16 Bone-Healthy Nutrients In This Quick And Easy-To-Prepare Dish (It Only Takes 10 Minutes)

I’m often amazed at the large number of delicious foods that can be combined to achieve a nutritional bone-health powerhouse.

Last week, as I was in a rush to leave the house and having not prepared my lunch the night before, as I usually do, I improvised a new pH-balanced recipe picking from what I had in the fridge. I was not only delighted by the wonderful taste; after careful analysis I knew that my new recipe had an unusually large number of bone-healthy nutrients.

So I can’t wait to share my brand new scrumptious recipe for a pH-balanced chicken salad that contains no less than 16 powerful bone-building nutrients, most of which are Foundation Supplements.

And there’s more good news – this chicken salad takes just minutes to prepare!

Let’s get started with the recipe, and then we’ll take a look at each of the Foundation Supplements and other nutrients the ingredients contain.

Tropical Chicken Salad

pH-balanced
2 Servings

Ingredients

• 1 cup chicken breast, cooked and cut up in cubes or shredded
• 3/4 cup pitted cherries, in chunks
• 3/4 cup mango, cubed small
• 3/4 cup celery, thinly sliced
• 1 cup kale 
• 3 tablespoons Treasure Trove Tahini (adjust to achieve desired texture)
• Lemon juice to taste

Directions

1. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the chicken, cherries, mango, and celery. Stir in the tahini and lemon juice. Serve on top of the kale.

An In-Depth Look

As you will see next, each ingredient brings an impressive amount of bone-healthy nutrients to the table.

So let’s take a look at each of the foods in this recipe, and find out just why they are so good for your bones.

Chicken

While it’s acidifying, chicken is good for your bones when it’s balanced with alkalizing foods as in this dish. It’s an excellent source of lean protein, in addition to the nutrients listed below.

Go for free-range and organic chicken whenever possible. Not only will you get more nutrients from the chicken, it's also the more humane option. And watch labels for sodium content.

3 Bone-Building Nutrients In Chicken:

1. Niacin* is one of the B-complex vitamins, known as Vitamin B3. It helps to release the energy from carbs, fats, and proteins, and is healthful for skin and nerves as well as bones. It is essential for proper nutrient metabolism.
2. Potassium, a powerfully alkalizing mineral, helps muscles contract and grow, and is important for proper nerve functioning. In addition, it helps synthesize protein and is involved in the passage of water across cell membranes.
3. Magnesium* is required for the absorption of calcium. It plays a part in your stomach’s production of hydrochloric acid, without which you can’t properly digest and absorb nutrients. Magnesium helps control bone mineralization through its regulation of the parathyroid gland.

*Foundation Supplement

Cherries

These alkalizing fruits are full of antioxidants and silicon, and they add a fruity punch to this chicken salad

Plus, cherries are no longer on the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list, which is good news if you can’t find organic ones!

6 Bone-Building Nutrients In Cherries:

1. Potassium (See above for more on potassium).
2. Manganese*, not to be confused with magnesium, is a trace mineral that helps form the protein matrix that holds bone-specific minerals like calcium and magnesium in place. Manganese also forms part of the antioxidant enzyme Manganese Superoxide Dismutase, thereby helping to protect your bones against oxidative damage.
3. Vitamin C* has a dual function as an antioxidant and a vitamin. Like manganese, Vitamin C is involved in the structure of the bone matrix, because it promotes healthy collagen formation. Your body also needs Vitamin C in order to manufacture bone-building Vitamin D.
4. Beta-Carotene is part of what gives cherries their red color. It’s a carotenoid, and your body converts it into Vitamin A. It promotes healthy functioning of the kidneys and liver, key detoxifying organs that are vital for strong bones.
5. Silicon* (Silica) is required for calcium to get into your bones for optimal density, and like Vitamin C, silicon helps in collagen formation.
6. Copper* is another trace mineral that works in conjunction with manganese, and it is a moiety of Superoxide Dismutase. Amazingly, copper is found in every body tissue.

*Foundation Supplement

Mango

The beautiful mango is rich in flavonoids, colorful plant chemicals that work in synergy with antioxidants to protect your bones. Mangoes also contain the following bone-building nutrients.

5 Bone-Building Nutrients Found In Mangoes:

1. Vitamin C* (See above for more on vitamin C).
2. Vitamin A works with the antioxidants in mangoes to protect your bones from free radical damage.
3. Vitamin B6* (Pyroxidine) is part of the whole complex of B vitamins. B6 works to lower levels of homocysteine, a bone-weakening inflammatory byproduct of amino acid metabolism. Through an enzymatic process called transulfuration, B6 can render homocysteine harmless.
4. Potassium (See above for more on potassium).
5. Copper* (See above for more on copper).

