4 proven steps to stronger bones and a healthier body: don't assume that the calcium you consume ends up in your bones.

Are you acidic or alkaline? According to nutritionist Sam Queen, founder of the Institute for Health Realities, "There are many factors you need to address in order to have healthy bones." One key is the pH of your body. If you're acidic, minerals rush out of your bones to neutralize the acid. "Calcium won't flow into bone if you're too acidic," Sam states.

If being alkaline is more conducive to growing and maintaining healthy bones, how do you make sure that your pH swings in that direction? One way is to avoid foods that promote acidity. Drinking colas preserved with phosphoric acid, or downing coffee--especially on an empty stomach--tends to turn you acidic. Other foods you should limit or avoid altogether include donuts, pastries, candy, white bread, and anything fried.

Other acid producers include smoking, too much stress, and environmental toxins.

To become more alkaline, certain dietary choices can help. Ironically, foods with weak acids help you become more alkaline. Queen explains: "When weak acids touch the upper intestine, the pancreas produces bicarbonate. The bicarb overwhelms the acid and the extra bicarbonate is absorbed, making the whole body more alkaline."

These helpful "weak acid" choices include apple juice, cider and vinegar, fresh lemon and lime juice, and cultured dairy foods. The latter category encompasses cottage cheese, yogurt, and soft cheeses such as Havarti, Brie, and Swiss.

Vital Nutrients

A second method to help reduce your osteoporosis risk is to include bone-building nutrients in your diet. Two favorites of Dr. Susan Brown, director of the Osteoporosis Education Project, are vitamin D and vitamin K. Brown recommends getting your level of vitamin D tested using the 25(OH)D test (your doctor will know what that is). According to Brown, "You really need to be at the high end of the normal range." Studies have demonstrated osteoporosis fracture prevention at vitamin D levels of 40 ng./ml. or greater. If you're low, you can take a vitamin D supplement.

Brown is also very excited about the benefits of vitamin K. "It helps keep calcium in solution, puts it in bone, and keeps it out of the arteries." She recommends getting your vitamin K from natto, which are fermented soybeans. You can generally find natto in Asian food markets, and recipes abound on the Internet.

Natto boasts another benefit. It contains phytoestrogens, which are plant-based estrogens. You may know that estrogen influences the flow of minerals into bone. Unfortunately, too much estrogen also promotes cancer.

Phytoestrogens are safer, since the body uses them to produce either estrogen or progesterone (whichever is needed most).

Foods in the legume family offer the highest levels of phytoestrogens. Good sources include tofu, soymilk, tempeh, miso, lentils, beans, chickpeas, and red clover tea. Note that the body does not store phytoestrogens, so it's important to eat these foods every day. Furthermore, to get the full benefit of phytoestrogens, you need friendly bacteria such as acidophilus. Friendly bacteria act on phytoestrogens to make them more bioavailable and active as a hormone. You can buy friendly bacteria supplements, or find them in foods such as yogurt.

Calcium and Protein

Of course, any discussion of bone health wouldn't be complete without talking about calcium. There are many vegetable and dairy sources of calcium (see sidebar on page 12). For those who don't get enough from foods, supplements are an option. Both Queen and Brown believe calcium citrate is a good source. Both nutritionists warned against calcium carbonate, dolomite, bone meal, and oyster shell, since they may be contaminated with heavy metals.

Number three on the bone health list is to eat enough protein. According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, a low protein diet may decrease intestinal calcium absorption. Protein is also a necessary part of bone. It forms the matrix that provides a home for minerals such as calcium.

Unfortunately, eating the right amount of protein isn't always enough. Your body has to break the protein down into amino acids. Consuming foods with high levels of enzymes can help make this happen. Examples include fresh papaya, pineapple, mango, kiwi, and sprouts. You can also activate enzymes in raw seeds and nuts by soaking them overnight in water. Just be sure to store them in the refrigerator after you drain off the water.

Some people need a little boost to get enough amino adds. Companies such as MetaMetrix (see sidebar below for contact information) can measure the levels of different amino acids in your blood. Then, by working with a doctor or nutritionist, you can have an amino acid supplement tailored to your body's specific needs.

Bethany's Breaks

A lack of key amino acids was one factor in 12-year-old Bethany Howard's frequent fractures. Bethany had already broken her arms five times and her toes four times when she came to the Institute for Health Realities.

Institute founder Queen believes God designed the body to heal itself, and strives to study and support that fact to facilitate healing. To this end, he ordered an extensive blood chemistry panel on Bethany to determine the underlying causes of her bone loss. This revealed a problem with protein metabolism and evidence of a toxic exposure, which eroded the protein matrix within her bones. Once this was corrected, repair took place amazingly fast.

Bethany is not alone. A research team at the Mayo Clinic studied fore-arm fracture rates from 1979 to 2001. According to principal investigator Dr. Sundeep Khosla, there was a 42 percent increase in such fractures in young people most under the age of 20.

Researchers believe a lack of exercise may be one factor in these fractures. "Get moving," is bone health step number four. Dr. Gregory Mundy, professor of Bone and Mineral Metabolism at the University of Texas Health and Science Center at San Antonio, agrees. When it comes to building bones, Mundy says, "I think exercise is the single most important thing that people can do for themselves, and specifically load-bearing exercise." His advice? Get out those weights. Don't worry if you hate weight training. Try something else. You'll get some benefit from just about any type of exercise as long as you're eating enough protein as well.

Preventing osteoporosis requires more than taking calcium supplements. Only a healthy body can create healthy bones. The journey begins with promoting alkalinity, consuming bone-building nutrients, eating sufficient protein, and exercising.

Sources of Calcium (RDA 800-1,200 mg.)

Sources of Calcium         Amount   Content in mg.

Yogurt, low fat, plain      1 cup        415
Amaranth flour              1 cup        407
Spinach, cooked             1 cup        360
Sesame seeds, whole       1/4 cup        352
Milk                        1 cup        300
Buttermilk                  1 cup        288
Amaranth, grain, boiled     1 cup        276
Rhubarb                     1 cup        266
Turnip greens               1 cup        266
Collards                    1 cup        210
Cheddar cheese              1 oz.        204
Mustard greens              1 cup        193
Almond butter             1/4 cup        172
Broccoli                    1 cup        136
Cottage cheese              1 cup        130

From: Brown, Dr. Susan E., Better Bones, Better Body, New Canaan, Keats
Publishing, 1996

Contact the following organizations for more bone-building information:

The Osteoporosis Education Project www.betterbones.com 315-437-9384

The Institute for Health Realities www.healthrealities.org 719-598-4968

The Foundation for Osteoporosis Research and Education www.fore.org 888-266-3015

National Osteoporosis Foundation www.nof.org 202-223-2226

National Institutes of Health Osteoporosis and Related Bone Diseases National Resource Center www.osteo.org 800-624-BONE (2663)

Metametrix Clinical laboratory www.metametrix.com 800-221-4640

Leigh Robertson is a freelance writer and the author of Southern Rocky Mountain Wildflowers (Falcon Press).