Don't make me get all preachy on your osteo ass!

So I had my nutrition class last night, week 11 of 12. I can’t even describe to you how uninformed I feel each week after these classes. Not because of a lack of information in these classes but from what I didn’t know before. How is it that I am 26 years old and nobody has ever told me before about the importance of vitamin D in building bone density? Or how did I not know how hard my body works to burn calories even when I am not doing anything at all? This stuff is all so fascinating to me, but at the same time, I feel like I am not so much the smart cookie (mmm cookies) that I always thought I was for not knowing this stuff. Am I the only one who wasn’t a part of this day-to-day nutrition class of life or are you all in the dark too?

Warning…here’s where I begin preaching to you all about what I have learned…

Here are a few things that I want to share that I didn’t know and maybe you don’t either.

1 – Supplements – These little fellas are really important at building up and maintaining bone density. For those of you under 30, it is super important to start monitoring your intake of these two elements. As Canadians we don’t really get enough Vitamin D, since it’s so bloody cold here most of the year. We’re not exactly sunbathing in February. As women we will be building up our bone density until we’re 30, so start paying attention to your bone health now. After last night’s class I have now developed a fear of osteoporosis and I want us all to be Osteo free! Now here’s the thing you want to take into consideration when choosing a calcium supplement (check with your doc before you start taking random supplements, of course) your body can’t process more than 500 mg of Calcium at a time so don’t bother getting anything over 500 mg. It would just be a waste. And don’t take your calcium supplement with a calcium rich meal. Again, because you can only absorb the 500 mg anyway so why waste the excess when it could be going towards valuable bones!

2 – Supplements are great and all, but your body prefers to get its calcium supply from food, especially dairy products, so don’t ignore yogurt, cheese and good old milk! Pay attention to food labels though too, because even beans have calcium in them, who knew?

3 – If you’re a person who takes in a lot of caffeine, keep in mind that this will hinder your body’s ability to absorb calcium. So don’t take your calcium supplement with a cup of coffee either! We need over 1000 mg a day of calcium and every little bit counts, even the calcium in the toast you had this morning.

4 – You should start asking for bone density tests at age 40. Apparently some doctors put them off until your 60’s but that could be too late. I don’t know about you guys but I would much rather find out about my osteoporosis from a doctor then to find out years down the road when I break a leg and it just won’t heal. And that’s what happens when you’re all osteoey (sure, it’s a word)…your bones can’t build up like they used too so you may never fully heal. In fact more women die each year from osteoporosis related injuries than from breast cancer or cervical cancer combined. We all know someone who has been affected by those hellish cancers, so think of how many people we know that may undiagnosed with osteoporosis.

The moral of today’s lecture is that I am selfish and I want you all here for the rest of my life so start paying more attention to your calcium and vitamin D intake now so that I don’t have to carry you all around in your old age.

xo
b