I just celebrated my birthday and consequently, I’ve been feeling some aches and pains of late that I’d never felt before. A visit to the chiropractor and an X-ray revealed some stress on the bones of my lower back resulting from years of living an active lifestyle and some slight scoliosis.
This brought to the forefront that while keeping my mind, skin, digestive tract, immune system and many other parts of my body in good health have been top of mind, I’ve never given a second thought to the health of my skeletal system. Somehow, and mistakenly, I put bone health in the bucket of issues to think about later in life when in fact, the skeletal system should be nourished in our 20s when we build bone mass and also in our 30s to maintain that mass.
Anytime an issue piques my interest, I read about it. Annemarie Colbin Ph.D. is one of the leading experts on whole food nutrition and bones so I bought her book, The Whole Food Guide to Strong Bones. Because I restrict certain foods from my diet like meat and dairy, I am extra-careful that I am eating a well-balanced diet of the foods that promote optimal health. Getting these foods into my diet takes dedication but it’s worth it!
The advertising industry has led us to believe that calcium from dairy is the most important nutrient for bones, but in fact protein, healthy fats and Vitamin C are also high on that list. Furthermore, calcium can be found in many non-dairy foods like greens (collards, kale and mustard greens are great sources). Colbin argues (and I agree) all of the pasteurized, low-fat dairy products available these days may not be the best source of calcium anyway.
Colbin is also an advocate of cooking with homemade stocks (vegetable, fish and chicken) as well as eating the edible bonoes of fish like sardines and mackerel.
One of the best things about her book is that there are tons of recipes included and tonight I had the pleasure of making three for a bone strengthening dinner.
Basic Garlic Greens – cooked in stock and sprinkled with a dusting of nutmeg
Yam Puree – flax seed oil and unrefined coconut oil give these root vegetables a rich taste
Tempeh in Coconut Milk Curry – flavor-infused with health-enhancing spices: cardamom, curry powder, turmeric, giner and cumin
The Result!
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