After assessing today’s actual diet and exercise, all I can say is that I haven’t been doing everything I to do to build bone! On the good side, my diet consisted of “real food”–no processed sugars or flours, no hydrogenated oils or transfats, and no artificial ingredients–and I took all my supplements. However, my pH level is too acidic, which means I need to be eating a higher percentage of alkaline foods. The worst part of this account is that I didn’t get any exercise at all! That’s no way to strengthen bone.
Hopefully, I’ll do better tomorrow. It’s amazing how much improvement comes about when you make yourself accountable to someone else. So, thank you, OsteoDiet readers, for being my accountable partners!
Here’s a summary of the foods eaten today, along with their approximate calorie content:
Upon rising:
35 1 Cup of coffee with 1 tbsp. of Natural Bliss creamer (Publix brand)
Breakfast:
150 2 Slices of millet bread, toasted
50 1/2 tbsp Earth Balance buttery spread
77 Scrambled egg
70 11.5 oz. can of V-8 vegetable juice
0 8 oz. water
*Morning supplements:
Garden of Life RAW Calcium (5 capsules)
Garden of Life RAW Vitamin Code for 50 & Wiser Women (2 capsules)
Garden of Life Q-Zyme ULTRA Ultimate Digestive Enzyme Formula (2 capsule)
Bioidentical Hormones: Progesterone cream + AdreneVive capsules (2)
Test pH levels (aiming for 7.0 or higher):
Saliva: 6.2 (acidic)
Urine: 6.6 (acidic)
Snack:
105 Banana, fresh
99 Almonds, raw, 11
0 8 oz. water
Lunch:
170 Quest Bar protein bar, chocolate
0 8 oz water
Snack:
130 + 21 + 6 Cup of FAGE brand yogurt, plain + 1 tsp honey + 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
0 8 oz. water
Supper:
307 + 45 8 Meatballs + spaghetti sauce
20 + 10 + 10 + 75 Tossed Salad: Romaine lettuce, Matchstick carrots, Cucumbers, + 1 tbsp Brianna’s Homestyle Asiago Caesar dressing
0 Bottle of Perrier with Lime, 11.5 oz.
0 8 oz. water
323 Small slice of pumpkin pie, homemade
Bedtime:
0 16 oz. water
*Evening supplements:
Garden of Life RAW Vitamin Code for 50 & Wiser Women (2 capsules)
Garden of Life Growth Factor S (3 capsules)
Garden of Life Perfect Food Super Green Formula (2 capsules)
Garden of Life Omega-Zyme Ultra, Ultimate Digestive Enzyme (1 capsule)
J. Crow’s Lugol’s Iodine Solution 2% (2 drops on inside of forearm)
NOW brand Glucosame & MSM (2 capsules)
Minami brand MorEPA Omega 3 Fish Oil (1 capsule)
Bioidentical Hormones: Estrogen Cream + Progesterone capsule (1)
Exercise: None
Approximate calorie total for 11/9/12: 1703
Years ago I heard Suzanne Somers talking about the benefits of bioidentical hormones. About 4 months ago, I finally decided to try them. Why? Sexual intercourse had become difficult and painful because of the thinning of the vaginal wall, and no amount of personal lubricants worked to make the situation better. In addition, one of the benefits of bioidentical hormones touted by the literature from BodyLogic, MD is increased bone density!
Will it work? Well, bioidentical hormone replacement has already worked wonders for my sex life! Intercourse is now pain-free and pleasurable. As for bone density, we’ll see. Having just had a bone scan in October 2012, I’ll have another Dexascan in October 2013, compare the results, and let you know.
If you would like more information about bioidentical hormones, here the link to their website: http://www.bodylogicmd.com.
Recently, a doctor in California challenged me to have another Dexascan. I had pretty much sworn off Dexascan technology after learning about the questionable reliability of DXA readings and after learning that small-boned women of Irish ancestry often read as “low density” on these scans simply because of our genetic makeup. (My last Dexascan was in November 26, 2008.)
Besides, I healed in record time from the shoulder fracture I sustained in a bike accident back in 2008. That was a sure sign to me that there was nothing wrong with my body’s bone-building ability.
