How to Avoid Osteoporosis
April 20, 2019
We’re told how to eat to lose weight, keep your heart healthy … but are we ever told to eat better to build strong bones? It’s not a common conversation, but it’s critically important. Listen in to learn what foods build strong bones and just as importantly, what foods deplete bones of key minerals. Don’t wait to protect your bones until it’s too late, start with your next meal!
Similar Podcast Episodes:
Transcript:
CAROLYN: Well, good morning and welcome to Dishing Up Nutrition. It seems like on a daily basis we're told to eat better and exercise to keep our heart healthy or just to prevent type two diabetes. But how are we ever really told how to eat better to build strong bones? To be honest, it is… It's not really a very common conversation that we have with our doctor or any part of our medical team. Sometimes we're told weight bearing exercises are recommended, but sadly most people just don't know what foods they should eat to build strong bones or what foods actually deplete their bones of key minerals. If you are concerned about getting osteoporosis, then stay tuned because we're going to be sharing what foods to include in your diet and what foods to avoid. Good morning everyone. I'm Carolyn Hudson and I'm a registered and licensed dietitian and I work with clients in our Eden Prairie location, and teach classes for businesses and community groups. And I've been a dietitian for let's just say over 35 years and I personally follow an eating plan that keeps my bones strong and healthy. And with all of the snow and freezing rain this past winter, the winter from, I don't know where. It was horrible, right? At least here in Minnesota. I you know, I was really worried about slipping and falling. We had a lot of ice and a lot of snow. So I want my bones to be strong and healthy enough so if I did fall I wouldn't end up with fractured bone and in the hospital. So joining me today to share some of her wisdom about what we can do to avoid osteoporosis is Melanie Beasley, who is also a registered and licensed dietician. Good morning Melanie.
MELANIE: Good Morning Carolyn, and all of our listeners. I have been a dietitian also for over 30 years. And I see clients in our Lakeville and Mendota Heights locations. Recently understanding bone density and having strong bones is very near and dear to me. In the past I had taken several medications through sort of my journey through cancer and back pain and a whole host of things that left my bones weak and fragile. So I know all too well, the importance of having strong bones, which is why I'm also in the process of rebuilding my own bones. Some people have been told that it is impossible, and I've been told this as well to reverse osteoporosis. Well, as dietitians at Nutritional Weight and Wellness, we know better, right Carolyn? So I'm here to tell you, I am on a personal mission to put my own osteoporosis into remission and return to having strong dense bones. I am thoroughly convinced that we all need to have the belief that what we're eating makes a big difference between having weak and fragile bones or having strong, flexible bones. So I'm very, very passionate about helping my clients and our listeners to understand the importance of their bone health.
CAROLYN: Yeah. The first thing we really want all of you listeners to realize that it, it takes more than just adding a calcium supplement to build strong bones. I think that's kind of new information for a lot of people. They just think, and doctors too. What do doctors say? “Take a calcium supplement”. They don't tell you what kind of calcium supplement. They don't tell you anything else. Right? So, you know, the eating plan we're going to share with you today has proven over and over to produce results. In fact, we have had many, many clients company wide who were originally diagnosed with osteoporosis, but then totally reversed their test results.
MELANIE: Wow. Carolyn, say that again.
CAROLYN: We have had many, many clients company-wide who were originally diagnosed with osteoporosis and osteopenia, but totally reversed their test results. So they now have normal bone density as a result of following both our food plan and our supplement recommendations. So, you know, did this reversal from osteoporosis to normal strong bone density happen overnight? Of course not. It never does. There aren't magic, you know, instant solutions. So it wouldn't be any faster than it would take someone to lose 40 or 50 pounds. And what I say to clients, a lot of time, “Okay, how long do you think it took you to lose this bone density”? It didn't happen the day you had your first Dexa scan. Right? It took place over a longer period of time. So in reality, there just aren't any quick fixes. But as our clients repair their bone structure, they also repair their metabolism, their memory, their moods, and now they have a little spring in their step and they're feeling great, hopefully. So that was really unexpected, for a lot of our clients to have that added benefit of, you know, their spring in their step and their memory and their moods also improving. But it's very, very, very exciting for them when I think of that little spring in their step. I think of my mother. Okay. She's 91 and she has still a wonderful sense of adventure. She hikes the Lake Superior trails. She kayaks on its shores. And I'm happy to say my mother is a very good eater. And if my mother can do this and follow a real food eating plan and maintain good bone health at her age, you can too. So it just takes a strong “Why, why am I doing this”? And some really, really good nutrition advice.
