Today we’ll take a peek at the daily menu of Average Jane and why it's so devastating to her bone health. I'll also reveal what the the S.A.D. really is, and why you must stay away from it.
On her way to work in the morning, Average Jane stops at the diner and orders the breakfast special: sausage patties with two fried eggs, home fries, white toast with American cheese, orange juice from concentrate, and several cups of coffee.
She arrives to the office and once she settles in, she keeps her coffee mug full throughout the morning and nibbles on a few of her favorite cookies.
If she’s too busy to go out to lunch, she orders in a pizza with a diet soda. Or if she is lucky enough to go out to lunch, she gets a pastrami sandwich with mayo and mustard at the corner deli.
Before taking the train back home, she stops at the coffee shop for a quick pick-me-up: a donut with coffee. Dinner is usually a frozen TV dinner, macaroni and cheese out of a box, or a hamburger. Her favorite late night snack is one or two scoops of ice cream with whipped cream and sprinkles..
If you find the above menu a tad repulsive, you're absolutely right. This eating pattern is completely out of tune with your bone health and your general health as well.
The eating habits of Average Jane are typical of the Standard American Diet (S.A.D.). This diet is the launching pad to poor nutritional choices responsible for a myriad of health problems, including osteoporosis. Unfortunately, this diet is creeping into many other parts of the world, causing an epidemic of chronic “diseases” in places where they did not exist before.
Let’s take a look at the three main characteristics that shape the Standard American Diet
1. Aesthetics
Food choices are made based on their exterior appearance. Any blemishes, irregularities in shape, or color imperfections are considered detrimental, so food is expected to look consistently perfect. Packaged foods are acceptable, even encouraged, due to the simplicity of preparation. The more intricate and decorated the container, the more appeal the food has. Taste, aroma, and nutritional benefits are secondary to looks.
2. Technology
Food preservation is considered an added advantage as compared to the natural state of foods. Frozen, canned, or ready-to-eat processed foods are more appealing than a fresh product. Preservatives, taste enhancers, and food colorants are accepted since they enhance the aesthetics; they are perceived as palatability enhancers, and give consistent and predictable results.
3. Disconnection from health
Like Modern Medicine, the S.A.D. ignores the basic premise that food is one of the main contributors of health. It simply relates food to weight gain or weight loss, its interaction with prescription drugs, and to certain flawed concepts for food avoidance based on superficial observations or one-sided studies.
The S.A.D. myths
1. It’s OK for humans to be guinea pigs
Until the 20th century, no civilization has ever been exposed to this kind of “man-made” nutrition. So this quasi-synthetic diet can be considered one of the biggest and perhaps most dangerous experiments in human history as it relates to health. The current osteoporosis epidemic is a good example of the health distortions that can occur with this type of flawed nutrition.
2. Tampering with whole foods improves their quality
The purposeful fragmentation of food renders it unwholesome and for that reason it can’t (and obviously doesn’t) support the biological processes necessary to maintain even the most basic level of good health. Not surprisingly, the S.A.D. has opened the flood gates to a myriad of chronic “diseases”, which more often than not, are the manifestation of the struggle of the human biology at the cellular level to survive in a toxic and nutritionally deficient environment. Osteoporosis is most certainly a “modern disease” brought about by the S.A.D..
3. An imbalanced diet is irrelevant to health
The excessive emphasis on acidic foods consumption, such as animal protein in the form of meats and dairy products, grains, and sweetened foods and drinks produces a biochemical imbalance in the body. The lack of fruits and vegetables in this diet plunges the pH levels to unsustainable low levels. This leads to a state of chronic metabolic acidosis, which is one of the major culprits of bone loss leading to osteoporosis.
4. Chemicals in the food supply are a sign of scientific advancement
Chemical additives are highly acidifying substances that alter the chemistry of foods and rob them from their life-sustaining qualities, thus greatly affecting your bone health. As far back as 1963, Dr. Chauncey Lake, who was the President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, issued a rare warning. He said that:
“General use of new chemicals in large quantities has created a new hazard –subclinical poisoning – so insidious, that physicians cannot connect the poison to the ailment.” (Ruth Winter, Poisons in Your Food: The Dangers You Face and What You Can Do about Them. Three Rivers Press. 1990. Page 4).
Are you a victim of the S.A.D.?
