Consuming dairy and meat makes your blood acidic. This acidity prompts your body to draw calcium from your bones in order to bring it back to the pH balance that nature intended. We’ve been led to believe that a glass of milk builds healthy bones – I mean they’re both white, right? But this couldn’t be further from the truth. If you want strong bones, switching to a whole food plant-based diet is a better choice. Here’s what you need to gobble up:
We need to eat 1000 mg of Calcium a day (so you can see below how these simple plant foods can add up)
1. Blackstrap Molasses (2tbsp) = 400mg
2. Collard Greens (1 cup) = 375 mg
3. Tempeh (I cup) = 215 mg
4. Turnip Greens (1 cup = 250 mg)
5. Hemp Milk (1 cup) = 460 mg)
6. Great Northern Beans (1 cup) = 120mg
Other contenders to the throne include almond butter, other beans, sesame seeds, broccoli and fruits such as dates, apricots and figs
Remember that many of these plant foods also contain vitamins and minerals (magnesium and potassium) that you won’t find in dairy products – so go enjoy the natural plant bounty of the summer!
And remember that diet is just part of the equation when it comes to strong bones: Weight-bearing exercise daily is also a MUST!
