Does your family know better than to try talking to you before you’ve had your first cup of coffee? If that’s the case, you are not alone. Millions of coffee drinkers worldwide need that cup of java to get going in the morning.
But coffee is acidifying, so it accelerates bone loss, especially if consumed in excess or even in moderation as part of a predominantly imbalanced acidic diet.
Besides its delicious aroma, coffee does have certain benefits. And here’s my little secret: I drink one cup to start my day, and I’ll tell you exactly how you can too – without hurting your bones, of course. And if you are a tea drinker, I have some bone-smart tips for you as well.
Coffee’s Redeeming Qualities
It’s true, coffee’s not all bad. First, for all the controversy surrounding it, the caffeine that gets you going in the morning is a stimulant that can produce an instant energy lift. Although that stimulant effect can have its downsides, it temporarily increases your metabolism and can thus be an aid in weight loss. And here’s more good news for coffee lovers: caffeine is being studied for its potentially positive effects on memory.
But more to the point as it relates to your bone health, the polyphenols in coffee can actually stimulate osteoblast production (osteoblasts are the cells that build bone and promote bone health).1
Polyphenols function as antioxidants, and play an important role in bone health. Most of the antioxidant attention has gone to Vitamin C, although those of you who got the Save Our Bones Program are familiar with lycopene, a potent antioxidant that protects bone cells from damage, and polyphenols.
Just as there are many types of antioxidants, there are many types of polyphenols; thousands, in fact! Coffee contains caffeic acid, ferulic acid, and p-coumaric acid (all of which fall into the broad category of phenolic acids).
Sounds great, doesn’t it? Caffeine for energy, polyphenols for all the bone and health benefits they provide… What could be better?
Well, as I mentioned earlier, coffee is an acidifying food, and excessive consumption can hinder your efforts to regain your bone health.
Decaf’s Better Though, Right?
If you’re patting yourself on the back because you only drink decaffeinated coffee, here’s important information for you. Decaf can be a good choice if you’re sensitive to caffeine, but it doesn’t change the fact that coffee is still acidifying. So drinking excessive decaffeinated coffee can be just as detrimental to your bone health as the caffeinated variety.
But… since this article is all about compromises, if you love your coffee but can’t handle caffeine, go ahead and reach for the decaf. With a couple of cautions. It’s important to be aware that there are different methods of removing caffeine from coffee beans. Both the so-called “Direct” and “Indirect” methods use chemicals (either dichloromethane or ethyl acetate) to rinse the beans or extract the caffeine. Of course, the use of synthetic chemicals further acidifies the pH.
So if you choose to drink decaf and would prefer to avoid a side order of chemicals, look for coffee that’s been processed using the Swiss Water Method, which uses water and carbon filters. The result is 99.9% caffeine-free coffee with most of its flavor retained.2
You can find several products that use this method by doing an online search for “Swiss water method decaf coffee.” Don’t let the name mislead you; the critical step for decaffeination is the use of charcoal filters. Or you can simply ask at a local grocery or specialty store.
How About a Cup of Tea?
But tea is not the magic elixir for your bones either. In the past several years, we’ve been regaled with the benefits of tea, particularly green tea. You’ve probably heard a myriad of health benefits of green tea thanks to its high content of free-radical fighting polyphenols.
And a study conducted in the UK found that black tea can improve bone density.3 Most of these benefits are attributed to its polyphenols. Tea, like coffee, is loaded with them. So why don’t I recommend it? In a word… fluoride, which is toxic and accumulates in your bones and joints.4
Many studies, particularly in the 80’s and 90’s, were conducted to observe if fluoride added to municipal tap water increases the risk of fractures. Indeed, the vast majority showed a relationship between fluoridation and an increase in bone fractures, especially the dreaded hip fractures.
And a recent Mayo Clinic study has found a definite link to bone and gastrointestinal disorders resulting from chronic fluoride exposure due to drinking excessive quantities of tea.5
You see, tea plants absorb a large amount of fluoride from the soil. Green tea is the worst in this regard, and white tea, which is harvested from younger tea leaves, contains the least amount of fluoride.