Unfortunately, modern medicine doesn’t make the connection between food and health. Instead, when problems arise, it deems our biology as “defective” and attempts to artificially “fix it” with synthetic drugs. This is wrong, and the results speak for themselves.
That's why I'm so glad you're part of this community as we spread the truth about bone health and expose the lies. We know better, and that's why on this website and in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program we take a radically different approach to bone health. We understand that osteoporosis doesn't reflect a “defect” in our biology, but is merely a biochemical imbalance, caused by diet, lifestyle, and other environmental factors, resulting in excessive bone loss as the body attempts to correct it.
The bad news is that the Standard American Diet is one of the main culprits of the biochemical imbalance. But the good news is that correcting it is easy with a few simple dietary changes that include the Foundation Foods, and other simple bone health-enhancers – and I'm happy to report that more and more in our community are doing just that.
So stay away from the S.A.D., follow the Osteoporosis Reversal Program and you’ll have happy and healthy bones. As Hippocrates said, “Let food be your medicine”.
Feel free to share your thoughts or any experiences you might have had with the S.A.D. by leaving a comment below.
I have osteoporosis in my hip. I do not want to take boniva or any other medicine for this condition. I take 1200 mil. Of calcium a day and 2000 mil. Of vit. D. I am 77 yrs. Old. I am at high risk for fracture. I do not know if I am taking the correct vitamins for this problem.
My husband and I eat out….maybe once a year….I do not eat at fast food places because it is junk food. I eat fruits, salads every day for supper…we raise our own free range chickens with good food fed to them….very little red meat and sugar is eaten at our house….I drink lots of water from a quality filter….I do not use the HRT drugs….I still have osteoporosis and two fractures from it. Very discouraging.
i bought the Saveourbones program and am very impressed with Vivian’s knowledge regarding the optimal health that bones need. I also read Sick & Tired by Dr Robert Young and he and Viviam are on the same page. with regard to the PH level in your body, it is CRITICAL to maintain this balance.
I had a back operation end February and still have pain from the nerve that the neurosurgeon caused when he went into my back. He discovered my L3 was badly degenerated. He wanted to prescribe drugs and i refused. In the hospital i took some drugs however threw them away when i got home. I am determined to succeed in restoring my bones.
Thanks to you Viviam and many others who have the same mindset.
Blessings
Coral Vorster,
Cape Town,
South Africa
Hi All, Since drinking Vivian’s cucumber and lemon water I no longer have leg cramps at night.I used to drink Apple Cider vinegar [one tablespoon]with water to help with calcium assimilation. I have not done that lately and wonder ifffffff I should resume doing that?
Do you juice the cucumber or soak in water together with the lemon?
does lemon juice make distilled water alkaline?thanks cindy
Is the flu shot just poison to the system??? Something we should not receive?
Bev, you can read my thoughts about the flu shot here: https://saveourbones.com/flu-shot/
It’s never too late to start! You can walk 10,000 steps a day in a badly designed kitchen. It won’t help fat loss. To lose weight as well, it is necessary to do interval training e.g power walking for 45 secs, rest for same length of time, repeat 5 times. More exercise is not better than enough. Besides which, the SAD recommends grain consumption above healthy fats – a recipe for obesity & osteoporosis.
I really enjoy your articles too… I especially like when you talk about nutrition and the foods that are good for our body…I try to eat right and eat a lot of good veggies,fruits, yogurt and am careful how much meat I eat… I drink almond milk…Any suggests with diet are always welcome….
Mary
I have been taking the juice of one lemon each morning since about 20 years and I have osteoporosis. Should I stop the lemon juice ?
haftpflicht pkw anhänger
many thanks for your good advices I would like that you give answer to some of the questions and comments
Thanks for all you are doing
christiane
you were saying to eat alkalizing snacks, could you tell me what some of them are?
Extraordinarily informative. I have just read how many ‘health powders’ have heavy metal contamination, and many people do not realise heavy metals are cummulative – but the packaging is very attractive. I spent years lowering my uranium level. Thank you.
I am sure that I have bobe density I do not take boniva my bones are aky abd paibful. I am taking ANTRONEX please coment on this
Fay
Thank you in advance for your answers. I take Life Extension Bone Restore…5 capsules contain 1200mg of calcium, 340mg of magnesium, 1000IU of D3. (I also take 5000IU of D3 along with this.) I have listed the primary ingredients. Is this enough calcium? I tried Fosamax & it hurt my throat. I took Evista for ten years and there was no improvement in my bone density tests. My doctor recommends the once a year IV of Reclast, but I am afraid of it. Please give me your advice.
