Let's talk about bone health today. But before we get into the great bone building produce in this week's bag, it's important to mention some key non-nutritional factors that can make or break your bones. First, strong bones in our later years are greatly forged by our weight bearing activity in our younger years. Secondly, weight bearing exercise is crucial to building strong bones. This is because our bodies are continuously making new bone and dissolving bone. This bone building and remodeling process adapts to the demands of our life. In other words, it's use them or lose them! As with most things, it's much easier to prevent problems with our bones than to try to repair them later. To illustrate this process I'll point out some observations physicians have made over the years. It was noted that astronauts develop thin bones in space because there was no gravity, thus less need for dense, strong bones. Long distance cyclists develop thin bones because they spend so much time stressing their bodies in a seated position, essentially negating the effects of gravity on the skeleton. The body is designed to adapt to whatever environment it is exposed to, so when strong bones aren't needed, the bones become thinner. Thin bones are more easily fractured, and this can be a life-ending event in our later years…thus the importance of bone health!
With that said, nutrition plays an important role in building and maintaining strong bones. Calcium is the poster child for strong bones and we find large amounts of calcium in leafy greens like spinach and also in asparagus. Plant sources of calcium seem to be better absorbed by bones, and the reason may be vitamin K. Both asparagus and spinach are rich in vitamin K (especially spinach)! Vitamin K is essential in transporting calcium into the bone. It is so essential that the Framingham study found a 300% reduction in hip fractures in people who ate 250 mcg daily over those who ate only the recommended daily allowance of 75 mcg. To put that in perspective, a 1/2 cup of cooked spinach has about 500 mcg of vitamin K and a serving of asparagus has about 60 mcg. (Remember, though, asparagus is one of the most well rounded nutritional values containing significant amounts of pantothenic acid, magnesium, zinc, selenium, fiber vitamins A, C, E, K, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, B6, folate, iron, phosphorus, copper and manganese along with that calcium!)
Another great benefit to vitamin K is that it enables your body to remove calcium deposits from unwanted areas...like your arteries. Thus it is an important tool in reversing vascular disease. So eat your greens every day! One last tip: vitamin k is fat soluble so eat these veggies with a little fat (seeds, nuts, etc).
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