Note that when I talk about tea, I’m referring to black, green, and white teas. You can enjoy a multitude of wonderful herbal teas, also known as tisanes, without worrying about fluoride.
It’s Time for Your Chicory Break
When it’s coffee break time, a nice cup of chicory probably doesn’t spring immediately to mind, unless you’re European. In Europe, chicory is often added to coffee to increase body and flavor. And you may have seen chicory-based coffee substitute drinks that often include barley, rye, beets, and/or wheat.
Chicory root is alkalizing and bone healthy. Even though the added barley, rye, and wheat are acidifying, a chicory root-based beverage is a great, caffeine-free coffee alternative. There are several coffee substitutes on the market, and finding one you like may be a matter of trial and error. But some people actually prefer the taste of coffee substitutes! Replacing one or two of your daily cups of coffee with a coffee substitute can aid in your pursuit of bone health.
Misnomer Alert: Low Acid Coffee
You may have seen ads for low acid coffees. But before you get all excited and think that you can now drink coffee without its acidifying effects on your bones, here’s the deal. Low acid coffees may have less of an impact on your digestive system, but don’t forget that pH levels have to do with what happens after the food is digested, not how it feels going down. So… unfortunately for those of us who are coffee lovers, low acid coffee is still just as acidifying.
Tips for Bone Health Conscious Tea or Coffee Drinkers
Go ahead and enjoy that cup of coffee or tea in moderation, but protect your bone health by following these guidelines:
1. Use distilled water or water that has been filtered using reverse osmosis
This is especially important for tea due to its fluoride content. If you use tap water or bottled water that has been filtered using another method, you’re getting a double dose of fluoride, first from the water and then from the tea. And boiling actually increases fluoride concentration.
2. Go organic
Choosing organic coffee or tea will reduce the harmful effects of the beverage. Again, this is especially true for tea. Coffee beans are rinsed prior to processing, which removes some chemicals. Tea leaves are not rinsed, as the rinsing process causes the tea leaves to turn moldy when they’re packaged. So your serving of non-organic tea could include a helping of acidifying and toxic pesticides.6 Avoid this by choosing organic when possible.
3. Hold the sugar
Instead of adding sugar to your tea or coffee, try adding some alkalizing bone-healthy stevia or honey instead.
4. Add a dose of alkalinity
Just as I suggest balancing a pasta meal with alkalizing vegetables, balance your tea or coffee with the addition of alkalizing foods. A simple way to do this is by adding almond or soy milk to your coffee, or lemon to your tea. And have your favorite alkalizing snack with either beverage. I know some of you may wonder why you can’t just take a calcium supplement with your coffee or tea to offset the acidifying effects. That won’t work because the beverage gets to your blood stream before the calcium. But you can definitely increase your alkalizing reserves by adding alkalizing snacks, if not with your beverage of choice, then shortly before or after.
5. Mix it with chicory
If you brew your own coffee, try cutting the amount of coffee grounds in half and replacing them with ground chicory root. If you’re hesitant to try this, you could start by adding a much smaller amount of chicory and building from there.
6. Cut down and make substitutions
If you have a 5-cup-a-day habit (whether it’s coffee or tea), work toward cutting back. If you absolutely can’t function without that morning cup, by all means have it. But then try some alternatives like chicory-based coffee substitutes or possibly herbal teas during the rest of the day. If you have a green tea “habit,” try substituting white tea for at least some of your servings, since white tea contains considerably less fluoride.
You CAN Have Your Coffee AND Your Bone Health
Bottom line. Coffee and tea are not ideal foods, but, as you’ve heard me say before, the Save Our Bones Program is not an all or nothing proposition. You can still enjoy the foods you like, including coffee or tea. Just try to find a bone-healthy balance by limiting your consumption, adding alkaline snacks, and using alternative drinks when you can.
References
1 Balachandran, Rao, Murray. “Polyphenols in the extract of greens + herbal preparation have effects on cell proliferation and differentiation of human osteoblast cell line SaOS-2″. 26th Annual Meeting of the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research. 2004.
2 “History of the SWISS WATER Decaffeination Process”. http://www.swisswater.com/about/history. Jan 04, 2007.
3 Hegarty et al. “Tea drinking and bone mineral density in older women”. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 71: 1003 to 1007. 2000.
