Understanding how and why to fuel your body is crucial for achieving all of your FITness goals. There are a lot of unknown truths and even more myths floating around about nutrition. What we put in our body is the number one key to our success! It even out weighs working out!
Below is a post
from CrossFit Oakland about dairy. Read and enjoy!
One of the most
common concerns I hear for not giving up dairy is that by doing so, you will put
the health of your bones at risk, primarily due to insufficient dietary calcium.
With that in mind, I thought I’d offer up a few suggestions for keeping those
bones healthy sans dairy. Take note, though: I’m not saying dairy is bad or that
it can’t be used as part of a healthy diet (although individual results may
vary), I’m simply laying out a case against the argument that you can’t get
adequate calcium unless you’re eating dairy.
1. Eat your
greens!
A large part of our bones are composed of calcium, making it an
essential mineral for maintaining healthy bones. But there’s much more to bone
health than just calcium. According to Michael Murray, ND, there are over 24
bone-building vitamins and minerals that work together to protect us from
osteoporosis. For example, vitamin K is needed for osteocalcin (a protein found
in the bone matrix) to mineralized bone. Magnesium increases calcium uptake and
vitamin D helps it to get deposited into our bones. So, while milk is high in
calcium it is incredibly low in magnesium and the other co-factors that allow us
to utilize the calcium we consume. Green leafy vegetables on the other hand, are
full of these vital nutrients ensuring that we get the calcium from our food. In
fact, one study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (Heaney RP, Weaver
CM.1990; 51:656-657) compared the absorption of calcium from kale with the
absorption from milk and found that calcium absorption from kale was 40.9%,
compared to only 32.1% from milk. What’s more, just 1 cup of cooked collard
greens provides you with more calcium than a cup of cow or goat
milk!
The following foods are essential for maintaining strong
bones: Kale, Parsley, Sesame seeds, Soft shell crab, Sardines and
anchovies (small fish with edible bones), Bok choy, Brocolli, Brussels
sprouts
2. Get Your Daily Dose of Sunshine
Vitamin D is
essential for keeping your bones strong. It works to absorb calcium from your
digestive tract and escorts it right where it needs to go: your bones. According
to health integrationist Layna Burman, if you’re fair-skinned, you need
15-minutes of sun exposure (sans suncreen) between 12pm-2pm every day in order
to get your daily requirements. If you’re darker-skinned, you’ll need closer to
30-minutes of sunlight daily. Most of us don’t get enough sun exposure
especially during the winter, leaving us with weak vitamin D levels. Concerned
about skin damage? Supplement with 2,000-4,000 units of D3. You could also get
your vitamin D levels tested with a 25-hydroxy vitamin D
test.
3. Do CrossFit
Bone is living tissue that responds
really well to exercise. Just like your muscles become stronger and bigger with
regular use, your bones will also become stronger and more dense with exercise.
According to the Osteoporosis Foundation, the most effective type of exercise
for building and maintaining good bone density is weight-bearing exercises and
resistance training. Muscle and bone go hand-in-hand; the more muscle you have
on your body, the stronger your bones are!
4. De-Stress
When
you’re experiencing stress, whether it is good or bad, your adrenals secrete
cortisol, your primary stress hormone, to help remedy the situation. While
cortisol is a powerful anti-inflammatory agent it can also be catabolic, meaning
it breaks down muscle and bone, when it’s elevated around the clock. For
example, exercise is a good form of stress that elicits the release of cortisol
but when you’re over-trained and don’t give your body time to recover, you wind
up doing more harm than good. Chronically high cortisol can also make your blood
more acidic, forcing your bones to release calcium, an alkalizing mineral, to
buffer the acidity. While I’m on the topic of acid/alkaline balance, I should
also mention that certain foods also contribute to an acidic environment. Sodas
and carbonated drinks have phosphoric acid which binds to calcium in your
digestive tract and stops it from being absorbed. Excess amounts of coffee,
alcohol, and sugar can also be acid-forming causing your body to leach out
calcium from your bones. High cortisol levels coupled with a highly acidic diet
can set you up for some serious bone loss. Be kind to your body by giving it
plenty of downtime and feeding it alkalizing foods like fruits and
vegetables.
Supplementation:
Calcium supplements are best
absorbed when they are chelated (bound) to amino acids. It is also necessary to
have adequate stomach acid to digest and absorb calcium. If the stomach produces
too little stomach acid (hydrochloric acid), calcium remains insoluble and
cannot be metabolized. That being said, the recommended daily dose of calcium is
highly individual and depends on factors like age, gender, activity level,
etc.
Fit Chic