A number of nutrients, most notably calcium, can help speed the process of healing broken or damaged bones. However, one of the most important nutritional moves you can make is preventive in nature. Ensure the health and integrity of your bones by eating a diet rich in the nutrients that bones need to stay strong. That, coupled with bone-healthy nutrition after an injury, can significantly speed the healing process.
Since calcium is the primary mineral in the composition of human bone, it comes as little surprise that it plays the central role in recovery from bone fractures or other bone injuries. Naturopathic doctors James Balch and Mark Stengler, authors of “Prescription for Natural Cures,” recommend twice-daily doses of 500 to 600 milligrams of readily absorbed calcium supplements, such as calcium citrate, calcium citrate-malate or calcium hydroxyapatite. Eating a calcium-rich diet can also help speed the healing process, according to “Nutrition for Healing,” a publication of New York City’s Hospital for Special Surgery. Foods high in calcium include dairy products such as milk, cheese and yogurt; almonds; soy products; and cruciferous vegetables, including broccoli, kale, collard and mustard and turnip greens.
Vitamin D plays an important role in drawing calcium from your blood into the bones, according to Michelle S. Cook, author of “The Phytozyme Cure.” Without adequate doses of the vitamin, the calcium in the foods you eat and supplements you take can have difficulty finding its way into the bones that need the mineral to heal. Sometimes called the sunshine vitamin, D can be acquired through exposure to unfiltered sunlight. However, Cook points out that few people get enough of this vitamin from the sun and need to eat foods rich in D or take supplemental doses. Food sources of vitamin D include oily fish, such as mackerel, salmon, sardines and tuna; egg yolks; dairy products, including fortified milk; and beef liver. The Hospital for Special Surgery recommends a daily intake of 400 to 800 international units of vitamin D daily. Those recovering from a bone injury should aim for the higher end of that recommended range.
In an article published in a 2012 issue of “The Open Orthopaedics Journal,” three Florida-based orthopedists explain the importance of vitamin K in bone health. The vitamin plays a key role in strengthening osteocalcin, a protein component of bone, without increasing the mineral density of bone. This process, known as carboxylation of osteocalcin, significantly reduces the risk of fracture and speeds healing in the event of bone injury. The optimum daily intake for the vitamin, found in green leafy vegetables, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, fish, liver, meat, eggs and cereals, is 90 micrograms for women and 120 micrograms per men. However, to maximize the bone-strengthening properties of vitamin K, the article’s authors suggest increasing daily intake by roughly 20 percent.
Other nutrients critical to bone health and healing include boron and silica, both of which help to increase the uptake of calcium from the blood, according to nutritional consultant Phyllis A. Balch, author of “Prescription for Nutritional Healing.” Additional bone-healthy nutrients include the amino acid lysine, which also promotes the absorption of calcium; vitamin C, a key player in the production of collagen that is essential to bone healing; and magnesium. The Office of Dietary Supplements points out that 50 percent of the magnesium in your body is found in the bones, where in proper proportion to calcium it plays an important role in the maintenance of bone health. According to the ODS, the recommended daily allowance for magnesium is 400 milligrams for males 19 to 30 and 420 milligrams for males 31 and older. The RDA for women 19 to 30 is 310 milligrams and 320 for those 31 and older.
Articles For Your Diet
- Prescription for Natural Cures; James Balch, M.D., and Mark Stengler, N.D.
- Hospital for Special Surgery; Nutrition for Healing
- The Phytozyme Cure; Michelle Schoffro Cook, Ph.D.
- The Open Orthopaedics Journal: Essential Nutrients for Bone Health and a Review of Their Availability in the Average North American Diet
- Prescription for Nutritional Healing; Phyllis A. Balch, CNC
- Office of Dietary Supplements: Magnesium
- dairy products - cheese, milk, butter, sour cream image by Tatiana Belova from Fotolia.com