4 http://www.slweb.org/pf.fluoride-bone.html
5 Hallanager Johnson et al. “Fluoride-related bone disease associated with habitual tea consumption. Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Vol. 82 No. 6 719-724. June 2007.
6 Shivani Jaggi et al.. “Leaching of pesticides in tea brew. “ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 44, No. 11. pp. 5479–5483. 2001.
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April 9, 2013
Excellent site. Plenty of helpful information here. I am sending it to several pals ans also sharing in delicious. And certainly, thanks for your sweat!
March 28, 2013
Thank you so much, Vivian, for explaining the facts, about coffee and tea beverages. You have taught me some important things about these beverages. Although, I am not a heaving drinker of coffee or tea, I appreciate your suggestions, for ways to consume these drinks.
March 25, 2013
Thank you.everithing caming fromyou very informative I truly appresiate,but lot of information is so controversial it not easy to know to whom believe. Olga
March 25, 2013
I noticed that the Chinese prepare their tea with hot water but not boiling hot. They pour the hot water into the tea cup with the green tea or other teas, and the first “brew” is drained and thrown out. They pour for the second time hot water into the tea cup and that is the “brew” that is served to you. They tell you that you can use the same tea leaves for a maximum of two more “brews.” In this way of preparing tea, does the fluoride become considerably less?
March 25, 2013
Re tea/coffee debate, is the common weed dandelion (sold as instant coffee, ground coffee for expresso, or in tea bags)good for your bones? I have read that is is great for kidneys. I have been including the fresh greens and root in my vegetable juice. It is a little bitter, but I counter that with half a lime and a green apple included in the mix.
November 30, 2012
Hey there, You have performed a fantastic job. I will definitely digg it and for my part recommend to my friends. I am sure they will be benefited from this website.
November 26, 2012
I appreciate, cause I discovered just what I used to be having a look for. You’ve ended my 4 day long hunt! God Bless you man. Have a great day. Bye
September 8, 2012
I drink Teeccino Mediterranean Herbal Coffee in the mornings. The ones I like best are Vanilla Nut and Hazelnut. They are 75% organic with chicory. Depends on which one you buy there are organic dates, organic carob, organic barley, organic figs, almonds, natural vanilla extract and natural hazelnut flavor in them. Tastes mostly like the “other” coffee I use to drink. I don’t use a sweetener as I don’t like sweetened drinks, but I do add a little unsweetened almond milk to my mug. In my opinion this is a great alternative. These coffees are hard to find in my area. World Market use to carry them, but stopped. So, I buy them online at Vitacost.
August 4, 2012
I received my Save Our Bones book and have been working my way through it. I am still a little confused about tea. If I drink green tea that is organic, is it acidic? I found some on line and it was organic green tea with herbs. What do you think of this? Thank you!!
February 27, 2012
WANT TO GET GROUND CHICORY AT A REASONABLE PRICE, THE SHIPPING IS EXPENSIVE, WHAT DO OTHER PEOPLE DO ABOUT THAT PROBLEM?
February 9, 2012
SO distilled water does not have fluoride in it?
October 24, 2011
Your articles have so much good information.
Where can I get a coffee substitute as I have been drinking decaf tea for the last two years. I have chronic acid reflux; now I have osteoporosis because of the Omeprazole. I am learning so o o much from you! Thanks,
October 18, 2011
I grew up in the New Orleans area where the coffee of choice was a chicory coffee. I have gone back to it using Community Coffee & Chicory which can be bought in supermarkets locally and online. Love it. I am going to experiment with mixing my own to alkalinize even more.
August 22, 2011
I have switched from Milk 2% Lactose free to Almond Milk from Almond Breeze, but now I saw this in a website and I’am afraid and don’t know what to drink anymore, also I have eaten my brownies with almond milk.
Please help!
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100411205625AAVXpRN
Almond milk is great on cereal but you can’t eat it on a regular basis without damaging your thyroid. Even in milk form,almonds are still nuts and require substantial input from your thyroid to process. Eventually, your thyroid can’t keep up.
Also this:
I was reading Dr. Andrew Weil’s site and he said you should avoid soy/almond milk that uses carrageenan as a thickening agent.