I am 81 and have very small bones. I broke my hip in August and the hip is ok, but having trouble with my knee. Again, thank you. Sincerely, Gloria Bray
OH!! MY GOODNESS, HAVING JUST READ THE AVERAGE AMERICAN DAILY DIET I AM IN A STATE OF SHOCK. WHERE DID IT ALL GO WRONG, A LONG TIME AGO I THINK. THIS IS MY AVERAGE DAILY FOOD [AND MY HUSBAND’S] BREAKFAST, PORRIDGE WITH SKIMMED MILK AND SWEETENERS AND A LOAD OF BLUEBERRIES. LUNCH WRAPS WITH LOADS OF SALAD AND VERY LEAN HAM. DINNER IS AS LOW FAT AS POSSIBLE, BUT TASTY AND INTERESTING, A BOLOGNAISE MADE WITH SWEET PEPPERS AND CELERY AND TOMATOES AND A SMALL AMOUNT OF MINCED BEEF. WE SNACK ON FRUIT AND NUTS. WE DRINK WATER AND DIET DRINKS, TEA, COFFEE. SOMETIMES WE HAVE A TREAT OR A NAUGHTY AS WE CALL IT, SOME CHOCOLATE OR ICECREAM OR A CREAM CAKE, WE REALLY ENJOY THAT. WAKE UP AMERICA AND START EATING PROPERLY, YOU ARE KILLING YOURSELVES FOR SURE.
DIET DRINKS ARE POISON!
You could be undoing the beneficial effects of a good diet with diet drinks. I just finished reading two books by an expert in thyroid health, Dr. David Brownstein.
It’s amazing how closly related thyroid health is to bone health.
We are involuntarily subjected to so many poisonous compounds in this “modern” world, why add to the “overload” with voluntarily taking in more by drinking diet drinks?
How wonderfully you write. I am so delighted with the way you describe what is going on with our health issues as a result of primarily a deficient diet and particularly the SAD. In Australia there are many that eat this way about half the day at least. Put this with lack of sleep, stress and little time for exercise for year upon year and its a wonder we live as long as we do! The impact on all aspects of our lives from lack of self care is enormous and i have experienced this first hand as a nurse and personally. Thankyou for sharing your knowledge, reminders and encouragement. Dijana
I am considering taking STRONTIUM to treat my Osteopenia diagnoses. Do you have an opinion about this?
Comment: I’m so grateful to this site for such good, ongoing information.
Question: Since I no longer take Boniva, is there a way for me to regularly measure my personal pH / acidity?
To all who neglected themselves (here as anywhere): God’s our healer! So may we study, respond in that spirit: trusting a loving good God who desires our best! For our bones and entire being: in Jesus’ love, Robert.
Submitted in the hope we’ll wit
… that is: witness to not only the health and related blessings we find ourselves (by grace) experiencing, but to the source of all this goodness, resisting the adversary (to all such goodness and due faith therein).
(Submitted by grace, in Jesus’ love (to share God’s love for all!).)
yeah… i think everyone should learn about this “Standard American Diet”. people doesn’t only make their bones weak but also get diabetes.
thanks for those information, vivian!!! i learn a lot from it…
and probably many other illnesses !!
I read the questions people leave on the site and find them intersting – I would like to be able to read the answers given, as some of questions, I feel I would ask, therefore, knowing the answers would be beneficial… and helpful.
I couldn’t agree more. I know there are so many questions/comments to reply to, but this is how we learn. I’ve seen questions asked over and over (some of which I’m wondering about myself), but never answered. Please try to reply. Thank you.
I have noticed that many of the questions have been answered on her other posts. Also in her book. You can find a list to click on the different archived posts.
More attention should be given to the part dairy products (cow’s milk, cheeses, yogurt, etc) play in our modern-day health problems. Read Vivian’s article “Debunking the Milk Myth: Why Milk Is Bad for You and Your Bones.” Also, for another eye-opener, read Prof. Jane Plant’s website and how, as a breast cancer patient, she researched why so few women in China get breast cancer–the common denominator is that they do not drink milk! The same for men in China—there are few cases of prostate cancer. Perhaps lactose intolerance is nature’s way of telling us we are eating the wrong food! I switched to Almond Milk as a substitute for cow’s milk . Almonds contain calcium. Read up on it and try it.