MELANIE: Good nutrition advice. Yeah. Not just take a calcium or chew a Tums, right?
CAROLYN: Right. Oh my goodness. The ‘chew a Tums’. That’s a scary one.
MELANIE: I’m in agreement with you. You know, when I, when I had my diagnosis, the doctor, you know, and originally just said, you know, chew some Tums, and we want to put you on a bone building medication. But knowing what I know through the research, I opted to go the Nutritional Weight and Wellness way. There was also a myth going around for many years that we shouldn't eat too much protein. Have you heard that? Because supposedly excess protein contributed to osteoporosis or this was the thought. That was a total myth. You talk about some poor nutritional advice. The theory was that protein increases acid load, which could cause the body to leech calcium from the bones, which you know, in reality it's not the protein that increases the acid load, but it's the processed carbs and the sugar.
CAROLYN: Oh Melanie, better say that one again.
MELANIE: Yes. Let me revisit that. It is the processed carbs and the sugar. So what am I talking about? I'm talking about the large bowl of cereal or the toast and orange juice, the low fat fruit flavored high sugar yogurts. The big bags of popcorn. That's what increases the acid load, which in turn leeches the calcium and magnesium from the bones. So study after study clearly reports that soda and those high sugar coffee drinks, those fat free cookies and crackers: Those are the bone destroyers. In 2017 a review was published about research pertaining to the amount of protein consumed in relation to bone health. And this research found that increased protein intake does not harm bones and the research concluded that high protein intake actually improved bone health.
CAROLYN: Well has a matter of fact, one study found that low protein intake is often observed in patients who have had hip fractures. So a good question for our listeners is if you have the beginning stages of low density, low bone density, how much protein are you eating each day? Are you eating two to three ounces of protein for breakfast or maybe four ounces for lunch and four ounces for dinner? Add that up. That's only like 10 ounces. And I am working with clients who skip breakfast, right? Lots of our clients skip breakfast before they started seeing us. And they have two to three ounces of protein on their salad for lunch and maybe a small chicken breast at dinner. So when we come back from break, we'll discuss that in a little more detail. So good morning everyone and you are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. Last week on our show was about how to control cravings. I find that some of my clients talk badly about themselves when they're out of control with their eating. They tell themselves that they are weak-willed or too busy and don't have time to eat or they get distracted and just forget to eat, which can lead to cravings. But at Nutritional Weight and Wellness, we teach people to write down what they eat the following day. And it's a really simple and very doable habit that puts the client in control. One of my clients said, “I don't feel very good about myself when I'm not in control of my cravings”. The habit of just writing down what you eat the very next day is a habit that will empower you and puts you in control; Not your cravings. And we'll be right back.
BREAK
MELANIE: You know, as dietitians and nutritionists, we don't just teach people how to eat in balance by eating protein, vegetables, and good fat-Really important information, but we also teach clients how to think about food and how to practice behaviors that support their health. So how do you say to yourself, “I'm important enough to plan and prepare good food for myself so my brain is not cluttered with ‘Where can I get my next sugar fix’?” I prefer to think of my planning and preparing food as my self-care plan. And that helps me be a master over my cravings, over my health and especially over my bone density. Eating real food several times a day is the real answer.
CAROLYN: Isn't that right? So before we went to break, we were talking about protein, bone health and protein intake. So some people might have a total of about 10 ounces in a day, but we're often working with clients that skipped breakfast and then only have two or three ounces of protein at their lunch, maybe on a salad or something like that. And maybe a small chicken breast, which again might be just like two or three ounces for dinner. So they might only be getting like six ounces of protein every day.
