (citrate for better absorption)
Boron (in some multivitamins)
Vitamin K (a good source is alfalfa)

And doctors now are saying that at least half of the calcium we take should come from our food, rather than supplements.
One of my favorite calcium-rich breakfast foods is a smoothie made with kefir (it's like drinkable yogurt, high in calcium and high in probiotics and is supposed to be easily digested). You can add strawberries, peaches, blueberries, ground flaxseed, protein powder, and even spinach or other greens.  And you don't taste the spinach!  
To sum it up for today:  a good diet is a good start, but must be combined with weight bearing exercise to stimulate bone growth.










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    Author:

    Sue Omanson

    I am a "boomer" myself, and interested in bone density because of a family history of osteoporosis. I believe that the condition is not inevitable, but it is hard to fight in our culture. As a patient, exerciser, friend, mom, citizen, and consumer, I want to share what I've learned.

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