*Foundation Supplement

Celery

Crisp and powerfully alkalizing, celery adds more than just crunch to this chicken salad.

7 Bone-Building Nutrients In Celery:

1. Vitamin K* is not a supplement you’ll hear your doctor talk about when it comes to osteoporosis. But it’s just as important as the often-mentioned calcium, and research has shown that a form of K2 specifically inhibits osteoclast formation.¹ (Osteoclasts are the cells that tear down bone.) Vitamin K does this by working with Vitamin D and osteocalcin, a protein that binds to calcium.
2. Vitamin B9* (Folate) plays a part in the production of amino acids, many of which bind to minerals to facilitate absorption. Of course, B9 is one of the B-complex vitamins.
3. Vitamin C* (See above for more on vitamin C).
4. Manganese* (See above for more on manganese).
5. Vitamin B2* (Riboflavin) is a B-complex vitamin that aids red blood cell formation. It also promotes healthy nerve function.
6. Vitamin B5* (Pantothenic acid) is, like other B vitamins, involved in a variety of enzymatic processes. In addition, Vitamin B5 “unlocks” energy from the food you eat.
7. Magnesium* (See above for more on magnesium).

*Foundation Supplement

Kale

A favorite of gardeners, kale is a hearty cruciferous vegetable that is readily available year-round. It’s full of nutrients that are excellent for bones, including antioxidants lutein, beta-carotene, kaempferol, and quercetin.

8 Bone-Building Nutrients In Kale:

1. Vitamin C* (See above for more on vitamin C).
2. Calcium* is involved in the formation, construction and maintenance of bones. It is necessary for new bone deposition and for bone mineralization. Calcium also plays a role in muscle contraction and relaxation, including the heart.
3. Vitamin B6* (See above for more on vitamin B6).
4. Potassium (See above for more on potassium).
5. Vitamin A (See above for more on vitamin A).
6. Copper* (See above for more on copper).
7. Manganese* (See above for more on manganese).

*Foundation Supplement

Tahini

Tahini sometimes causes confusion because store-bought versions tend to be acidifying, while homemade tahini is alkalizing. So to keep the pH balance of this recipe, I recommend making your own alkalizing Treasure Trove Tahini.

The base for tahini is sesame seeds, and these tiny seeds contain a powerhouse of bone-healthy nutrients.

5 Bone-Building Nutrients In Tahini (Sesame Seeds):

1. Calcium* – just ¼ cup of sesame seeds has more calcium (351mg) than a cup of whole milk (291mg).
2. Zinc* is an important trace mineral that has not only been shown to increase bone density, but low dietary intake of zinc has been correlatively linked to low bone density in the hip and spine.²
3. Copper* (See above for information).
4. Vitamin B1* (Thiamine) is another “energy releaser,” supporting the metabolism of carbohydrates. Vitamin B1 also promotes normal functioning of the nervous system.
5. Magnesium* (See above for information).

*Foundation Supplement

There’s Even More To This Amazing Recipe!

Besides the variety of nutrients in the Tropical Chicken recipe, the ingredients themselves, including cherries, mango, celery, kale and tahini (sesame seeds) are Foundation Foods because they contain high levels of Foundation Supplements. And those are the foods you should include in your daily bone-healthy nutrition.

Over the years since developing the Save Our Bone Program, many Savers have asked for a recipe book. So I started working on Bone Appétit, and it’s now available in print and digital form.

In addition to more than 200 pH-balanced delicious recipes, for your convenience I’ve included the complete list of Foundation Foods in Bone Appétit, so you can use it as a handy quick reference . Each list has alkalizing and acidifying foods, removing all the guesswork!

Plus for a limited time, with Bone Appétit, you’ll also get three free bonuses when your order today.

1. The 30 Day Meal Planner to help you organize, grocery shop, and plan your bone-nourishing meals, including two pH-balanced snacks each day.
2. You’ll also receive Blender Magic, a collection of smoothie recipes that are full of essential vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for strong bones.
3. Bound inside the Bone Appétit cookbook itself you’ll find Calcilicious, a recipe collection that includes dairy-free, calcium-rich dishes you can prepare any time you need a calcium “boost.” With Calcilicious, you’ll know exactly how much
   calcium your bones are getting from foods because each recipe gives you the calcium content.

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Till next time,

References

¹ “Effect of Vitamin K2 [menatetrenone] on osteoclast-like cell formation in mouse bone marrow cultures.” European Journal of Pharmacology. 1994.

² Hyun T., Barrett-Connor E., Milne D. ; “Zinc intakes and plasma concentrations in men with osteoporosis: the Rancho Bernardo Study.” American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Vol. 80, No. 3, 715-721. September 2004.