MELANIE: Not enough.
CAROLYN: Nowhere near enough. So to support bone health, most people need at least 12 ounces. And it's interesting to know that as we age, and this is going to be a shocker for a lot of people, we actually need more protein to maintain our muscles and support our metabolism, keep our immune system functioning and supply the amino acids to have a good memory and positive moods. So that's something to really think about.
MELANIE: Especially when we see seniors in our office. In clinic, we see that they are scaling back on protein, which is the exact opposite of what you're wanting for their health. Eating plenty of protein is a good thing. There are many, many benefits of eating an ample amount of protein. Some of the reasons, well let's talk about some of those reasons to include protein in your diet. Well, one, adequate amounts of protein have a positive effect on our muscle mass. So we need protein to keep our muscles as we age. Two: Many studies have found that protein increases energy in our bodies. Protein actually increases your metabolism by up to 35% for two to three hours after eating it. And I find if I'm not getting that protein in my energy is not there.
CAROLYN: Oh, I feel that all the time if I'm low in my protein intake. So, and I think particularly our weight loss clients, they're kind of shocked on that statistic, right? It raises our metabolism increases by 35%. So, “Ooh, I wasn't eating enough protein before, but now I am sure going to try to eat enough”.
MELANIE: It's working for us. Also, protein keeps us full longer than carbs and for replacing process carbs with protein and fat, like we were talking about, it supports that weight loss and it reduces insulin resistance. Many of you may be wondering “How does replacing process carbs with protein and fat help with weight loss”? Well, eating sufficient protein reduces your appetite because protein takes longer to break down than most carbohydrates. Therefore, it is more satiating. Clients report feeling fuller longer and having fewer cravings for sugar when they eat enough protein. In addition, we need sufficient protein to maintain and grow our muscles. The more muscle that we have, the better our metabolism works because muscles help us burn more calories.
CAROLYN: So we want to share some cold, hard facts about osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is responsible for 2 million broken bones every year, but 80% of older adults aren't even tested or treated for osteoporosis. So here's another fact: Men are more likely to break a bone then to get prostate cancer. That's interesting, isn't it?
MELANIE: It is interesting. And to say that they're not being tested at the rate they should be tested… I want my clients to be empowered. I'm sort of a vitamin D Nazi and a bone density Nazi, so I always encourage my clients: Know your vitamin D and after the age of 50 get a Dexa scan. It's just a great baseline. But here's a fact that I feel our listeners need to hear: Out of 300,000 hip fractures every year, one quarter or one out of four of those people end up in nursing homes. It's a big deal.
CAROLYN: Oh, it's huge.
MELANIE: And half of those people who end up in nursing homes never regain their previous function. This being the case, osteoporosis is a serious problem, Carolyn.
CAROLYN: Yes, it really is.
MELANIE: As dietitians, we know real food matters when it comes to our bone health.
CAROLYN: So have you ever been out walking in the woods and stumbled across a leg bone from a dead deer or some other, you know, dead animal? For those who have, did you ever notice when you looked at that or touch that bone that it was hard and really no longer had any kind of life? So when the deer was alive, that leg bone was actually alive also. Even though it may seem like our bones are not alive and growing, they are. We should be thinking them about them as alive. So a common question we get is “How do you feed your bones to keep them growing and rebuilding”? So there's really a very natural rhythm to bone growth. First of all, there is a slow process of the bone breaking down and that's natural. And then to fill in the broken down areas, new bone is grown to replace that old, unhealthy bone. So this is the breaking down and rebuilding process. Many of the pharmaceutical medications for bones actually stop the re-growth of the bone. So the end result is that you have those old bones. And those old bones easily fracture into many pieces. So we need our bones to be flexible and alive. Real food keeps your bones strong, dense and flexible. If you fall, you will want your bones to be flexible enough so that they bend and have enough give so that they will bend and give and give, but not break. Right? And I think that's a concept… that's a kind of a foreign concept for a lot of people. Your bones are alive.
