Natural Healing Power

Do you know the number one food for prevention of osteoporosis? I am going to tell you!

The Dairy industry make us believe it is milk, but is it?

And the general belief is “The more Calcium the better” for bone health, but is it?

It is actually not that straight forward. Contrary to what many believe, excessive Calcium makes bones age….. faster.

And that is what osteoporosis is all about, about aging of the bones.

You must read a very interesting article about this subject on http://www.youngerthanyourage.com/4/ExcessiveCalcium.htm
This is from a Dutch researcher.

It says that excessive Calcium causes a high turnover of bone cells, exhausting the replicating mechanisms and leading to premature aging of the bones.

Did you know that countries with the highest intake of Calcium also have the highest rates of hip fractures for example?

On the other hand, we do need Calcium, and in such a way that the body is going to make full use of it.

1 Given our reduced need for calcium on a plant food diet we want to be sure the body is not going to eliminate it in the urine! See the previous entry for the explanation!

2 We also want to be sure that the body is getting all the other factors needed for Calcium metabolism and good bone health, like for example Magnesium, vitamin K, vitamin D, Silicon, and what is important: the proper ratio of Calcium/Phosphor 1.5:1 and of Calcium/Magnesium 2:1

3 In practice we don’t need to worry about that so much as long as we get a variety of foods. The body is perfectly able to assimilate what it needs, if we allow it to by eliminating acid forming junk foods from our diets, which cause calcium loss in the urine, and which may provide an excess of phosphor (think of soft drinks!).

4 Good sources of Calcium are green leafy vegetables, beans, tofu, and even oranges.

With a variety of vegetables and fruits we actually get all the nutrients needed for good bone health.

Do you know the number one food for prevention of osteoporosis?

5 No…….not milk…….. but green leafy vegetables! The best sources of assimilable Calcium are green leafy vegetables. And the greens also provide a good amount of magnesium and vit K. Compared with milk they are far superior!

6 Of course we should not forget vitamin D. Sunlight is the best source, where there is limited exposure, one would do well to supplement with cod liver oil for example, or with some herbs rich in vitamin D. Those who are not vegan may consider raw fish and raw organic free range egg yolks.

7 Silicon is needed to get the calcium where it belongs. An excellent source of silicon is oatstraw tea or horsetail tea. High calcium/low silicon does not protect the bones, but low calcium with silicon does.

8 Don’t take calcium supplements!!!! They will make matters worse.

9 Grains are not the best option because of their high phytic acid content. Millet may be an exception because of its high silicon content!

10 Oxalic acid is a well known substance interfering with calcium metabolism.

11 Exercise and weight training are crucial. Inactivity leads to loss of bone, about 1% per day, that soon adds up!

This will be enough food for thought for now……

Jannette Benschop

It has been suggested so…… but can it be true?

Raw Vegans have lower bone mass generally, which is thought to be a risk factor for osteoporosis.

A study found in the Archives of Internal Medicine compared 18 people on strict raw food diets with a group on the standard American diet with its cooked foods, refined foods and animal products. They found that the raw foodists had lower bone mass indeed and lower bone mineral density, but no evidence whatsoever of increased risk of osteoporosis and fractures. With other words: they had healthy bones!

Other studies have shown that there is a direct relation between osteoporosis and consumption of milk products. NOT with plant food diets, but with consumption of MILK. If you look at it, then you will discover that countries with the highest milk consumption and the highest calcium intake also have the highest rate of hip fractures. The more milk consumed, the higher the risk. And surprisingly, in countries where there is no milk consumed, there are no hip fractures.

I am always amazed when I look at the women here (this is Zimbabwe) with their strong bone structures. They don’t drink milk! They hardly get any calcium from their poor diets, but they are strong.

Looking at the evidence, it turns out that those who are consuming animal protein are the ones at risk!

Animal protein causes calcium loss in the urine. Vegetable protein does not do this. The result is a negative calcium balance, because more is lost than is ingested. That is one reason why milk with its high calcium does not offer protection but on the contrary puts you at high risk of osteoporosis!

Other factors which cause loss of calcium in the urine are salt (!), sugar, coffee, alcohol, smoking, and some medications.

On a plant food diet there is a higher absorption rate of calcium, meaning that we absorb more from plant foods than from milk, plus there is less calcium lost in the urine. The end result is a positive calcium balance, meaning that we ingest more than we loose.

Although we need less, we do need calcium though :). Next time you will learn more about the factors which help us to actually utilise the calcium from the foods! There may be enough in our diet, but you need to know what other factors are needed to make it all work!

Jannette Benschop