How can you improve your body by improving your bones? Heart health!

This is the last blog in my series of “How can you improve your body by improving your bones?” As you’ve seen, the health of your bones is fundamental to your health as a person.  And there’s one more important part of your body to consider — your heart.

We see a clear link between bone health and heart health

The correlation between bone health and heart health is so high that those with osteoporosis may benefit from screening for cardiovascular disease.

In a natural Better Bones approach, everything you do for bone will also help your heart. A Better Bones program will include a full complement of the vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and essential fats for building cardiac strength, as well as sufficient amounts of vitamin K — particularly K2 as  MK-7 — to reduce the risk of arterial calcification.

Further, following a diet high in vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds, as well as whole grains is associated with lower markers of inflammation in the blood, such as homocysteine and C-reactive protein, both of which are risk factors for heart disease as well as for osteoporosis.

Which leads me to the grocery store…

When I see the processed, high-sugar, high-sodium options, I am reminded how my friends from other countries like to take pictures of our US supermarkets — complete with an entire aisle of boxed cereal or crackers in all shapes and sizes.

On your next trip to the grocery store, focus on foods that can not only help you preserve bone and muscle, but also achieve optimal blood pressure. Fresh vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds yield a high-fiber, low-sodium diet which both preserves bone and helps maintain normal blood pressure.

These foods are included in two important and well-researched diets: Nature’s alkaline diet, and the DASH Diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) from the National Institutes of Health which is the leading dietary approach to reversing hypertension.

Further, these diets include many nutrients key to bone health, which are instrumental in regulating healthy blood pressure:

• Calcium
• Magnesium
• Vitamin D
• Potassium. This is an especially powerful heart and bone guardian. It helps maintain healthy blood pressure, electrolyte balance, bone-crucial acid-base balance, and calcium levels.

I’ve made an alkaline diet the centerpiece of my Better Bones Health Package not just because it supports bone health, but because it supports overall wellness too.