If you want strong, healthy bones, then what you put on your plate really matters. The good news is that you can help improve your bone health with every meal and snack if you include a bone-friendly food. Generally, the best foods for healthy bones are fresh fruits and vegetables and other whole foods, organically grown. Foods that promote your body’s acid/alkaline balance are critical, and this is easy to achieve if you include fruits and veggies. That’s because these foods contain good amounts of nutrients that support that balance, including beta-carotene, fiber, magnesium (RDA, 420 mg), potassium (RDA, 3,500 mg), and vitamin D (RDA, 200 IU).

There’s a lot of emphasis on calcium (RDA, 1,000 mg) for strong bones, but other nutrients are important as well. After all, calcium does not work alone! We’ve already mentioned potassium and magnesium, and we also want to add vitamin K (Adequate Intake, 80 mcg), omega-3 fatty acids (no RDA), and even vitamin B12 (RDA, 2.4 mcg). You will find all of these bone-building nutrients among our ten foods for super bones!

Three other quick recommendations to promote bone health:

• Engage in regular weight-bearing exercise
• Watch your salt (sodium) intake. Sodium increases calcium losses, with 5 to 10 mg of calcium lost with every gram of salt that you consume.
• Skip the soft drinks. Remember, soft drinks = soft bones. Carbonated drinks are high in phosphate, which binds calcium in the intestinal tract and reduces its absorption. Phosphate also forms acid in the blood, and the body then releases calcium from bone into the bloodstream to maintain the calcium-phosphate balance and counteract the acid in the blood.

So, let’s start building healthy bones with ten super foods. Many of these foods can be combined to create extra super bone health treats! Read more »»

We are big believers in vitamin D for joint health at JoMo.  In fact the new JoMo formulation now has 2000IU of vitamin D in every dose (see below for some of the dosage recommendations from Harvard and other organizations).  Here is some of the latest research on vitamin D as it applies to joint health as well as heart disease, prostate cancer, diabetes and colon cancer.

Vitamin D Joint and Bone Health

Vitamin D and calcium work in tandem to improve bone density and reduce the risk of hip and other fractures, and numerous studies have shown this relationship. Vitamin D alone is also essential for promoting calcium absorption and maintaining adequate concentrations of calcium and phosphate to allow normal mineralization of bone. It is also necessary for bone growth and bone repair. Without sufficient intake of vitamin D, bones can become thin, brittle, or misshapen. Sufficient levels of vitamin D prevent rickets in children, osteomalacia in adults, and along with calcium, protects individuals from development of osteoporosis. (National Institutes of Health) Read more »»

OK, so that’s a big call.  But here is why we love Gazpacho (pronounced “Garth-paucho”).

First, its full of male power food No.1, lycopene, and if you don’t know what that does for you then you better read up quick!  Lycopene is best absorbed in its cooked tomato based state and the benefits from lycopene in its supplement form are actually questionable.  Best way to get it: tomato based products and especially tomato sauces, pastes, cooked tomatoes and yes, actually, pizza! Read more »»

Omega 3 fats are known for their ability to decrease inflammation in the body. It is this action that makes omega 3 fats and fish oils helpful for suppressing the joint inflammation and destruction that is common in arthritis. When joints are creaky and painful, omega 3 fats can be likened to a lubricant that helps them move more freely. In addition, omega 3 fats may aid in weight loss which helps to relieve added pressure from joints.

Fish Oil for Joint Health

Diets rich in EPA and DHA, the types of omega 3 fats found in fatty fish and fish oil supplements, have been associated with a reduction in the production of cytokines and eicosanoids. Since these compounds contribute to the joint inflammation present in rheumatoid arthritis, researchers believe that incorporating EPA & DHA into the diet could promote arthritis improvement. Read more »»

In the health-care bill that President Barack Obama signed last Tuesday there was a provision that wasn’t heavily publicized.

Chain restaurants will be required to add the calorie count of offerings on menus, menu boards and drive-through displays, as well as vending machines.

The rules will apply to chains with 20 or more outlets with small businesses being exempt. Read more »»

While foods cannot eliminate arthritis, they may help reduce the inflammation process. For this reason you should consider adopting a diet rich in low-fat, high-antioxidant foods and beverages, plus foods and supplements containing omega-3 fatty fish oil acids (such as salmon, mackerel and sardines). Read more »»

The Journal of the American Medical Association today released findings related to physical exercise and weight gain prevention.

The amount of physical activity needed to prevent long-term weight gain was generally seen as unclear. In 2008, federal guidelines recommended at least 150 minutes per week (7.5 metabolic equivalent [MET] hours per week) of moderate-intensity activity for “substantial health benefits.”

The objective of the study was to examine the association of different amounts of physical activity with long-term weight changes among women consuming a usual diet. Read more »»