It's All in the Bones by Elizabeth Yarnell

My five-year old is obsessed with bones lately. He has assembled scale model skeletons, can name all the major joints, and yesterday announced that there are 206 bones in the human body. “Really?” I wondered. Perhaps we ought to give a little more thought to our bones.

 

Our bones build up during our youth and then begin breaking down as early as our twenties. They are helped along by soda pop (phosphorus leaches minerals from bones), pregnancy and nursing (your body will steal missing nutrients from your bones to give to the baby), sedentary lifestyles and poor nutrition. Both men and women can suffer from poor bone density.

 

Luckily, you can continually help your bones regain lost mass. Weight-bearing exercises can help a lot, but you also need to practice good nutrition. Everyone knows that calcium is essential for building bones, but without vitamin D calcium is useless. The best source of vitamin D is one that is free: sunlight. Even just a few minutes outside each day can make a difference.

 

While dairy foods can be a good source of calcium, they are not the only ones. Tofu and other soy products, nuts and beans are all high in calcium. Sesame seeds and products such as sesame paste (tahini), often used in middle eastern dishes, have almost five times the amount of calcium as milk products. Greens such as kale, arugula and seaweed all have significant amounts of calcium as well.

 

Here’s a recipe to try that has made many a convert out of non-tofu eaters. It’s seductively spicy and creamy with an addictive blend of flavors. Happy cooking!

Click to view recipe Hot & Spicy Thai Curry with Tofu and Rice

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About the Author: Elizabeth Yarnell (www.GloriousOnePotMeals.com) is a Certified Nutritional Consultant, inventor and author of the award-winning Glorious One-Pot Meals: A new quick & healthy approach to Dutch oven cooking. The Glorious One-Pot Meals cooking process holds US patent number 6,846,504. Hundreds of students in her cooking classes have tasted and loved this recipe! Find more healthy eating tips from Elizabeth at http://www.EffortlessEating.com.