March 11, 2013
Most interesting what you say about Almond milk because I do know how Silk’s Chocolate Soy Milk had a similar adverse effect. After investigation, I learned that since soy is an estrogenic phytonutrient [derived from plants], it will biochemically compete with the delivery of adequate thyroid hormone [they use same uptake pathway] and because estrogen is the more powerful hormone, it is then the metabolism that can suffer due to what, in my case, resulted in additional deficiency of thyroid hormone.
As a postmenopausal woman [estrogen imbalance] who was already hypothyroid [deficiency of thyroid], I thought that drinking the soy milk would help to diminish the newly raging hot flashes, again, due to estrogenic effect…but by the fourth day as I noticed more, not less ‘fatigue’…I knew I had to stop drinking the soy milk which had been my last change in routine. Over time, the metabolism did improve, but only with careful discernment to avoid estrogenic phyto-foods and after I had found a savvy MD who provided appropriate the Rx with a balanced combo of the two primary thyroid hormones T3/T4. [Not just one or the other.]
Simply astounding to think of how our organic bodies are so innately able to perform such finely-tuned balancing act…until they can’t for one reason or another, then it is we who must put heads together to decipher where the tweaking, usually to restore or re-balance, is necessary. Many thanks to Vivian for this open sharing forum and her wealth of expertise and knowledge in order to make the educational process not only go smoother, but also more timely for our best bone health.
July 25, 2011
No comment
June 23, 2011
I love all the questions, but rarely do I see individual answers after them so I am left wondering what the answer is as well. I have been following your program for almost a year but have yet to get the consultation you promised. I know you are EXTREMELY busy and you care deeply for all your readers so don’t think I’m criticizing please.
March 28, 2011
I was diagnosed as hypothyroid and my T4 Free was a little low (0.56) so the doctor prescribed 25 mg per day of Levothyroxine. My T3 & TSH are normal. I’ve been on it for 3 months and ever since I started I have grown a crack up the middle of my thumbnail. Does Levothyroxine make my osteoporosis worse? My Bone Density in March 2010 was a -3.1 after 4 yrs.on Fosomax. I was told to try Forteo but chose to do the Save Our Bones program instead. I eat healthy, exercise & feel great!! What do you recommend?
February 14, 2011
Hi! Vivian,
I Think This Is A Repeat, But It’s Still Good To Be Re-Affirmed! Thank You VERY MUCH For ALL YOU DO!
LOVE, MS. L.
February 14, 2011
Hi Vivian – You suggest putting honey in coffee instead fo sugar. Personally I don’t have that problem because I prefer my coffee black but if honey is so good for our bones can you please indicate which kind is best. I was faced with several choices in my supermarket & didn’t know which to buy. Thank you for all your hard work on our behalf. You truely are a life savior.
February 14, 2011
Hi Nicole,
I don’t recommend honey (or any sweetener) as a food that’s good for your bones. As an alkalizing sweetener, honey can be used in moderation to improve the flavor of foods and is much better than sugar or artificial sweeteners.
If you can find organic honey, that would be best. And you can look for types that are in the most natural state possible.
October 5, 2012
coffee beans that are ground start going stale imdeimately. It literally takes only 15 minutes for coffee beans to lose a large part of their taste after they’ve been ground. When you buy instant or preground coffee, you are getting a product that has already been ground for months, and will taste extremely stale and gross. People who buy things like foldgers or starbucks via only do so because they haven’t yet tasted good fresh coffee beans.
February 7, 2011
I couldn’t disagree with you more about Strontium supplements. You need to read more than a couple of citations to do the research. Strontium is a real benefit to kidney organ recipient patients who have irreversible bone loss. I am disappointed. We use strontium from AOR.ca
January 31, 2011
dear Vivian I live in Queensland Australia I have got your book on save our bones some things I did not understand how it apply to me I was desperately trying to get in touch with you for consulation was unsuccessful, however I have just spend over$200.00 to buy Strontium from USA. Now I learn that it is not good for bone building. I just feel like crying that lound that whole world can hear me. Can any one please advise me what tablets or affordable food can help me for building my bone.
kind regards
Shunt
Queensland Australia
March 31, 2011
would like to hear your on this
January 13, 2011
very informative, i would like t see a small summery at the end of each article eg:
1)tea with distilled water 1 cup a day balanced with almond milk
2) coffee …….
i like you, your work, and your book, i bought your book on my husbands – j.kazerooni – recmendatin, through my doughter yasaman kazerooni
January 3, 2011
I’m so thankful for your continuing emails,all the informations are so beneficial and they are the best i have seen regarding good health.
