Organic Liaison Health Director Deborah Klein, M.S., R.D. answers your health and nutrition-related questions!
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When people diet, their main focus is lowering the number on the scale. Rarely do they think about what’s going on with their bones. Unfortunately, a major consequence of being on a restrictive diet is that if you don’t eat balanced meals, you can suffer from bone loss.
Weight loss diets that are not sufficient in calcium, protein, and daily exercise are not supporting bone health. The Organic Liaison program focuses on promoting a balanced lifestyle, to help you get rid of that excess fat while increasing muscle mass and maintaining bone strength. Here are some key ways to take care of your bones during weight loss:
7 Bone-Friendly Diet & Exercise Tips
1. Eat a variety of foods. Chose predominately organic foods, steering clear of artificial ingredients and colors.
2. Eat less animal protein and more vegetable protein. Get your veggie protein from legumes, grains, nuts and seeds, or low-fat dairy. Try some lentil soup or vegetarian chili with a salad; vegetarian soft tacos with corn tortillas; or black beans with a ton of veggies.
3. Lower your intake of high sugar foods, which deplete you of calcium. How do you identify a high sugar food? Look at the food label: if you see a word ending with “-ose” or syrup listed as the first 5 ingredients, it’s a high-sugar food.
4. Drink coffee and alcohol in moderation, or avoid completely. Stick to 1 cup of coffee per day, and 1 alcoholic beverage 3 times per week maximum.
5. If you smoke, please quit. Women smokers can have 30% lower bone mineral density compared to non-smokers.
6. MOVE daily. Do weight-bearing exercise (e.g. walking, biking, weight training, etc.); include weight lifting or resistance training 2 to 4 times per week. Aim for at least 30 minutes of daily MOVING time.
7. Members, take your Organic Liaison Supplements every day. Sip on your Rescue Me for the B-vitamins that help hold calcium in the bones. Take Release Me for calcium and magnesium, and take Dr. Soram’s Vitamin D3 2000 IU Premium Quality Dietary Supplement (all available in our online store).
References: J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Jan; 97(1):251-60; Alternative Medicine Review 1999; 4(2):74-85.
Tags: bone-friendly diet and exercise, deborah klein, health director, how to maintain healthy bones during weight loss, Kirstie Alley, Organic Liaison, registered dietitian, Tips and Advice, weight loss program
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