Six Foundation Foods That Build Your Bones And Hydrate Your Skin

Vivian Goldschmidt, MA Nutrition

Evidence-Based
5 min Read

Wintertime can be very hard on your skin and hair. When indoor heating systems warm the dry winter air, you’re surrounded by “thirsty” air that draws moisture out of your skin, hair, and nails.

That kind of environment can dehydrate and shrivel your skin like a prune, exaggerating the effects of aging and making life pretty uncomfortable. Lotions and creams can only provide temporary relief on the surface, and many of them contain toxic chemicals.

While you’ve probably heard about drinking water to hydrate your body, you may not have considered how certain foods can also hydrate and beautify skin and hair.

Today I’m happy to share with you six Foundation Foods that are effective “hydrators” and they nourish and build your bones.

And I also give you a delicious pH balanced recipe from Calcilicious, one of the bonuses included with the Bone Appétit cookbook.

So let’s get started!

Beauty-Enhancing, Bone-Building Foundation Foods

Foundation Foods are the backbone of the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, because what you eat has an enormous impact on your bone health. That’s why the Program contains a comprehensive list of alkalizing and acidifying foods, along with Bone Appétit, the brand-new companion recipe book to the Program.

These six foods – three acidifying, three alkalizing – provide lots of bone-healthy nutrients and also give your skin the hydration it craves. Remember, acidifying foods are not off-limits; they can easily be incorporated into the 80% alkaline, 20% acidic diet recommended in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program.

3 Acidifying Hydrating Foundation Foods

Salmon

Rich in Omega-3 fish oils, salmon is an excellent food for winter. It’s one of the rare food sources of Vitamin D. And it contains the antioxidant CoQ10 (ubiquinone or Coenzyme Q10), which as explained in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program, gets depleted by bisphosphonates. Salmon also has selenium, which is one of the keys to its role in skin health: selenium is a trace mineral that helps eliminate toxins. In addition, low levels of selenium have been associated with an increased risk of developing osteoporosis.1 So it makes sense to increase your selenium levels.

Eggs

Eggs are another food source of Vitamin D, the “sunlight vitamin” that can be hard to get during the winter. They also contain B vitamins, specifically vitamins B6 (pyridoxine), B9 (folate), and B12 (cobalamin). These three key vitamins work together to decrease levels of homocysteine, an amino acid associated with increased hip fracture risk.

Eat Your Way to Stronger Bones

Enjoy 200+ delicious, bone-strengthening recipes designed to naturally support bone health—without spending hours in the kitchen. Bone Appétit makes eating for stronger bones simple, satisfying, and stress-free.

Discover Bone Appétit

Walnuts

Walnuts are a rich source of bone-healthy copper and boron, and are an excellent source of Omega-3 fatty acids. These healthful oils boost your skin’s ability to retain moisture, and they also increase calcium absorption and promote collagen synthesis.2 Copper is a key player in an enzymatic process that develops and maintains bones and joints. Boron works with Vitamin D in bone metabolism and decreases calcium and magnesium excretion.

3 Alkalizing Hydrating Foundation Foods

Flax seeds

These tiny, crunchy little seeds are a rich source of bone-building calcium. They may not seem very hydrating, but they are chock-full of healthful Omega-3 oils that are anti-inflammatory, help keep cell membranes intact, and promote moisture retention in the skin.

Celery

This flavorful bone-strengthener is loaded with pure water and minerals such as boron, silica, and calcium. Celery contains Vitamin K as well, a vitamin essential to the absorption of calcium. In addition, celery has the distinction of being one of the most alkalizing vegetables in existence.

Cucumber

Cucumber is another water-rich vegetable, containing high amounts of silica, a mineral that combats dry skin, hair, and nails and tends to decline as we age. Silica helps build connective tissue (collagen), plays a role in the assimilation of calcium, and affects the mineralization of bone.

If, for whatever reason, you can’t or don’t eat some of these foods, don’t despair – there are lots of other healthy, bone-nourishing foods in the Program and in Bone Appétit!

Now you may be wondering how best to prepare and eat these delicious foods.

Below is a yummy recipe from Calcilicious, a bonus that’s included with the Bone Appétit cookbook. Calcilicious contains more than 20 recipes for dishes that are particularly calcium-rich, so you can boost your intake of this vital mineral any time you feel like a snack or a meal.

Calcilicious is not the only bonus included with Bone Appétit; you also get the 30 Day Meal Planner to help you organize your bone-healthy meals, and Blender Magic, which contains over 30 smoothie recipes that build your bones.

Here is a recipe from Calcilicious for Rice N’ Nuts Crunch, a nutty, pH-balanced mixture that builds your bones and hydrates your system with every spoonful.

Rice N' Nuts Crunch (Fits the 80/20 criteria)


Yields 6 Servings


121 mg of calcium per serving

Ingredients

  • 2 cups quinoa, cooked

  • 1 cup wild rice, cooked
  • 2 large tomatoes, diced

  • ¾ cup parsley, chopped

  • ½ cup green onions, chopped

  • 1 cup dried figs, coarsely chopped

  • ½ cup slivered or chopped almonds,
preferably toasted

  • 1⁄3 cup walnuts, chopped



Directions

  1. In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
  2. To prepare the dressing, use a small bowl to mix the lemon juice, oil, garlic, salt and coriander. Pour into large bowl with quinoa mixture and toss. Refrigerate until cold.

  3. Sprinkle with almonds and walnuts before serving.



Dressing Ingredients

  • ½ cup lemon juice

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1 teaspoon sea salt

  • ½ teaspoon coriander, ground

To find out more about Bone Appétit and the 3 bonuses (Calcilicious, Blender Magic, and the 30 Day Meal Planner) included with your order, I invite you to click here.

Till next time,

References

1 Ebert, Regina and Jakob, Franz. “Selenium deficiency as a putative risk factor for osteoporosis.” Orthopedic Department of the University of Wuerzburg (Orthopedic Center for Musculoskeletal Research, Wuerzburg, Germany, March 2007)

2 Griel A., Kris-Etherton P. et al. “An increase in dietary n-3 fatty acids decreases a marker of bone resorption in humans.” Nutrition Journal. January 2007.

Delicious, Bone-Healthy Meals Made Simple

Support your bones with 200+ easy, flavorful recipes designed to naturally boost bone strength—without spending hours in the kitchen. Bone Appétit takes the guesswork out of eating for bone health, so you can enjoy every meal with confidence.

Discover Bone Appétit