Photo courtesy of Mike CorseDeep Roots Farm, Bonno Road, Canton
Bone Up! Health and Healing Hint
Seems we will never hear the end of "take your calcium pills everyday" advice. Despite evidence to the contrary; taking single constituent calcium pills does not in fact build healthy, strong bones, health experts still tell clients to take 1000 mg daily.
Long term observation of calcium takers shows that this pill popping habit does not build stronger bones or stave off fractures.
Calcium cannot function on its own. Foods were meant to be eaten in their whole state (hear this one, from me, before?); the nutrients work together, in synergy, to create healthy cells. Calcium, on its own from a pill, cannot function to create any health benefits. Calcium works when it is contained in a whole food. The whole food contains many different minerals and nutrients that all work together to create healthy body cells and strong, flexible bones. You cannot get that in any pill, period.
What you need to build strong bones, strong cells, and a strong body is a whole food diet. When we eat food in the whole state; health of every organ and organ system is a natural consequence. Eat whole foods that are high in all minerals and get plenty of good quality protein for your bodily needs. Your bones are made of more than just calcium.
Eating foods high in Vitamin D (actually a hormone but that is another story) helps those bones by assisting the mineral uptake needed to keep bones strong. Your body needs a healthy supply of magnesium to use the Vitamin D. Ask me about magnesium in your diet... it is low in top soil where our food is grown.
To get your Vitamin D locally, I recommend eating 2 whole eggs daily (from a local farmer who lets the chickens run about free, eating what they want to eat and getting plenty of sunlight year round). Keep the yolks soft, barely cooked, to preserve the nutrients. I blend them, raw, into my cold chai coffee or in whole food chocolate milk. If you want to try these tasty beverages, email me for the recipes, pyoumell@gmail.com
Another good source of Vitamin D is mushrooms and we have a local farmer growing them. (see below) In order of highest to lowest level of Vitamin D: morel, chanterelle, maitake, shitake, oyster, white button, crimini, and portabellas. If they are exposed to UV light during growth, they contain significantly higher amounts of Vitamin D. I find the fact that morels are highest a fine sign that nature does know what she is doing. Morels come to us in the spring, when our Vitamin D levels are lowest after a long winter. What better way to up the Vitamin D factor than enjoying some gently sauteéd Morels. Saute' them in grass fed butter; you ingest even more Vitamin D.
Deep Root CSA, Mike and Maria Corse, Bonno Road, Canton: http://deeprootfarm.wordpress.com/ Mike will be selling at the Canton Farmer's Market when the crop comes in... keep checking!