Get Calcium
When you were a little girl your mother told you to drink your milk for strong bones, and she was right, for calcium, of course, is what we need to guard against osteoporosis.
About 1.5 percent of your body weight is made up of calcium, 99 percent of which is in your bones and teeth. Calcium not only helps the strength and density of your bones, it also affects the metabolism of estrogen in your body, which plays a large role in your bone strength.
Your body always makes sure that you have enough calcium circulating in your blood to do its part in these physiological activities. If you don’t get enough through your diet, it means that your blood levels of calcium will be low, so your body will take the calcium from your bones to keep your blood calcium at the right level.
You don’t have to live on dairy products, you can find calcium in spinach and other green leafy vegetables.
Swiss Chard
Swiss Chard is a tall leafy green vegetable with a thick, crunchy stalk that comes in white, red or yellow with wide fan-like green leaves.
Chard belongs to the same family as beets and spinach and shares a similar taste profile: it has the bitterness of beet greens and the slightly salty flavor of spinach leaves. Both the leaves and stalk of chard are edible, although the stems vary in texture with the white ones being the most tender. If the thought of chard leaves you cold, get some freshly picked. If you can’t find a farmer’s market, grow it yourself.
Try some chard recipes, such as chard enchilladas, tagine of chard, or chard with tomatoes, with fettucini or even candied ginger from Mariquita Farm
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