Nevertheless, the California doctor insisted that she believed I was in grave danger of bone fracture. So, I finally decided to have the Dexascan. Here’s what the scan revealed:
Lumbar spine region: Less than a 1% bone loss in 4 years
Left hip region: Approximately 6.3% bone loss in 4 years
I’m okay with the first indicator, but not the second. I’ve mentioned before that bone density is not the only factor in determining bone quality; another factor is bone flexibility. According to the Dr. Angelo Licata (Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine), “bone quality is a composite of properties that make bone resist fracture, such as its microarchitecture, accumulated microscopic damage, the quality of collagen, mineral crystal size, and bone turnover. ” Nevertheless, rather than losing bone density over time, I would much rather increase it!
The California doctor wanted me to pay for a consultation appointment with her where she would recommend a battery of tests to determine the cause of my low bone density. She said there had to be an underlying problem for someone to have bone density as low as mine! I told her I would think about it and get back with her, and I did.
My decision?
About four months ago, I started bioidentical hormone treatment which, along with other positive effects, is supposed to increase bone density. If I were to start a new protocol of treatment with the California doctor, I would not be able to tell what effect bioidentical hormone treatment actually will have had on my bone density. My decision, therefore, is to stick with the bioidentical hormone treatment and then have another Dexascan in October 2013 to determine my progress.
In the meantime, I’ll also need to rededicate myself to the OsteoDiet program! I think I got a bit cocky after healing from the shoulder fracture so quickly. During the past year and a half, I haven’t kept up as diligently with workouts and daily sunlight, putting them on the back burner as I concentrated more time in my two businesses and my grandchildren.
Bottom line: If I want to keep my bones in good health, I’m going to have to make these activities a top priority!
Here’s…Lucy! Our little Lucy was born on September 21, 2012, weighing in at 7 pounds, 7 ounces and 21 inches long. She joins her big brothers, John and Ben, as the third child of the Kennedy family and the thirteenth grandchild of her pleased-as-punch grandparents, Kathy and George Alford. 🙂 What a blessing it was to be able to spend three weeks with our daughter, Mary, and her beautiful family!
Now that I am back home in DeLand, I will start posting the stories that have lined up concerning osteoporosis and bone health, as well as responding to comments that have come in from readers. Thank you for your patience!
Welcome to the world, Lucy Kennedy!
Love,
Nana (Kathy)
What does water intake have to do with osteoporosis? Plenty! Read this enlightening article from SaveOurBones.com to learn more about it:
http://saveourbones.com/dehydration-and-osteoporosis/
Note: To alkalize your drinking water, add a squeeze of fresh lemon or lime.
Tags: osteoporosis diet, water
I don’t usually eat a 1000-calorie diet during any particular day. In fact, my usual caloric intake tends toward 1500-1800 calories per day. Once in a while though, it’s interesting that the total ends up so low, especially since I was full and satisfied all day! 🙂
Breakfast:
240 1 cup of plain FAGE yogurt (130) + drizzle of honey (~10) + 11 raw almonds (99)
8 1 cup of jasmine green tea + 1/2 tsp. honey
0 8 oz. water
Snack:
160 1 “Quest Bar” (from GNC)
0 16 oz. water
Lunch:
24 4 medium stalks of celery
100 1 tbsp. “Justin’s” brand all-natural almond butter (from Publix)
0 8 oz. water
Sunday dinner:
130 4 oz. Crockpot chicken cooked with Stubb’s Barbecue Sauce
78 Fresh green beans (34) and mushrooms (4), sauteed in olive oil and water (25), seasoned with garlic & herb spice
100 Small garlic cheese biscuit
100 For dessert: Sliced strawberries (25) on top of 1/4 cup of “So Delicious!” brand coconut milk frozen dessert, chocolate flavor (75)
0 8 oz. water
35 Cup of decaf hazelnut coffee with 1 tbsp. of Publix “Natural Bliss” coffee creamer
Bedtime:
0 16 oz. water
25 Nutritional supplements
Total: 1000
It’s just so sad that women are being duped into using pharmaceutical drugs that actually harm the body and bones! Read all about it by clicking on this link to Vivian Goldschmidt’s article:
