A New Way to Keep Bones Strong

A dietary move that's just as important as calcium and Vitamin D.

By Janis Graham
From Reader's Digest
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New Way to Stronger Bones
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Eat this tasty alkali booster.
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You already know you need plenty of calcium and vitamin D to keep your bones strong. But surprising new research suggests that another dietary move is just as important. The key: Go easy on carbs and sub in more fruits and veggies.

It's a matter of chemistry. When you digest carbohydrates, the process turns your innards slightly acidic. That's a problem because a high-acid environment leaches calcium from bone, says Tufts University researcher Bess Dawson-Hughes, MD. In contrast, fruits and vegetables create a skeleton-friendly alkaline environment. The American diet tends to be acid-producing -- particularly hard on older people, whose kidneys can't clear acid compounds as quickly.

In Dr. Dawson-Hughes's new study, an alkaline supplement lowered the amount of calcium that volunteers excreted by 20 percent. That supplement isn't currently available outside research labs, but, says Dr. Dawson-Hughes, you can get the same benefit by tweaking your diet. Her skeleton-strengthening guidelines: Include at least two vegetable or fruit servings at every meal, and eat no more than two daily servings of carbs like bread, cereal, and pasta. To keep your bones even stronger, try the substitutions below.

Instead of this acid producer
  • pasta
  • soda
  • meat and poultry
  • beer
  • peanuts

Eat this alkali booster
  • potatoes
  • fruit juice
  • tofu
  • wine
  • raisins
From Reader's Digest - March 2009
 
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thank you so much for writing about acid/alkaline balance. I have been reading Dr. Susan Brown's excellent bone health information at betterbones.com and waiting for others to catch on to what it really takes to keep osteoporosis at bay! Here's a list of alkaline forming foods -- I take this t the grocery store with me -- http://www.betterbones.com/alkalinebalance/alkalineformingfoods.aspx

By jacquelinenh, on 02/28/2009

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