Top 4 Bone-Building Supplements
Written by
Irma Jennings, INHC
Uploaded
August 22
When it comes to bones, I’m all about feeding my Skelly bone-building foods.
It’s always the first step in my bone health program.
You see, you can’t just pop a pill and keep poisoning your bones with bad food. But I do think that supplements can play an important role in boosting the nutrients that your bones need.
Maybe you don’t digest your food very well so you aren’t getting the nutrients your bones need. Or maybe you’re trying to eat right, but you’re not hitting your goals at every meal. I get that…
Now, I’m no expert on supplements. But I thought I’d share with you today the four supplements that I take to make sure my bones are getting the most important vitamins and minerals they need.
And before I get started, I’ll mention the one “bone” supplement that I DON’T take.
Nothing I like more than a handful of crunchy nuts for a snack. And Skelly’s with me on this.
You see, nuts are full of healthy fats, protein, and fiber that fill you up. But they are also a treasure box of minerals that build strong bones.
Maybe you have a favorite nut that you keep on hand. But I want you to think about rotating your nuts or eating lots of mixed nuts. That’s because each type of nut offers something special for your bones. If you stick to just one you’re missing out.
Salt has been called the "single deadliest ingredient in the food supply." But science doesn’t back up the claim. In fact, it is essential for good health especially for menopausal women.
According to the Center for Science in the Public Interest, salt is so closely related to heart attack and stroke that if we just cut its use in half, we could save 150,000 lives each year. They claim it's the "single deadliest ingredient in the food supply."
Others consider it essential to human life and even a superfood.
You know what they say about getting to the root of a problem. That’s where you find the solution. And root vegetables are exactly where you find one of the solutions for weak bones.
A lot of people are excited about a new “magic pill” for bones. But my Skelly is a little skeptical. I’m talking about strontium.
Most people have never heard of this mineral. It’s named after Strontian, a village in Scotland where it was discovered in 1790. Today it’s used mostly in industry.
What’s the number one supplement you need for your bones?
Most people I talk to will say calcium, of course. In fact, more than half of women over 60 take calcium supplements. I get it. They don’t want to break a bone. And they don’t want to have osteoporosis.
But instead of getting harder bones, they may be getting hardened arteries.
Butter is better. It has gotten a bad rap for many years, starting in the last century with the rise of margarine. Now we know that's a deadly trans fat.
More recently, this kitchen staple has been shunned in favor of olive oil and canola oil. But here’s why we should reserve a place at the table for good old-fashioned butter. (more…)
When I heard about former Newark mayor (now Senator) Cory Booker’s one week Food Stamp Challenge on the Sunday Morning Show several years ago, I was intrigued. As a bone health and nutrition coach, I wondered whether I could not just survive but eat well on SNAP Benefits (USDA’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program offers nutrition assistance to eligible, low-income individuals and families). When I say eat well I mean eating fresh, unprocessed, organic, non-GMO food. Now that’s a challenge!
When I was a kid, one of my jobs was to rid the lawn of dandelion weeds. It was tough work. The roots reached deep into the soil and didn’t want to come out.
Even though I associated dandelions with this yearly struggle, I was still always delighted to see the bright yellow flowers pop up every spring. I give them credit for piquing my lifelong curiosity about plants.
Fast-forward 55 years and I rediscovered dandelions in Damanhur, a magical 40-year-old eco-village nestled in the foothills north of Piedmont, Italy.