MELANIE: They’re alive, and they're constantly, I always describe it as, you have… think of little Pac-man that go along and they eat up the dead bone and then you have brick layers that go down and lay down new bone.
CAROLYN: Now, that's a good visual.
MELANIE: And you don't want to disrupt that process with creating more dead bone, which is really what some of these medications do.
CAROLYN: Yeah. And a lot of people don't understand that. So, you know, I think that's a really, really important concept because doctors will just automatically say, “Oh, you need to go on one of these, you know, bone building medications”, where it's, it really isn't healthy bone anymore. It's kind of dead brittle bone, right?
MELANIE: It's true. As dietitians, we know it takes about 20 different nutrients to keep these bones healthy. So let's talk about the seven most important ones. I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind when we talk about nutrients is we need calcium for our bones. That's a true story. Yes. Calcium is one of the many vital nutrients we need for our bones. When we work with clients who have experienced low bone density, we always start with food first. Some foods that are high in calcium and can be easily absorbed are leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach, collard greens… Almonds are high in calcium as well as my new love I found is sardines with bones. And also broccoli. When you saute those green vegetables in butter or coconut oil, the oil helps with the absorption of that calcium that you're eating.
CAROLYN: So it's already time for our second break, Melanie. So you are listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. And we're discussing how to avoid osteoporosis. Research has found that you build about 90% of your bone mass by the time you are 18 to 20 years old. So we know that pop leaches minerals from your bones. We also know that sugar leaches minerals from your bones. And we also know that following one of those low-fat diets, low-calorie eating plan is deficient in adequate in vitamins and minerals to build those bones. So how do you educate your young adults about the benefits of eating real food? So let me suggest treating your teen to the Weight and Wellness Series that starts on May 7th. Sign up now and we have an early bird special and save $50. All you have to do is call (651) 699-3438 today, and sign up or register online at weightandwellness.com. And we'll be right back.
BREAK
MELANIE: It was interesting to read that 8% of all cancers in the US are linked to excess body weight. According to the cancer society researchers, that excess body weight is 8% of all cancers. So compared with people of normal weight, obese patients are more likely to see their cancer come back. Overweight young people are developing weight-related cancer including colorectal cancer. I encourage everyone to sign up for our $10 spring class called Nutrition to Reduce Your Cancer Risk. Maybe taking this class could be a family event. Check out the dates, times and locations at weightandwellness.com or call 651-699-3438 and someone will be happy to sign you up.
CAROLYN: Yeah. Melanie, I just thought I taught that class, one of those $10 classes this past week and it was packed. It was a really fun class and I think the participants really enjoyed all of the knowledge that they got. They certainly stayed after and talked to me for a good half an hour, 45 minutes. So it's really a well received a class. All of the classes are.
MELANIE: I really think that cancer touches everybody anymore.
CAROLYN: Oh yeah. I know I had to, you know, kind of go through my story and you know, 50% of people basically are going to probably have some kind of cancer. So, yeah, it's a big one. So let's get back to our topic today about osteoporosis, bone and bone health. So one reason we always recommend to eat protein, vegetable carbs, and healthy fat at every meal is because it takes magnesium to help with the absorption of calcium. So where do we get magnesium from? Mainly from meat and nuts. A bone-building breakfast might be a turkey patty with spinach or kale sauteed in coconut oil or butter with a half a cup of sweet potato, which will supply potassium and vitamin C. So potassium and vitamin C are two other nutrients for strong bones. Cereal, bread, bagels, pasta, chips, crackers and baked goods are those nutrient robbers for your bones. So all of these foods actually leech key nutrients from our bones.
MELANIE: Of course, vitamin D… Vitamin D's another important nutrient for bone health. When we're helping clients restore and rebuild their bone density, we write a food plan that will provide the necessary nutrients they need to build healthy bones. Oftentimes we need to recommend supplements to support that bone growth.
CAROLYN: Yeah, I'm always surprised at how many people don't know their vitamin D status, and then you know, you say, well just ask for it on your next physical. And they say, “Well my doctor won't do that”.
MELANIE: It's amazing.