Now I know about the best water we should have for drinking and cooking, which are distilled water or the water purified through reverse osmosis. Is pure water sold in supermarket the same as distilled water? I’ve recently heard about alkalined water (kangen water)which we can buy and have the equipment installed at home, is alkalined water also as good? Please let me know so that I can decide which one is best to have at home. Thanks Vivian
January 1, 2011
My previous doc says I have osteoperioses and wants me to go on meds. I don’t want to take meds and my body is the 1% who normally reacts to meds most can take. My new doc has insisted I take meds for hypothyroid so am on 7-1/2 mg pill made from pig thyroid as 1st one I took I really had bad reaction to. This one seems to be ok. Just saw comment that “silk” milk from soy isn’t good for me! What? Please help.
December 31, 2010
Extraordinary article about coffee, Vivian. I think we clarified a lot and I have no doubt that this valuable information will benefit us greatly.
December 20, 2010
I don’t believe that Vivian still recommends distilled water.
“The process of distilling actually worsens the presence of these extremely toxic contaminants in your water because anything that vaporizes at a lower temperature than water, such as volatile organic compounds (VOC’s and trihalomethanes (THM’s), will also be boiled and condensed.
Sure, the heavy metals are left behind. Lead, for example, will not vaporize. But chlorine will change into chloroform during the distillation process, and will be present in your distilled water……”
“So, not only will distillation not remove one of the most significant toxins in water, which are the DBPs, it may actually deliver a more concentrated dose of them.
AND, you’re also drinking whatever chemical or metal contaminants the water has dissolved out of the container it’s stored in!”
R/O has its problems too. Details here
http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/12/18/distilled-water-interview.aspx
November 22, 2012
Mercola is wrong. Distilled water is best for your health as Dr Weil says. Any heavy metals are eliminated from distilled water. VOCs not sure but those are easily eliminated through a simple activated charcoal filter which most distillers have.
I’d like to see some more evidence. Distilled water and pure water are PH neutral. Many people from other countries still drink rain water which is demineralized and have better teeth and bones than British or people from the USA with access to tap or filtered water.
The origins of your misconception reach back to studies conducted in the former Soviet Union about 20 years ago that were summarized in an article of the World Health Organization (WHO) without additional research or follow-up. The conclusions on physiological changes were drawn from rat, dog and human subjects who were volunteers undergoing water replenishment after strenuous forced marches in the desert. The study had few specifics on total water intake, diet, whether high purity water was exclusively consumed or the controls used.
There is considerable evidence to counter the Soviet studies. Dr. Daniel Menzel, on of the nation’s leading toxicologists and the chairman of the Department of Community and Environmental Medicine at the University of California in Irvine, points to homeostasis as one of the reasons that the idea of leaching of minerals by consuming high purity water is an “erroneous assumption”.
More evidence comes from the experience of the United States Navy. The U.S. Navy has used distilled sea water for human consumption for approximately 40 years without problems.
Other practical examples are presented by the people who live in Lake Tahoe, California; Portland, Oregon; Seattle, Washington; Boston, Massachusetts; and San Francisco, California which have natural TDS levels below 100 mg/L. These areas represent a considerable total population that apparently experiences no ill health effects from the water they consume.
http://www.cwqa.com/faq.php?section=cwqa&subsec=faq&question=3A
November 24, 2010
I appreciate this forum! My nutritionist recommended using xylitol as a sweetener, which I now use regularly. It is low glycemic compared to sugar, alkalizing and theoretically helps reduce the incidence of cavities.
I would appreciate hearing your thoughts on this, Vivian. Thanks for all your great work!
