Joint Pain And Age Don’t Go Hand In Hand

More than just calcium

Many people believe the cause of poor bone health is lack of calcium intake. While that can be a factor, it’s only one of them. We all need a certain amount of calcium in an effective, bio-available form - but more often than not, bone loss is triggered when the blood becomes slightly acidic.

When there is a pH imbalance, the body’s systems take action to ensure immediate survival, even though this could lead to future problems if not rectified. In this case, the body reacts by drawing calcium out of the bones to neutralize the acid in the blood.

So what should we do to maintain good bone density?

1. Alkaline foods

Getting your body pH right not only benefits your bones but also your circulatory, urinary and digestive system as well. In the first instance, eat plenty of alkaline foods to reduce your risk of blood acidity. Alkaline foods include a majority of vegetables - especially leafy greens, and fruits like lemon, watermelon, mango, apples, pears and kiwifruit. We would also suggest reducing the amount of sodium you consume as that can cause excessive calcium excretion through the kidneys. Reducing the amount of meat and cheese is also a good idea as they’re more acidic to the body.

2. Get natural vitamin D

Get plenty of sensible sunshine. Vitamin D is crucial to bone health. The amount of Vitamin D your body can produce and store in 20 minutes of direct sunshine is more than taking a month's worth of high dose Vitamin D supplements.

3. Do some sensible weight-bearing exercise

This is critical. The bones are a living tissue and like muscles, they need resistance training. If you are unsure of where to start, consider joining a gym. There is, however, a right and wrong way to do it. The best way to learn is to find a personal trainer and get plenty of support and supervision when you first start out. You’re never too old to start.