CAROLYN: Yeah, it really is. So many of you may be asking, “Can't I get enough calcium from drinking an extra glass of milk”? But I want to share with you some new research. A study that was just published on March 26, 2019, found that a greater intake of milk and dairy products was not really associated with lower risk of osteoporosis and hip fractures. So are you wondering, if not milk, then what is a better drink to have daily?
MELANIE: On previous Dishing Up Nutrition shows we have recommended making and drinking bone broth. And once again, we're recommending this simple but very effective habit. Drink eight to 12 ounces of homemade bone broth every day for better bones. I never miss my bone broth. Even if I don't have time to make it, there are places you can actually pick it up. And I am vigilant about getting this in and it's delicious. Bone broth supports your skin and your ligaments and your tendons, your cartilage and your bones. Drinking bone broth sounds like a habit we all need to practice, right? If you want a recipe on how to make bone broth, go to weightandwellness.com and click on recipes on the blue header at the top. You know, Carolyn, I always keep a little graveyard of bones in my freezer.
CAROLYN: I love that. A graveyard of bones.
MELANIE: I think if anyone ever, you know, peeked their head in my freezer, they would really be suspicious of me. But just throw those bones in the freezer and I get a pound of bones in there and make some bone broth.
CAROLYN: Yeah, I if I do the same thing, but I've never referred to it as a graveyard. Okay. You’re a vitamin D Nazi and you have a graveyard of bones in your freezer. I love it. So we've talked a number of times about the benefits of vitamin D on every aspect of your body and your brain. So we really encourage you to have your vitamin D level tested at least yearly. The range that we recommend for good health is between 50 and 80. Even at level 30 you’re still considered in the risk range. So most meet people need to take somewhere between four and 5,000 milligrams of Vitamin D daily to support absorption of calcium into your bones. And I like to describe vitamin D as like the key that unlocks your bones so that all of those other really good minerals can get in and start building the bones.
MELANIE: It takes a team to build a bone. You know, it's not just…
CAROLYN: It's not just calcium, right?
MELANIE: Yes. And earlier we mentioned that our bones are live, active tissue and need at least 30 different nutrients to remain healthy. And that's throughout our entire lives. We have to be purposeful about getting these nutrients in. Our bones are constantly breaking down and rebuilding. It's called bone remodeling. So just taking a calcium supplement alone is not enough to keep our bones healthy. I have some clients who think, “Well, I'm drinking calcium fortified juice”. It's usually a poorly absorbable calcium that they throw in those places. So considering that fact, I would like to talk about a supplement that I have been taking to help restore my bone density and bone health. The past few months at Nutrikey we've been working on a total bone building supplement called Key Osteo Plus. This is exciting for those of us that are really on a mission to get those bones in a good healthy place. Key Osteo Plus is full of key nutrients and is tailored to support your bones. You don't have to think about it because our bones need 20 different nutrients to build them; rebuild themselves. And Key Osteo Plus has this convenient am packet of key vitamins and a pm packet of key vitamins. There are some other highlights of Key Osteo Plus. Each packet contains a natural form of vitamin K2 which is so important for our bones. Of course, vitamin D like you mentioned, Carolyn, was added in addition to the most absorbable form of calcium. If you want more information about this amazing bone-building product, call our office at 651-699-3438 to ask our questions. Any questions that you have, they'll help you to answer those. And I've been taking this product. I really believe when I have my next Dexa scan, it will be very impactful and show a remarkable improvement in my bones.
