A question I often hear from people curious about my plant based diet is, “How do you guard against osteoporosis without drinking milk?”
There is a widely unknown concept in our society called Acid / Alkaline balance that refers to the pH levels of our body’s tissues and fluids. Our body wants to maintain a slightly alkaline state to support the fact that our blood NEEDS to maintain a pH of 7.35-7.45 (according to www.medicinenet.com ). When our blood becomes too acidic, our body is forced to leach minerals from our bones such as calcium and magnesium to correct the unbalance.
Dairy is highly acidic as are all animal products and refined foods. Ironically, when you consume dairy, despite the fact that it contains high levels of calcium, the resulting acidification of your blood results in a net loss of calcium as your body is compelled to buffer the acid by drawing the calcium out of your bones.
It is for these reasons that a plant-based diet is the best defense against osteoporosis. Vegetables are highly alkaline foods. Fortunately leafy green vegetables are the best sources of dietary calcium. Luckily the calcium in vegetables is highly absorbable due to vegetable’s alkaline status. When we consume vegetables our blood pH remains alkaline resulting in our body’s ability to fortify its calcium stores.
It is time we come back to the generation’s old wisdom, “EAT YOUR VEGGIES!”
For a list of calcium rich vegetables click here.
Top image courtesy of healthrecon.com
Bottom image courtesy of qubeewater.com