November 27, 2010
Hi Alison,
Xylitol is not alkalizing; it’s a sugar alcohol. Although several sugar alcohols are touted as naturally occurring in various foods, xylitol and other sugar alcohols are created through a manufacturing process.
November 17, 2010
I bought 100% ground chicory online from Community Coffee and have been brewing it as if though it were coffee. It’s naturally caffeine free, and to me it tastes just like coffee-it’s wonderful!!! So glad to know that it’s good for my bones too.
November 16, 2010
Vivian, I have heard recently that Agave is very good for bones. Can you confirm this?
November 14, 2010
Thank you Vivian for this report.What do you think of rooibos tea/
November 13, 2010
What is the difference between stevia and truvia? I have been drinking an herbal tea with echinacea called a wellness tea, caffeine free, is this good? Thank you for all you do.
Evelyn
November 13, 2010
Is the distilled bottled water in the plastic jugs at the grocery store ok to drink? I know other that the plastic jugs they come in is it safe for drinking?
November 14, 2010
Bottled water is better than tap though not ideal. How is purified water with minerals added? is this safe?
November 10, 2010
Thank you for your tips, Vivian, balancing our food, when I have a cup of tea and put some
lemon on it.
November 9, 2010
I especially liked reading about the acidity of coffee since I start my day with TWO cups of decaffeinated coffee with soy milk and honey.Vivian, I have your book”The bone health revolution” and I have been following it for the last couple of years.I am a 62 year old woman with a frame height of 5’1″ at 88 lbs.I exercise 30 minutes a day every day. Your book has been a ‘God’send for me.I read about your thoughts on bisphasphonates and made the decision to follow your book.I chose to believe that I lost 3 teeth due to taking the drugs as prescribed by my family doctor.I have NOT been taking them for well over a year now , and I have NOT lost any more teeth. I am on a daily regiment of 1600mg. calcium(from food and vitamin supplements)with 3500iu of vitamin D and 800 mg of magnesium.I also take a supplement called’bone basics’ for the rest of my daily bone requirements.I do feel obligated to tell you also that I have been diagnosed with M.S. for thirty years,asthma for the last ten years and osteoporosis for the last 4-5 years.I am doing the best I can,with many thanks to you Vivian for helping me realize that bisphasphonates should be eliminated from every persons’ life with the knowledge that there IS A MUCH BETTER ALTERNATIVE.Thank you so much Vivian for everything I have learned from you personally and of course your wonderful book’The bone health revolution.’
November 7, 2010
I have minimized the consumption of coffee and now I drink chicory instead because I used to drink beverages cereals but I realized that in addition to rye and barley to the cereal malt are also added so that they resemble the coffee flavor. I have understood that Malta does not benefit bones.
November 7, 2010
Hi Vivian !
What is reverse osmosis filtration ?
November 14, 2010
I am also wondering exactly what is reverse osmosis filtration please?
November 6, 2010
Yes, Vivian, I do enjoy a coffee or two in a day, as well as one or two cups of tea. Did purchase organic coffee & must get some organic tea. Thanks for your valuable information.
November 6, 2010
Hi Vivian,
I drink 2 cups of 1/2 Caff coffee every morning and now use non-dairy creamer instead of cow’s milk and am using organic milk in my cereal. Is this acceptable?
November 5, 2010
I am not sure if this is the place to post this question or not, but here goes:
Vivian, you recommend drinking almond milk, rice milk, or soy milk instead of regular cows milk because cows milk is acidic while the others are alkaline. When I did a internet search on other websites that discuss the acidic and alkaline foods, some of them list cows milk as neutral and almond milk, rice milk, and soy milk as acidic. I noticed the same thing with almonds, hazelnuts, eggs, and soy. I am confused how one source can have the foods as acidic and another source (supposedly just as credible) has these foods as alkaline. Your thoughts?
November 5, 2010
Dear Vivian,
Is drinking Soda Water (which is highly alkaline) good or bad for our bones? I am wondering because it is gaseous.
I have switched to drinking iced cold soda water (about 2 litres a day – due to hot flushes), instead of our normal filtered tap water which was very acidic. And I am hoping that I am doing my bones more good than harm by drinking it.
