Incorporating Bone Healthy Nutrients into Your Diet

Incorporating Bone Healthy Nutrients into Your Diet

The health and strength of our bones relies on incorporating a variety of essential nutrients into a healthy balanced diet. I have compiled a comprehensive list of calcium and magnesium rich plant foods to include in your diet.

Why do you need to take magnesium with calcium?

They are both dependent on each other for absorption and excretion. Magnesium plays a role in the transport of calcium (and potassium) ions across cell membranes. This is important for maintaining healthy processes related to nerves, muscles, and heart rhythm.

Calcium

Calcium is a mineral that is integral to the structure of our bones. 99% of our calcium stores are found in our bones and teeth and to keep those stores and maintain the health and strength of our bones, we need to include calcium-rich foods in our diet. It is also very important for other physical functions, such as muscle control and blood circulation.

Calcium-rich foods include:

• black beans
• navy and white beans salmon
• hijiki (seaweed)
• wheat grass
• almonds
• sardines kombu (seaweed)
• brazil nuts
• sunflower seeds
• oysters
• wakame
• fish
• sea vegetables
• sesame seeds

Magnesium

Magnesium is crucial for maintaining bone health and protecting against bone loss. In fact, 50–60% of your body’s magnesium is found in your bones. One recent review of 12 studies linked high magnesium intake to increased bone mineral density in the hip and femoral neck, both areas that are susceptible to fracture.

Magnesium-rich foods include:

• Dried seaweed
• black, mung, and lima beans
• buckwheat millet
• wheat berries
• barley brown rice
• most nuts and seeds, especially almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds
• chlorophyll foods–algaes, wheat grass
• dark chocolate

Marsha Fenwick, C.N.P.  R.R.T.