Diagnosed with oesteoporosis 5 yrs ago. Trusted the Doctor unfortunately and took Alendronic Acid for 4 years. Had very bad side effects and stopped. Was then put on Protelos and only took it for 2 months when I came accross Vivian’s advice, ordered the book and started on her program since June 2010. I feel better for it and hope to see an improvement in my bone density in November.
I appreciate all the info and recipes you send me Vivian. Thank you.
Can you tell me how long one can still be affected by the bad side effects (particularly jaw problems) after stopping alendronic acid? Thank you.
Hi! Vivian,
I’ve Been Trying For The Last Several Years To Get Away From The Standard American Diet (S.A.D), And To Eat Healthier. I’m Going To Keep Trying Until I Get There.
Thank You VERY MUCH For Showing Us The Proper Way To DO THAT!
LOVE, MS. L.
Diagnosed with Advanced RA and Osteoperosis September of 2007. Followed normal protocal and added more money to the medical field. Ordered the Book from Save Our Bones. I adjusted my diet and did research. Began to daily test with Urine PH strips and with diet, balanced my urin PH. Went off of RA medicines March 2009 and Adrenate Sulphate in June of 2009. My labs are all normal.
For the coffee lovers. Gordon Foods (commercial & retail provider) makes a low acid coffee blend – Mosiac Classic Roast. I noticed that my urine PH was improved after drinking several cups (w/o cream or sugar) of coffee at two of the restaurnts that I visit. When I asked whose coffee they used – they said the Mosaic. I have a local Gordon Food Store in my area, and I have been pruchasing it there ever since.
I don’t know if anyone else will have the same results, but I just wanted you to know..
I am a big coffee drinker and have worked on my ph as well.Found a simple drink tonic n siera with lemon or lime keeps the ph right..would like to try u coffee. i live in N.Y. and we dont have that store so is there a web site for the Mosica coffee? thanks
Oh my! why has it taken so long to find out how & what to eat properly, to feed our bodies with healthy life giving food instead of the processed plastic stuff that is literally killing us!!!
I’ve had digestive problems for many years,[60 at least] had so many investigations, tried lots of medication, all to no avail. Still feel like ‘rubbish’: but am about to embark on the Food Combining, Alkalising & eating fresh foods and using the info from Vivian [as soon as my book arrives].
Doctors are good at sewing us up, but not at advising us about proper nutrition. It doesn’t seem to feature much in their training.
However, thanks to people like Vivian, we are taking responsibility for our own health – learning from your research – and I hope, will live longer & happy, healthy lives! God bless you Vivian & Thank you…Sue
I am on a statin for my colesterol Does it take away calcium from my body. I have been eating better even when we go out. their are always veggies and salads we can have. My spine does hurt from time to time but I and hard on it as I garden a lot.I do love milk, but have hot been drinking it because of my intestineal problem I do rice milk. Would you say a plant calceium is the better suppplement to take as opposed to cal. from bones of animals. Will you replay? Thank you
Dear Sue and others,
I came upon this excellent site as a referral from Sherry Brescia from Great Taste No Pain without whose advice in her manuals and recipe books I would have returned to hospital with another bout of Diverticulitis, the pain I experienced with that was worse than painful childbirth.
I am 67 years old and have followed her advice on the combinations of food, what to eat with what and all the delicious meals. It takes a bit of getting used to but it is just simply the way we eat our food and it is well worth the effort. Go to her site and you can download a Quick-Start Guide complete with recipes to try. There is also a Gluten Free set of manuals which I have as well as there is gluten hidden in lots of food these days and it is not good for you at all. Try this you will be pleasantly surprised as I was, I was determined that I was to be in control of my body and am now reaping the rewards. Eating this way I promise you will be free of all that pain and will feel like a new person. We all deserve to lead a pain free life it is our right.
June from down under.
