By Mary Ircink, parish nurse
“…good news gives health to the bones.” Proverbs 15:30
“Make no bones about it,” there are important healthy foods to stock in your fridge and pantry to help keep those bones strong!
Low-fat milk and plain low-fat yogurt (not sugar and fruit filled) sweetened with a banana or strawberries which you prepare and add, are good snacks that have calcium and protein.
Baby Kale is a fast growing favorite loaded with vitamin K, a nutrient that helps you bind minerals like calcium to bone tissue. Calcium and vitamin D-fortified orange juice can have as much of both, as a glass of milk. Be careful to watch the serving size for orange juice because of the amount of sugar it contains.
Canned chickpeas and black beans are packed with potassium, the mineral that helps your bones retain calcium. Add them to salads, or soups and pasta.
An ounce of pumpkin seeds supplies almost half of your daily dose of magnesium which is stored in our bones.
Don’t forget the canned sardines and salmon you can stock in pantry. For all you non-milk drinkers, sardines supply calcium, vitamin D and protein you’d get from milk. And just 3 ounces of salmon delivers your entire days’ worth of vitamin D which is needed to absorb the calcium.