CAROLYN: Yeah. So as many of you heard us say before, more women die each year from a bone fracture than those who die of breast and uterine cancer combined. So bone health is so vitally important and not to be taken lightly. So we need to be proactive to ensure you have strong, healthy bones. And so we would like you to call 651-699-3438 and set up an appointment with one of our dietitians or nutritionists to get you started. So I know that, Melanie, I have had so many clients that have come to me with their osteopenia or osteoporosis diagnosis, and we get them going on what we… but first, we fix their diet, their food intake. One of the first things we do is we check their protein, the protein intake. And usually, you know, usually our clients are over 50 and you know, when they're presenting with this, and some of them, it's their very first Dexa scan that they've had and they're just shocked. They go, I don't know why I've eaten healthy all of my life, you know, but then we find their protein’s a little low and we almost always find that their fat is too low. So we didn't really talk a whole lot about fat. So when we come back from our break we'll talk a little bit more about fat and what kinds of fat we should be eating. So you're listening to Dishing Up Nutrition. Next week we have a special show with a very special guest. Actually, my old high school… I went to school with Greg Peterson. And he's… for our long time listeners and know that Greg Peterson is a co-owner of NutriDyn, a company that provides quality supplements to healthcare professionals. Greg, along with Dar and Marcie will be answering questions you have about supplements. So please help them out by sending your questions to them ahead of time at email@weightandwellness.com. So these are three people who like to prepare and prepare and prepare, prepare some more. They want to answer all of your questions about supplements. So it's going to be a great show, so be sure to email in your questions and you won't want to miss the show and we'll be right back.
MELANIE: Welcome back to Dishing Up Nutrition. I'm happy to report that my favorite bone building supplement, Key Osteo Plus, will be the product of the month for the month of May. Starting May 1st save 15% when you purchase Key Osteo Plus. Clients have reversed their osteoporosis with eating real food and taking Key Osteo Plus every morning and evening. Stop by one of our seven Nutritional Weight and Wellness offices to purchase Key Osteo Plus or any of the other supplements we mentioned today. Or order online at weightandwellness.com. I love that we have free shipping. As always, if you have questions, give us a call at the office at 651-699-3438.
CAROLYN: Melanie, before we went to break, we were talking about, again going back to diet and bone-building, things that we can do in our diet. And you know, I say diet, but really this is a lifelong eating plan, isn't it? I really try to express that to my clients. I'm passionate about… This is the way we should be eating all the time. This is not really what people think of as a diet. But it's an eating plan for health.
MELANIE: And most of our clients, once they embrace it, they will say, I could do this forever. I can do this. I'm not hungry.
CAROLYN: It’s the way you're supposed to eat. And you're not supposed to be hungry. And one of the things that really helps us with our bone structure and our bone health is eating healthy fats, right? So we didn’t really talk too much about that yet. So one thing I always do is I get a variety of healthy fats in my diet. So olive oil, butter, coconut oil, avocados, olives
MELANIE: I have to put a plug in for bacon fat.
CAROLYN: Oh bacon fat. Of course. I did not have time to have bacon this morning before I got on the road to come here. But yeah, bacon is one of my favorites. The only thing with bacon though is we try to tell people: Have the naturally cured, right? So no nitrates and nitrites, you know. So, that's really good. And I mean, what doesn't tastes better when you're cooking with butter or adding butter? You know, to your vegetables or whatever it is.
MELANIE: Not the fake butters. Not the “I can't believes”. We want to believe what we're eating.
CAROLYN: Yeah. One of the things I did the other day that I just, I loved… I'm kind of a blue cheese fan and I can do dairy. So I'm really lucky. I mixed a little bit of blue cheese with some cream from whole whipping cream and some cream cheese and I threw it in the freezer. And then I put it on my steak. It was so good. I'm telling you I'm going to be doing that again. It's my blue cheese ice cream.
MELANIE: Oh my goodness. I bet we have some, some people rummaging to see if they have those ingredients right now in their refrigerator. I can't do dairy. So one of my favorite ways to sort of “zhush” up my meal is of course: I love the bacon fat. But I love to mix butter and coconut oil in with a little bacon fat to get that flavor. And then I roast my vegetables. That mix: kind of delicious.
CAROLYN: Yeah, the cauliflower roasted in that. Oh, I'm going to have to go home and have some of that.
MELANIE: So good. And it's a way to get that bone-building fat in there. So people are always surprised that when we're making up the matrix of bone and we're doing the remodeling is that we have to get enough protein like we mentioned. But we have to get that healthy fat.
MELANIE: And we absorb vitamin D a lot better when we are getting those good fats in. So it all works very synergistically to build those bones. And the bones take awhile to both breakdown and buildup. It takes about 10 years to build a skeleton. So at the age of 50 you have built four skeletons.
