Holistic Nourishment

Bones cycle through periods of growth and breakdown throughout the course of your life.  By our mid-20’s bones begin to lose their ability to regrow and are more prone to breaking down.

What Leads To Osteoporosis?

Eating an acidic, inflammatory diet including caffeine, alcohol, soda, refined sugar, processed foods, a high-salt diet, a meat-based (high protein) diet, and a low vegetable diet can all contribute to bone thinning.  Eating foods you are allergic to can also lead to bone loss because your gastrointestinal system will be inflamed and have increased permeability (more, larger molecules and pathogens can pass undigested into the blood stream) which in turn increases the acidity of the blood and draws alkaline nutrients out of the bone.  Moreover, malabsorption can lead to nutrient deficiencies that can inhibit bone regrowth.

The elderly are at a high risk for osteoporosis.  As we age we lose the ability to restore bone and after about the age of 35 we all steadily lose bone mass.  Children with poor diets never build a strong enough bone reserve and therefore are more prone to osteoporosis.

Post-menopausal women are also at risk for increased osteoporosis.  Estrogen is known to cause minerals to leach out of the bones.  Therefore it is important to balance all hormones and ensure liver detoxification and kidney excretion pathways are functioning properly to handle excess hormones or imbalances from hormone replacement therapies.

Milk consumption has also been linked with an increased risk of osteoporosis.  In fact countries with the highest rates of milk consumption also have the highest rates of osteoporosis.  Milk is an acidic animal food that depletes your body of the nutrients you need to maintain bone mass.

 How Does Osteoporosis Result?

A damaged, unhealthy gut won’t be able to digest food properly, resulting in vitamin deficiencies.  Moreover, if the intestinal lining is inflamed, it is “leaky” and the gaps between intestinal cells increase, allowing for large foreign, undigested particles to pass through the lining.  These large particles travel into the bloodstream where they alert an immune response and subsequently more inflammation and acidity.  Consequently, more bone is broken down to maintain the blood pH and fewer nutrients are available to restore the lost bone.

Acidic and inflammatory diets will turn the blood acidic and will leach all the alkaline nutrients from the body, starting with the muscles, then moving on to organs and bone.  Deficiencies of calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin D and vitamin K can contribute to osteoporosis as the body tries to alkalize the blood by extracting alkaline nutrients from the bone.

Osteoporosis can be associated with other diseases such as hyper/hypothyroidism, obesity, and diabetes.  Corticosteroids, immunosuppressives, and anti-convulsants are also risk factors for osteoporosis.

 What Can I Do to Heal?

To begin healing, eat to alkalize your body by choosing fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and beans.  Getting both cardio and strength-building exercise will help build muscle and bone throughout your body.

There are 21 nutrients needed for bone formation: therefore a nutrient-dense diet with additional supplementation will best support bone health.  Eating an alkaline, plant-based diet with limited grains and meat and little or no processed or allergenic foods is the foundation of a bone-building diet.  A high quality multivitamin and extra calcium, magnesium, vitamin K, and vitamin D will be very supportive in bone remodeling.  Curcumin and fish oil will all help reduce inflammation.

If your intestinal system needs additional support, repair with glutamine, quercetin, and probiotics/enzymes as needed.  It is important to work closely with a qualified nutritionist or holistic health professional in order to halt bone deterioration and support bone growth naturally.

Tags: alkaline, bones, osteoporosis, plant-based diet