The KTK Bone Health Diet

What is so important about bone health?  Last week, my daughter was playing flag football just for fun.  Then she turned her ankle and heard a snap.  Her teammates helped her off the field but she knew something was seriously wrong with her ankle.  At the Emergency Room an X-Ray revealed her bones were broken on each side of her ankle.  Later in the week she had surgery by a very well-known and respected surgeon.  The doctors and nurses were polite and provided excellent guidance on pain management and recovery.  But not one word was spoken about diet and what foods to eat to aide the healing process.  As a result, I decided to come up with the KTK Bone Health Diet based on my knowledge as a nutritionist, some web research and knowing what my daughter liked to eat.  

What nutrients are needed for strong bones?

Calcium – most people know that calcium is needed for our bones.  About 99% of all the body’s calcium is in our bones and teeth.  Most people don’t realize that our bones aren’t static.  Every day your body is breaking down some old bone and building new bone.  Your body can’t make calcium, you need to get it in your diet.  If you aren’t taking in enough calcium, your body removes from some your bones, which over time weakens them.  The last thing a person with broken bones wants is calcium being removed from their bones.  So adequate calcium intake will not only prevent calcium being taken from one’s bones but will help in the bone remodeling or bone building process.

Vitamin D – so many people are deficient or low in vitamin D as many people don’t drink cow’s milk at every meal and many people stay indoors.  One major role of vitamin D is to help calcium be absorbed.  You may be getting enough calcium in your diet, but without vitamin D, the calcium passes through your intestine and may not be absorbed.  So, without adequate vitamin D in one’s diet, the bones may not get the calcium needed to rebuild.

Vitamin C – most people know vitamin C helps build a strong immune system but may not know we need vitamin C for collagen production.  We need vitamin C for healthy skin but also for healthy bones.  NIH reports that some studies have “demonstrated that vitamin C has the potential to accelerate bone healing after a fracture..”  

The KTK Bone Health Diet

Calcium -   Adult males 19-70 need 1000 mg of calcium a day.  Adult females 19-50 need 1,000 mg a day and over 50, women need 1200 mg a day.

•  Real cow’s milk – every morning for breakfast.  My daughter was drinking Almond Milk but this fake milk is low in protein and does not have the natural calcium present in cow’s milk. 
• Yogurt – real, cow’s milk yogurt at lunch. My daughter prefers Greek yogurt and this is OK.  A better choice is non-Greek yogurt as it provides more calcium.
• Cheese – at dinner and snacks.  Most cheese is real cheese – made from cow’s milk.  Cheese is a good source of calcium.

Vitamin D – at least 1,000 IU a day.  The RDA for vitamin D is 600 IU for adults but with her bone healing, increasing it to a 1,000 IU would promote absorption of calcium.  One A Day actually has a vitamin that is labelled for bone healing and it provides 1,000 IU of vitamin D.  And SUN, SUN – going outside was another part of the KTK Bone Health Diet as our bodies produce vitamin D when we go outside in the sun. 

Vitamin C rich foods – I recommended citrus fruits – real orange juice, not fake juice like Sunny D.  Besides citrus, watermelon, strawberries and kiwi are good fruit sources of vitamin C.  As for vegetables – kale, broccoli, green and red peppers, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cauliflower pack a vitamin C punch.  I recommended my daughter drink some real Orange Juice at breakfast and have some vitamin C rich food at dinner such as a salad with kale, spinach, green or red peppers. 

Add some vitamin C rich foods to accelerate bone healing.

When a person breaks a bone, it can be a long recovery.  But by eating well and helping build stronger bones, one can help the healing process along.  One doesn’t have to break a bone to want stronger bones.  Anyone playing sports, anyone who is over 50 may want to be sure they are doing what they can to strengthen their bones.  Easy to do on the KTK Bone Health Diet.

Sources:  About 99%, old bone, vitamin D, skin, NIH, Vitamin C  Image sources: ankle , One A Day , foods