Foods That Strengthen Our Bones

An interesting article in Alternative Health magazine goes into great deal about why our bones are weak and what we have health problems. (I just can't stand to use all of the disease words like osteoporosis as they have been used to scare all of us into taking drugs for all of these conditions.)

Turns out our ancestors, and many current cultures, don't have the issues that Americans can due to their diet.

So here are some foods that Susan E. Brown, PHD, CNS (author of the article) suggest we eat to keep your bones healthy.


Fruits in a variety of colors 4–6 servings a day (one serving equals one fruit; 1¼2 cup frozen or canned fruit; 1¼4 cup dried fruit or 6 oz fruit juice)

Vegetables of low and medium starch content (in a variety of colors) -- 2–4 cups mostly cooked vegetables1–2 cups raw leafy salad vegetables

Grains/High-Starch Root Crops -- 7–8 servings a day (one serving equals one slice whole-grain bread, 1¼2 cup dry or hot cereal or 1¼2 cup cooked rice, other grain or pasta)

Animal protein (fish, poultry, meat, eggs) -- 2 or fewer servings a day
Nuts, Seeds and Dried Beans -- 1–2 servings (one serving equals 1¼3 cup nuts, 2 tablespoons seeds or 1¼2 cup dried beans, cooked). If you don’t eat meat, include one or two servings of beans a day.

Fats and Oils -- 2–4 servings a day (one serving equals 1 teaspoon vegetable oils or butter, 1 tablespoon salad dressing or 1 tablespoon cod liver or flax seed oil). Include 500–1,000 mg Omega-3 oils.

Fermented foods -- A daily serving of 1 cup yogurt or kefir or 2–3 oz. tempeh or sauerkraut. Use pickled vegetables, umeboshi plums or miso as condiments.

Wholesome Sweets --3–5 times per week (one serving equals 2 small whole grain cookies; 3¼4 cup pudding, compote, ice cream, sherbet or sorbet; 1 small piece fruit-based dessert or piece of cake)

In addition to these foods we should have at least 64 ounces of water and a 15-minute “serving” of sunlight to maintain internal vitamin D production.