I have been diagnosed with osteoporosis of the spine and hips about 5 0r 6 yrs. ago. I also have degenerative disc disease and now have a slipped vertebrae. I am in a lot of pain and take pain meds just to tolerate getting through the day. I was prescribed Actonel at time of diagnoses but I have refused to take it for fear of the jaw bone deteriation. I am starting to be a little fearful that I will get into real trouble with the osteoporosis and decline into a cripple. I am 67 and have always been active and youthful for my age. Most people think I am in my 50’s by appearance. I take calcium and magnesium, Vit D and zinc. I just found this web site while looking up info on actonel once again. I had convinced myself that I need to start taking it to survive. Now, I am confused about what to do. I am a healthy eater, fruits, veggies, no red meats. Cannot drink milk (lactose intolerant) I am in a lot of pain so I haven’t exercised much at all. I am in PT now because of pelvic floor re-constructive surgery that has left me with the horrible pain in hip,back and leg CONSTANT pain. I feel I am in hell and can’t get out. Please, any help or suggestions would much appreciated. Thank you so much, I am going to read the material of your’s that I just down loaded. Julia
Lactose intolerant – try Almond Milk. It is mildly sweet and has calcium. You may want to try adding a good grade of fish oil. It mitigates inflamation. Try lef.org for supplaments and the use of advisors.
I am about the same age as you and have low bone density for my age. I have practiced yoga for 20 years and more recently pilates which I started after finding about my low bone density. I recommend you find a good pilates practice. You can do a lot with diet but in your case you need to back it up (sorry about the pun) with exercise that strengthens the muscles around your spine and pelvic floor. It’s probably too late for yoga – but not if you can find a helpful practitioner. I haven’t had a back problem since starting pilates. But you have to be prepared to put the work into it.
I am recovering from 4 thorasic compression fractures. I am fit and active and was stunned to learn I had osteoporosis at 54 yo. I have improved my diet as Vivian suggest. 80% Fruit/veggies- 20% meats. I discovered I had gluten intollerance so I was not absorbing all my nutrients. This gluten intollerance, it is now estimated 1:33 people have it. Your physicians will not have a clue. Many people do not know as the symptoms are subclinical. But lactose intollerance is associated with it as is osteoporosis. You may have constipation, diarrhea, stomach pain, difficulty sleeping, incontenence.
The other thing I did was cover up religiously from the sun bucause of my skin cancer. So for 10 years spf 30, spf sun cloths. Guess what, no Vit D from the sun exposure which is required for calcium to be absoiberd into the bones. I few years ago I got melanoma. Natural Vit D production from sun exposure protect you to some degree from melanoma. They are sying melanoma has been on the rise because people are not getting enough sun. If you live North of atlanta you can not get enough Vit D during the winter.
I did my 2 months of physicial therapy working on developing more back muscles to support the back.
Now I lift weights 3X a week for my osteoporosis out in the sun for 45 min. Until I turn just a light pink on each side. Pilates once a week. My instructor discovered Pilates because she injured herself as a dancer and after over a year of being in sever pain she went to Pilates and it turned her around to the healthy instructor she is today. I walk everyother day with 1 lb weights on my ankles. I do 100 heal drops a day. After 5 months I am riding my horses again.
Eat 6 baby carrots as a snack. Slice cucumber and put your tuna salad on top of it. Chop apple and celery into your tuna or chicken salad. Eat an apple a day. Almonds and raisins in oatmeal. Use lettus as a subsitute for bread and wrap you sandwich filling in it. An egg a day has great nutrients.
Make sure you get good quality supplements. Do your home work. Most OTC vitamins are poorly absorbed. Calcium, Magnesium, Vit D are all important as well as many others. Vit C ( look up Linus Paulings theory).
Find a physician willing to work with you who knows about osteoporosis. I was lucky and found a great D.O. The first 2 MD’s insisted I take a biophosphate and only checked my Vit D level. They say MD’s are 17 years behind the latest research.
You really have to write down your goals and chip away at making a change.
Read and re-read. There is so much information I find I come across it again and say. Oh yes I forgot that one. I keep a doccument on my computer to which I add all the info I come across.
Happy bones!
I have had life long allergies to brazil nuts, eggs, and cow’s milk. I have developed other allergies in my 85 years. Does any part of your program increase food tolerance?
THANKS FOR THE INFO, BUT I AM WONDERING WHEN WE SEE ALLOT OF CHEMMERCIALS WHICH IS SUPPOSE TO REPRESENT A GOOD HARDY BREAKFAST YOU SEE EGGS, TOAST, COFFEE, AND ORANGE JUICE. OF COURSE AT TIMES WE CAN SEE FRENCH TOAST OR PANCAKES. SO I THOUGHT THAT THESE WERE THE WAY TO GO WHEN IT CAME TIME FOR BREAKFAST. SO WHAT IS A GOOD HARDY BREAKFAST? AGAIN THANKS FOR THE INFO.