Waiting for your reply,
Yours faithfully, Tracey Duke
November 5, 2010
Jan, thank you for such a prompt reply-For all the followers of your site I’ll say it again here-You have the best informative site with reference to health on the internet, and what I LIKE MOST OF ALL= IT’S THE “NATURAL APPROACH’
‘NO USELESS PRESCRIPTIONS’-MY HAT IS OFF TO ‘VIVIAN’ THE LADY MAKES MORE SENSE THAN ANY ‘DOCTOR’ I HAVE EVER BEEN WITH.
Paul in Toronto.
November 5, 2010
what are alkaline snacks, i’ve never seen any in the shops?
November 5, 2010
Hi Muiel and Martha – Alkaline snacks would simply be ANY alkalizing food. Most fruits and vegetables are alkalizing, as are millet and quinoa. You’ll find several articles about alkalizing foods on this blog, and the Save Our Bone Programs goes into all this in much more detail.
November 5, 2010
I hace the same question. Any good examles of alkaline snacks?
Great article about coffee and tea.
November 5, 2010
I drink coffee with a rounded teaspoon of MSM. Does the coffee take away the effects of the MSM? I have Osteoporosis and Rheumatoid Arthritis (which has caused Plueral Thickening).
I take 400 mg of Citracal and 3000 units of Vitamin D3. I drink almond milk and trying to stay away from dairy products. But I haven’t completely. I’m also vegetarian.
December 31, 2010
Hi Barbara, I was very pleased to have found a great substitute for cow’s milk such as almond milk, but after a year and a half of drinking it I realized that all that I’ve found stores (I live in Madrid) containing maltodextrin and maltose which are names of the substance disguised as MSG (monosodium glutamate) harmful to our health and also makes the drink too sweet.
So if you decide to drink this milk you make sure it is free of these substances to be eligible for the benefits of almond milk
November 5, 2010
thank you Vivian for your wonderful advices, i always read them. May God bless you for all your help to the people!
November 4, 2010
After I did a water change on my fish tank using my rain water,all the fish died so I tested the water PH & found it to be extremely acidic…I now use the town water supply for the fish & treat all my drinking water , including my kettle, with a small dash of bicarbonate of soda…this alkalizes it immediately. I had been drinking the rain water for 4 years thinking it was safer than town water which our Government treats with fluoride & chlorine. I’ve probably been adding to my bone deterioration by choosing to use the rain water! Debbie, Australia
November 4, 2010
I posted a comment early this evening and saw it when I checked the comment section. But now it’s not there. Where did it go???
November 4, 2010
I HAVE A VERY LOW BONE READING AND WISH TO RAISE MINE. I DRINK SAMS BOTTLED WATER FROM WALMART. IS THAT FLORIDE FREE? IF NOT WHAT IS? THANKING ANYONE THAT CAN HELP ME ON THIS.
November 5, 2010
The only types of filtration that get rid of fluoride are distillation and reverse osmosis. Most “regular” bottled water contains fluoride.
November 29, 2010
I am glad to read that reverse osmosis treatment gets
rid of clorine and floride. I was planning to get the
Kangen system, which is expensive, until I read your
comments. Judy
January 4, 2011
Judy,
Don’t know if you bought your osmosis system yet? But I bought a nice one at Costco. It has 4 big tubes.
My Hubby is not handy, so I had a plummer install it.
Don’t be fooled by a high price for a Osmosis system. I had checked out many of them. Some are a Big Hype.
We in the mountains in California on a Well. The Well water can change daily. I had the osmosis checked and it is doing a great job of Alkaline water.
November 4, 2010
I drink organic Yerba Mate tea in the morning. It comes from a holly tree that is native to the rain forest of South America. It contains a form of caffeine that is similar yet different to that in regular tea or coffee. What is your opinion of this tea? I would greatly appreciate hearing your reply. Thanks!
November 4, 2010
Thank you, Vivian, for all your informative emails and research. You are helping us so much in our effort to build/maintain healthy bones. I love my new eating habits and don’t miss the old ones.
November 4, 2010
Love all your bone tips and try to follow them as best I can. I have my reverse osmosis water system now installed and actually prefer the taste of this water and so of course I tend to drink more water and less coffee and sodas. Thanks!