CAROLYN: All right.
MELANIE: It’s kind of funny to think about.
CAROLYN: Yeah. And I think that people don't really realize, you know, that whole alive thing and the breaking down. They just think that, oh, your bones are your bones and they just keep on, you know, being the same as they always are. Well, they're not, you know.
MELANIE: It's not until you have a broken bone that you start paying attention to what's happening. Because I always say pain really motivates people.
CAROLYN: Yes. Yeah. Exactly. Who wants that?
MELANIE: And I am always thinking that's what our job is, is to sort of have the nutritional health back of our patients or our clients because we don't want them to miss anything that could impact their health. And so I say it takes a team. And we're part of that team so that you don't have to think about the nutrition. That's our job. And then we just impart it to you. I have several clients… Being a cancer survivor that have cancer, either an early diagnosis and they come in. They want to be walked through that journey with a solid nutritional plan. Or they've just finished up with their cancer and they're coming into… They're ready to make sure that their health is on point. So one of the things that I have them think about is looking at the medications, you know, like I have had to do, and what are some of those that are damaging the bone or thinning the bone? And then there are steps that we can take to definitely protect those bones so that they don't come out on the other side of this journey with another health crisis that they have to now address.
CAROLYN: Right, right. I know one thing that I often… clients will come into my office and they've been on like the acid reducers, the, you know, anti-acid reflux medications for 10 or 15 or 20 years. And what they don't realize is that actually inhibits the absorption of many of the nutrients that we're talking about for bone building. You know, so… And people are thinking, again, they're thinking back, “Oh, well I built my bone already. I don't need to really worry about that”. You know, most women know that at menopause you need to start worrying about that, but they don't think about all these other implications: All these other things that they may be doing that are harming the overall structure of their bone and they're not rebuilding. Now they've got old bone.
MELANIE: Medicines, have side effects. And sometimes we need them. Sometimes we can work on things like digestive health, to where we can get off of those bone-damaging medications.
CAROLYN: That's really the first one I get everybody off of: those acid reflux meds.
MELANIE: You know, and that other red flag is when we don't have good digestive health, which is a red flag. You are not absorbing the nutrients that we need to nourish the entire body, specifically the bones. So we've got to be able to have great digestive health to absorb the nutrients and the supplements that you are taking.
CAROLYN: Absolutely. So you were talking before we came into the studio this morning about a client story. You want to share that with us?
MELANIE: Yes, I had a client. She's very dear to me. We walked through her first diagnosis of cancer. And then she went through radiation. She went through chemotherapy. And so that nutritional support became very vital to her working within the parameters of… You know, how you feel when you're on chemotherapy. But also I always in the back of my head had the idea that she was on a medication that she needed: a chemo drug. And I know that the side effect is osteoporosis. And so, we worked very hard to keep her healthy and nourished, and then she's got to be on this medication for quite a while-another five years. So we have her on the supplement, the bone building supplement (Key Osteo Plus) to make sure that she is able to sustain healthy bones and prevent the cancer through this chemo medication. But an interesting story that she told me was she came out of it and she told me they were astounded at how well she did overall in her response to both radiation; Less damage to the skin (surrounding skin), and also with how she felt. She didn't have the dramatic weight loss, which of course compromises her health. But overall having, when you're going through a health journey, you know, having that team member, a nutritionist that helps to look at your overall wellness and health, and you're not missing these certain little key places and they can really formulate a plan that is bone specific or whatever that you need to take care of you. I mean we need that support.
CAROLYN: Yeah, absolutely. And I just love our new product. I think our, our clients are going to be, just really, really happy with it. Especially, you know, if they don't have good results, like you said, we have a refund.
MELANIE: We do. It's a fabulous refund.
CAROLYN: So it’s great. Well, it's time to end our show so our goal at Nutritional Weight and Wellness is to help each and every person experience better health through eating real food. A simple yet powerful message. Eating real food is life changing. Thank you for listening and have a Happy Easter.
MELANIE: Happy Easter.
