Food For Healthy Bones

Irma Jennings - INHC - Holistic Bone Coach

Are your bones getting enough of this magic mineral?

September 18, 2015
Irma Jennings

Skelly likes to say “a little bit of magic goes a long way.” It’s especially true for your bones when it comes to one little mineral whose name happens to mean “magic.”

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I’m talking about manganese. It’s one of the 14 essential trace minerals we all need.

They’re called essential because your body can’t make them – you have to get them from your food. And they’re called trace because you don’t need much at all. But you couldn’t get by without some.

Manganese has many jobs

It helps your body clot blood, make sex hormones, break down fat and carbohydrates, and regulate sugar. It’s also needed for normal brain and nerve function.

But when it comes to bones, manganese keeps really busy. It helps your body absorb calcium, and form bones, collagen, and connective tissue.

Animal studies show that very low manganese is associated with poor bone formation. In fact, a manganese deficiency may explain increasing rates of bone fractures in both children and the elderly.

Women with osteoporosis have been found to have low levels of manganese.[i]

Adding manganese to your bone food plan can boost the effectiveness of your calcium. In one study a group of postmenopausal women took a calcium supplement. Another group took the calcium supplement combined with manganese and two other essential minerals (copper and zinc). Taking the extra minerals was found to be more effective than calcium alone in preventing spinal bone loss.[ii]

Of course, I always get my calcium, manganese, and other minerals needed for bone strength through food. For most of human history we had no problem getting sufficient manganese for our bones. But that may be changing.

According to a new study by Dr. Stephanie Seneff, pesticides in our food may be draining the manganese out of our bodies.[iii]

Dr. Seneff suggests that glyphosate in Monsanto’s Roundup pesticide may chelate manganese in the body. In other words, it binds to manganese and takes it out of circulation. That disrupts your bone-building process.

It happens when you eat foods sprayed with Roundup or eat genetically modified organisms (GMO) that contain glyphosate.

Our food supply is now full of glyphosate because Roundup is the most widely used herbicide on the planet. High levels are in GMO corn, soy, canola, cotton, alfalfa, and sugar beets.

How can you safely get manganese for your bones?

Manganese is found in whole grains like brown rice, oats, buckwheat, and bulgur. Other good sources include pumpkin seeds, nuts, pineapple, spinach, and legumes like lentils and chickpeas.

The daily Recommended Dietary Allowance for manganese is just 2.3 mg for men, and 1.8 mg for women. A quarter cup of dried oats will give you what you need for the day.

Just make sure your food is non-GMOs and pesticide-free. Right now GMOs don’t have to be labeled.  The only way to know your food hasn’t been genetically modified is to buy organics. By law, a food labeled “organic” cannot contain any GMOs.

When shopping for fruits and vegetables, check the little PLU sticker. If the PLU number starts with a “9” it’s organic and not GMO.

For packaged foods, look for “organic” on the label.

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Or check for the Non-GMO Project seal. This tells you an independent third party verified that the ingredients meet the standards of the Non-GMO Project. It’s not a guarantee that the product is completely GMO-free but it does tell you that it has less than 1% GMO ingredients.

Recipe - Hiziki Rice Salad

 
One of personal favorites lovingly created by Laura Parisi ~ Food Shaman, Holistic Health Counselor, Reiki Master.  A truly gifted friend.
 
Serves 6
 
Ingredients:

1 cooked long grain brown rice
1-4” piece of Kombu seaweed
2 cups water
1/4 cup dried hiziki seaweed
2 Tbsp sesame seeds or cup sunflower seeds
4 scallions, sliced
1 1/2 cups snow peas cut into thin julienne strips
1 small carrot, grated
 
Vinaigrette:

1/4 cup brown rice vinegar
2 tbsp organic unrefined olive oil
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp maple syrup
sea salt and pepper to taste
 
Directions:

1. Cook brown rice with Kombu
2. While rice is cooking, soak dried hijiki in small bowl with boiling water to cover by 2-3
3. Dry toast sesame or sunflower seeds over medium heat
4. In separate small bowl, combine ingredients for vinaigrette and set aside
5. Drain hiziki and rinse with cool water
6.Combine warm rice, hiziki vegetables and toasted sesame or sunflower seeds in large bowl.
7.Toss salad with vinaigrette.
 
Printable Version CLICK HERE  [br]

My question for you.

When it comes to choosing the right foods to optimize your bone health, what is the single biggest challenge, frustration or problem you’ve been struggling with? [br]
 
Please let me know so I can write content that meets your needs. [br]
 
Plus I have wonderful alkaline salad dressing waiting for you on the other side to thank you for your time 🙂. [br]
 


Click here to share your challenges ----> HERE

From my bones to yours,
 

Irma

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[i] Freeland-Graves J, Llanes C. Models to study manganese deficiency. In: Klimis-Tavantzis DL, ed. “Manganese in health and disease.” Boca Raton: CRC Press, Inc. 1994;59-86.

[ii] Strause L, Saltman P, Smith KT, Bracker M, Andon MB. “Spinal bone loss in postmenopausal women supplemented with calcium and trace minerals.” J Nutr. 1994;124(7):1060-1064.

[iii] Samsel A, Seneff S. “Glyphosate, pathways to modern diseases III: Manganese, neurological diseases, and associated pathologies.” Surgical Neurology International. 2015;6:45. doi:10.4103/2152-7806.153876.


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30 Essential Foods for Bone Health

From my bones to yours,
Irma Jennings, INHC
Your Holistic Bone Coach
[email protected]

30 Essential Foods for Bone Health
30 Essential Foods for Bone Health
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